TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — University of Alabama junior wide receiver Amari Cooper was thankful for the rest last week. After making 43 receptions for 655 yards during the first four games, which is on pace to shatter the Crimson Tide’s single-season record in both categories, he had more than earned some down time.

A player doesn’t post those kind of numbers with physically feeling it, and like so many of his Crimson Tide teammates the first of two byes give him a chance to recover.

“I was kind of banged up after the Florida game,” Cooper said Tuesday afternoon. “Just a couple of bruises and stuff like that. The bye week was really beneficial to me.”

Looking around the No. 3 Crimson Tide, though, one has to wonder just how beat up Alabama is heading into October, when it’ll visit No. 11 Ole Miss (Saturday 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS), much-improved Arkansas and rival Tennessee, and host No. 6 Texas A&M.

At running back junior T.J. Yeldon has been nursing a hamstring injury and sophomore Derrick Henry sustained a shoulder injury against West Virginia. Combined they account for 604 rushing yards, or 58.4 percent of the team’s total.

“It feels good,” Henry said. “As the weeks have gone by, it’s gotten better.”

At quarterback, senior Blake Sims sustained a bruised shoulder against Florida and briefly left the game. He’s been on what Coach Nick Saban calls a “pitch count” during practices.

Reporters haven’t seen Sims throw much during the brief observation periods this week, but teammates say that he’s been looking better each day.

“If we’ve got a run play we’ll let another guy go take it and let Blake get ready,” senior tight end Brian Vogler said. “It doesn’t really affect most of us as long as we’re making the right calls and running the right routes. The timing’s there, it’s already been built, but obviously we improve on it when he’s in there.”

Vogler himself sustained a high ankle sprain during training camp but hasn’t missed playing time like DeAndrew White. The senior wide receiver sustained a shoulder injury against West Virginia and missed the next two games, but has been limited in practice this week.

“He’ll be back Wednesday,” said Cooper, who still leads the nation in receiving yards per game (163.8), but is second average catches (10.8, behind Colorado’s Nelson Spruce at 11.2).

“It’s a tough matchup for defenses with DeAndrew out there because he’s a great player and he’s a great route runner.”

The defense has had its share of setbacks too, including senior linebacker Trey DePriest (sprained knee), junior linebacker Denzel Devall (hamstring, shoulder) and sophomore defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson (sprained knee) in the front seven, and sophomore cornerback Eddie Jackson (knee, quad), and senior safety Jarrick Williams (foot) in the secondary.

Factor in training camp suspensions to senior nose tackle Brandon Ivory, senior defensive lineman Jarran Reed and sophomore linebacker Tim Williams, who are just now getting up to speed, and to senior safety Nick Perry for his targeting penalty against Southern Miss, and Alabama’s depth has already been significantly tested.

“That’s the whole point of the bye week, to get some rest,” Devall said. “I’m feeling a lot better.”