Andre Roberts vs. Michael Floyd: Fantasy Outlook After Larry Fitzgerald's Injury

The Arizona Cardinals are a pass-first team with Carson Palmer behind center, meaning Andre Roberts and Michael Floyd must step up in a big way now that Larry Fitzgerald is dealing with an injury. 

Roberts is the proven commodity, and fantasy football owners would be smart to lock him up before considering Floyd—but more on that later. 

Fitzgerald was limited in practice leading up to the team's Week 2 contest against the Detroit Lions, as noted by Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910:

He had insisted he'd be good to go in the game, but once the action started, Fitzgerald was clearly laboring. He left the game in the second half, as noted by NFL: Around The League, after catching just two passes for 33 yards and zero touchdowns:

As the old saying goes in the NFL, "next man up" is in full effect for the Cardinals, but it remains to be seen which player—Roberts or Floyd—will be the best option going forward for fantasy football owners.

Based on raw potential, Floyd would be the man to target. 

He's big, strong, fast and tremendously athletic, but in his second year out of Notre Dame, the receiver has yet to play to his potential. 

Playing in all 16 games as a rookie in 2012, Floyd caught 45 passes for 562 yards and just two touchdowns.

Roberts, meanwhile, had his finest season as a pro in 2012. Building off a 51-catch sophomore campaign, he hauled in 64 passes for 759 yards and five touchdowns last season in his third year as a pro. His five touchdown receptions led the team. 

While Floyd is still proving himself, to this point, Roberts has shown more consistency and production, and the trend continued in Week 1. In the team's first game of the 2013 season, Roberts caught eight passes for 97 yards compared to Floyd, who caught four passes for 82 yards. 

Neither player showed up well in Week 2 against the Lions, as both caught just three passes. Roberts did manage to one-up his teammate, once again, however, gaining 14 more yards.

It's clear that Roberts should be your first target out of the two. 

If Fitzgerald is out for any amount of time, Roberts will benefit the most from his absence. He's a proven veteran with the ability to make big plays on short routes as well as deep ones, whereas Floyd is still trying to learn how to play the position as a pro. 

Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78