The Cleveland Browns have had to deal with a ton of injuries this season, but somehow, the team is still right there in the thick of the playoff race.
From the quarterback position to wide receiver and defensive side of the ball, Cleveland has had to battle through as many injuries as any team in the league. Joe Flacco is going to be the starting QB this week for the Browns — if that tells you where the team is at when it comes to the position.
Now, Flacco may be without the Browns’ best offensive player, as Amari Cooper is battling injuries as well. Should fantasy football managers expect Cooper to play against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a game with big playoff implications?
Latest Injury Update on Amari Cooper
Cooper has been hurt for much of this year, but to his credit, he hasn’t missed a single game thus far. However, the injuries that he’s been dealing with have been catching up to him.
Cooper has only 84 total yards in his last three games. In last week’s loss to the Rams, he had just three catches for 34 yards.
While the numbers weren’t great against L.A., the worse news for Cooper is that he suffered a concussion in the game. Now, that streak of not missing a game this year could be in jeopardy.
Cooper did not practice on Wednesday, which is a bad sign for his availability. He followed that up by not practicing on Thursday, which makes it highly unlikely that he’ll be able to go. Friday is generally the day when we truly find out a player’s status, as that is when teams are going through their walkthroughs.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
Concussions are obviously a hot topic in the NFL. And with the news that came out about Carolina Panthers tight end Hayden Hurst struggling after he took a major headshot early in the season, you can bet the Browns are going to be very cautious with Cooper despite the fact they’re right there in the thick of the AFC race.
The next 24 hours should give us a true indication of whether or not Cooper will play, but it’s hard to imagine that he will. The fact that Cooper hasn’t practiced this week should lead us all to believe that he won’t be in the lineup.
If he can’t go, Elijah Moore would serve as the team’s WR1. Moore saw a season-high 12 targets last week. Although he only caught four of them, the volume puts him firmly in WR3 territory for Week 14.
Stay tuned to Pro Football Network for all your fantasy football coverage, including the status of Cooper and many other NFL players.
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