Cardinals' Jeremiyah Love limited by ankle issues ahead of Week 5

Arizona Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love is expected to see limited action as he manages two ankle injuries. The team listed him as a limited-practice participant after he tweaked his ankle in the Week 4 loss to the Giants and has not practiced fully on Thursday.

Head coach Jonathan LaFleur said the plan is to give Love “a little bit of rest and see as the week goes on.” He added that the current ankle issue is different from the high-ankle sprain he suffered in preseason, meaning the player is now dealing with injuries to both ankles.

Love’s usage this season has been constrained by the Cardinals’ pass-blocking challenges. LaFleur noted that the team’s struggles in pass protection limited Love’s ability to run routes, stating, “I wasn’t too confident in terms of getting into some of those ‘scat’ protections and stuff like that and five-man protections… We wanted to have that extra body in there.”

In the recent game against the Lions, Love recorded the only carry for Arizona in the first quarter before being phased out as the offense shifted to passing. He was later seen on the sideline without a helmet and told reporters he is still managing the ankle injury.

Fantasy analysts project Love as a fringe RB2/RB3 for the upcoming Week 5 contest, citing his limited touches and reliance on touchdowns for production. The Cardinals will also rely on backup backs Tyler Allgeier and Bam Knight to share the workload while Love recovers.