Tyler Allgeier totals 16 yards on five touches

LaFleur really laid it all out there at today’s press conference, saying Allgeier “is always going to complement that next guy” when the starter is out. He adds that Allgeier is “extremely smart” and can be trusted in pass protection and short-yardage situations on third down. While Allgeier “can” do what the Cardinals need him to do on first and second down, LaFleur said Bam Knight will take “a lot” of that work with Jeremiyah Love (ankle) sidelined. LaFleur closed by saying he does not think any of these running backs can hold up in a full-time role over the course of the season. Allgeier handled a hefty 19 touches in this complementary role last week. He can be started as a high-volume FLEX with touchdown-based upside against the Broncos.

Things have been trending in this direction all week, but LaFleur officially confirmed on Friday that Love will miss a second straight game. Tyler Allgeier and Bam Knight will likely split duties again in Week 7 after seeing a near 50/50 split in the touch distribution last week, with Allgeier’s 19 touches narrowly edging out Knight’s 17. Both Allgeier and Knight are fringe RB2/RB3 plays against a stout Broncos defense. In addition to Love the Cardinals also ruled out DT Walter Nolen III (ankle), S Andrew Wiggins (ankle), and OG Jo Gaines II (ankle).

Love didn’t practice on Wednesday and Thursday after missing Week 6. It doesn’t sound like he will practice at all this week. Tyler Allgeier and Bam Knight will split the backfield again this week. Allgeier out-carried Knight 18-15 last week, but Knight was far more effective, running for 80 yards in total. Allgeier posted just 38 yards. He still figures to be the lead runner this week, but Allgeier shine as a plug-and-play RB2 is waning headed into Week 7.

Allgeier got the start, but looked slow compared to his backfield mate Bam Knight today. It was an extremely disappointing showing and the Cardinals seemingly leaned on Knight more and more as the game progressed. Allgeier still totaled 19 touches, including 18 carries, but he was routinely stopped around the line of scrimmage and critically ceded red zone snaps to Knight. Knight may have injured his right hand or wrist late in the game, but he continued playing. With Jerermiyah Love (ankle) currently sidelined, Allgeier could end up being the lead back again next week against the Broncos. Keep an eye on the Cardinals’ injury report this week.

The Cardinals officially ruled Love out for this Sunday’s game against the Rams after he was. DNP in practice all week. Head coach Matt LaFleur said Love is not considered a candidate to be placed on injured reserve at this time, but the fact that he even has to mention that is cause for some concern that Love could be looking at a multi-week absence. LaFleur also added that Love’s lack of involvement in the passing game is due to his inability to run routes on his injured ankle. His practice status will be one to monitor next week when the Cardinals begin preparing for the Broncos. Tyler Allgeier should be in line for a busy day against the Rams and will be a volume-based RB2 play.

Tyler Allgeier should be rostered in 10-team leagues. The Cardinals have downplayed Love’s ankle issues, but two missed practices are not a good sign. He still has a chance to suit up in Week 6 against the Rams, but he is currently on the wrong side of questionable.

Asked about Love’s lack of route running — he has a 29 percent route participation rate on the season — LaFleur said the Cardinals’ pass blocking struggles often prevent Love from functioning as a pass catcher. “I wasn’t too confident in terms of getting into some of those ‘scat’ protections and stuff like that and five-man protections,” LaFleur said. “We wanted to have that extra body in there. There were a couple of times where I wanted to get him on some choice routes and stuff like that, but like I said I didn’t feel confident that we were going to be able to execute at the level that we needed to. But it is a good question.” Love, who has 13 targets and has been targeted on 21 percent of his pass routes, would need much more pass game involvement if he were to operate as an RB1 in fantasy leagues this season.

It’s been an odd 24 hours for Love, who was quoted after Sunday’s game saying this is shaping up to be the “longest year” of his career while also adding that he’s “tired” and would be willing to pass off work to Tyler Allgeier or Bam Knight in the event that he doesn’t think he can do what is being asked of him. As for this latest injury, LaFleur said the ankle injury isn’t the same one Love injured in the preseason, meaning he now has two ankle injuries to manage for the rest of the season. The Cardinals’ backfield was already proving hard to predict, and the latest quote from Love, coupled with the injury news, doesn’t exactly instill more confidence in him going forward. He draws a plus Week 5 matchup against the Lions, but should be treated as a fringe RB2/RB3 for now.

Love engaged in a long, candid conversation with Cardinals beat reporters after the game today, saying his snaps are being managed because he currently is “not able to go out there and do spectacular plays every single time.” Love said this is probably going to be the “longest year” of his life, and his preseason ankle injury is not the only thing he is dealing with. Love said his body is sometimes just “tired,” and that he would “probably just hinder the team” if he took on more work in his current state. He rhetorically asked, “why not put somebody else out there that’s playing better?” For those wondering, the Cardinals don’t go on bye until Week 14. They face the fantasy-friendly Lions defense in Week 5, which could help Love get his confidence back with an efficient performance.

One week after getting out-touched 26-6 by Jeremiyah Love, Allgeier got the situation back to “third and manageable” this week with his rookie backfield mate winning the handles war by a more modest score of 15-10. With the Cardinals spending most of the second half playing from behind, Allgeier was gobbling up snaps on third down and in the two-minute drill. That was coach Mike LaFleur’s explanation for his greater involvement. Allgeier’s score was a 22-yarder where the Cards’ line sprung a hole and Allgeier shed a few tackles. Cool stuff, though Allgeier remains a low-ceiling FLEX in this deficient offense, one dominated by target hogs Trey McBride and Michael Wilson.