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Larry Fitzgerald suffers minor MCL injury

By Dave Stevenson

Oct 26, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) against the Baltimore Ravens at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 26, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) against the Baltimore Ravens at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Larry Fitzgerald has a minor MCL tear that could affect him this season. 

The Arizona Cardinals came extremely close to the Super Bowl last season. Thanks to some impressive offseason improvements, the Cardinals appear to be one of the Super Bowl favorites entering the 2016 season. Teams try to avoid injuries in the preseason, especially to their starters. The Cardinals did not leave their 19-0 loss to the San Diego Chargers unscathed due to Larry Fitzgerald suffering a minor MCL injury, according to Pro Football Talk:

"[Fitzgerald] has a minor MCL issue, coach Bruce Arians told reporters after Friday’s preseason game against the Chargers. Fitzgerald played in the Week One preseason game against the Raiders."

As long as Fitzgerald doesn’t aggravate it or make it any worse, the Cardinals should be fine. Expect the Cardinals to play this very conservatively by limiting Fitzgerald as much as possible in practices and perhaps holding him for the remaining preseason games. There’s no reason to risk an injury to their best receiver.

This shouldn’t affect where you should draft Fitzgerald. It’s a very minor issue and he has nearly a month to recover from it. Fitzgerald seems to be fine so you should still draft him relatively high. He’s still a top 10 fantasy football receiver, especially after getting a career-high 109 receptions in 2015.

must read: 30 Best NFL Receivers of All-Time

Considering that the Cardinals would be much worse off without Fitzgerald, there’s no reason for them to not be conservative with him right now. After Fitzgerald, the Cardinals’ wide receiver depth falls off a bit. John Brown finished with 1,003 receiving yards in 2015 and Michael Floyd finished with 849 receiving yards. However, Fitzgerald led the team in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. He remains the favorite target of quarterback Carson Palmer by a significant margin.

It appears that the Cardinals have dodged a bullet with Fitzgerald’s MCL issue, but you can expect the team to be cautious with him the remainder of the preseason.

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