Jeremiyah Love Rests Ankle Ahead of Rams Game

Jeremiyah Love is sitting so his ankle can heal. The Arizona Cardinals' third-overall pick did not practice Wednesday, and coach Mike LaFleur said the plan is to take the left ankle one day at a time before Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium.

LaFleur was clear that rest is the point. "We all are in agreeance as much as he wants to battle through, we're all in agreeance right now, it's just, hey just give it a little bit of rest and see as the week goes on what that'll entail for Sunday," he said.

Why the ankle will not go away on its own

Love's cut style makes this a hard injury to shake. LaFleur pointed to how aggressive the Notre Dame product is when he plants and changes direction, and he said that kind of footwork is exactly what keeps an ankle barking.

"They're ankles. It's an ankle," LaFleur said when asked if he was worried about it lingering. "So, you don't know. I'm not a doctor and each body's a little bit different. The way he came back from the one in the preseason was unbelievable. I mean, he doesn't even feel it. But this one is the one that happened when the regular season started and it's just lingered."

He also floated that Love's explosiveness has been affected in recent weeks. "I know how explosive he is. I know how explosive he wants to be. So, I mean, I think that's a fair assessment in some aspects," LaFleur said. "Again, I don't think it's an overall hindrance, but again, the rest for him is going to be vital."

The numbers behind the caution

Love has 245 rushing yards and one touchdown on 67 carries this season, a 3.7-yard average, plus 36 receiving yards and a touchdown on 11 catches. His best run day was Week 3 at San Francisco, when he piled up 89 yards. In Sunday's loss to the Detroit Lions he managed just 22 yards on 12 carries.

That drop-off is why Arizona is willing to lose a Wednesday practice. Fantasy managers should treat Love as a wait-and-see until Thursday or Friday participation shows whether Sunday is realistic.

Sunday at SoFi

The Cardinals visit the Rams on Sunday, Oct. 18, at SoFi Stadium. Without Love, Arizona would lean on the rest of the backfield to create the same cutback threat that made him a first-round bet.

Cardinals fans do not need a medical degree for this one. Rest the ankle now, or watch that 3.7 yards-per-carry look even softer against a Rams front that just played sudden-death football on Monday night.