Edgerrin Cooper was carted off Sunday, and the mechanism is what makes it grim. Yahoo reported the injury appeared to be a non-contact ankle issue. Non-contact ankle injuries on a plant are usually Achilles injuries, and Pro Football Talk reports the Packers fear exactly that, to the point they expect to play the rest of the season without him. He's already ruled out for Week 4 with an Achilles injury.
Green Bay won that game 17-14 over Tampa Bay. It cost them their fastest off-ball linebacker.
In redraft and DFS classic formats, this is a nothing. Linebackers don't score in your lineup. Don't go hunting for a fantasy angle that isn't there.
In IDP leagues, it's a real hole. Cooper was a weekly start, and the next man up is worth a claim the moment the Packers name him. That name isn't in this report, so don't guess at it before the team says it.
The angle that actually matters is the defense itself. Losing your best chase-and-tackle linebacker thins Green Bay against running backs out of the backfield and tight ends on crossing routes, the two spots where a fast off-ball player erases somebody else's mistake. I'd downgrade the Packers DST in matchups against offenses that live on throws to backs and tight ends, and I'd expect more safety help in the box than Green Bay wants to play.
Verdict: nobody replaces Cooper's range with one body. Green Bay's run defense takes a real step back, and any DST streamer should treat the Packers as a matchup play rather than a set-and-forget. If the imaging confirms the tear, the Packers should be shopping for a linebacker this week, not waiting on one.
