Logan Thomas' Updated Fantasy Outlook After Drew Stanton's Injury

The Arizona Cardinals are four games into their 2014 regular season, entered Week 5 off a bye with a 3-0 record and are now down to their third-string rookie quarterback in Logan Thomas.

Drew Stanton exited Sunday's contest against the Denver Broncos with a head injury, prompting Thomas to be pressed into action, per the Cardinals' official Twitter account:

Thomas was a fourth-round pick out of Virginia Tech in this year's draft and has a cannon for an arm but struggles with consistency, accuracy and polish.

After getting sacked twice not long after making his debut, Thomas made quite an impression on his first NFL completion to running back Andre Ellington, per AZCardinals.com's Kyle Odegard:

The final numbers offered a more complete reflection of where Thomas is in his development in the pros:

Although his talent will allow him to stretch the field in Arizona coach Bruce Arians' vertical passing offense, Thomas is bound to make some rookie mistakes. Therefore, endorsing Thomas as any sort of fantasy commodity at this point is too bold.

This brief analysis from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport is appropriate and fair:

Name	PASS	YDS	TD/INT	Fantasy Points
Logan Thomas	1/8	81	1/0	7
Drew Stanton	11/26	118	0/0	4

At least the first-year player packed with potential seems to have the right mindset. Before Week 5, Thomas expressed faith in his preparation, per ESPN.com's Josh Weinfuss: "I have plenty of confidence for me. It's just going out there and doing it. Around here the motto is next man up. That’s how it has to be. Drew's done a great job. If anything were to happen to Drew, then it’s my job to do the same."

Measuring at 6'6", 248 pounds with a 4.61 40-yard dash at the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine, there is no denying that Thomas has all the tools to be a star. Whether he can put it all together remains to be seen, but it does help that he has weapons in big-bodied receivers Michael Floyd and Larry Fitzgerald, along with draft classmate and slot dynamo John Brown.

What won't help his fantasy value is the following report by Fox Sports insider Jay Glazer, who tweeted incumbent starting Cardinals QB Carson Palmer will return from injury soon: "Carson Palmer flew to Denver on Fri,worked w nerve specialist last 2 days & FINALLY think got nerve to release. Optimistic now if no setbacks chance he can play next wk or following week the latest."

Stanton was just 11-of-26 passing for 118 yards before leaving the field Sunday, and he doesn't have the type of athleticism or arm Thomas has. Only desperate fantasy owners playing in two-QB leagues should take a flier on Thomas until he has a larger sample size to draw inferences from.