Royce Freeman Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Rams QB Matt Stafford said Wednesday that it's a "compete for carries" week, per The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue. RBs Kyren Williams (ankle) and Ronnie Rivers (knee) will miss Sunday's game vs. the Steelers, leaving RBs Zach Evans, Darrell Henderson, Myles Gaskin, and Royce Freeman to battle for snaps and touches. HC Sean McVay echoed Stafford's sentiment. "We've got the week to be able to evaluate," McVay said. "I would say all four of those guys are possibilities, and we're truly navigating through that." McVay added that he was "pleased" with how RB Zach Evans played in his first six offensive snaps of the season last week. We'll continue to look for clues on what Los Angeles' backfield will look like on Sunday, but we probably won't have a great idea until the game is underway.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that the Rams expect RB Kyren Williams to miss "multiple games" with his ankle sprain. Williams "should be back, at the latest, after the Week 10 bye." That would mean three missed games, which should affect your waiver and potential trade moves this week. The Rams will turn to some combo of Zach Evans, Royce Freeman, Myles Gaskin, and Darrell Henderson in the meantime. We'll keep watch for more insight into the plan ahead of Sunday's game against the Steelers.

The Rams are signing RB Darrell Henderson to their practice squad. That's an especially interesting move because L.A. waived him just last season from a backfield that wasn't exactly loaded. Of course, the addition comes in the wake of Kyren Williams spraining an ankle and Ronnie Rivers spraining a knee. Rookie Zach Evans and molasses-fast veteran Royce Freeman are the only healthy RBs on the current active roster. We'll see whether the team elevates Henderson to the active roster for Sunday's game against the Steelers. For now, Evans remains the best bet for touches in a backfield that doesn't look especially attractive.

ESPN's Sarah Barshop writes that Rams RB Zach Evans is "likely" to start Sunday's game vs. the Steelers. RBs Kyren Williams (ankle) and Ronnie Rivers (knee) will miss that one. The Rams' only other RBs are Evans and Royce Freeman, who's on the practice squad. "Obviously you saw Zach Evans get the first carries," HC McVay said Monday. "We've got Royce Freeman on our practice squad, and there'll be some different things that we're in the midst of working through right now." We'll look for further hints on what the backfield will look like this week. But we're expecting Evans and Freeman to be involved -- and for the Rams to go pass-heavy. Evans is the better fantasy option but shouldn't be considered more than a RB3 or flex play for now.

A Monday MRI revealed an ankle sprain for Rams RB Kyren Williams that's expected to keep him out for Sunday's game against the Steelers, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Backup Ronnie Rivers is also dealing with a PCL sprain that's expected to cost him a few weeks. That leaves Zach Evans and Royce Freeman as the only healthy RBs on the roster. Evans played his first 6 snaps of the season Sunday against the Cardinals, running for 10 yards on 4 carries. Freeman has been on the practice squad and averaged a dynamic 2.9 yards per carry since the start of 2021. We'll watch for specifics on L.A.'s backfield plan for Week 7. But expect a pass-heavy approach for a team that has already leaned that way. Evans and Freeman only appear worth a waiver look if you're in dire need. The Pittsburgh matchup has been slightly positive for RB scoring, according to our adjusted fantasy points allowed.

The Rams believe RB Ronnie Rivers has a PCL sprain that "could keep him out a few weeks," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It's particularly noteworthy with RB Kyren Williams dealing with an ankle injury. Rookie Zach Evans is the only healthy RB on the Rams' active roster. RB Royce Freeman is on the practice squad.

Update: Rivers has a Grade 3 PCL sprain and is expected to miss 4-5 weeks, according to Rapoport. Rivers figures to land on short-term IR.

Rams RB Cam Akers is a healthy scratch for today's game vs. the 49ers, as Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported would be the case a few minutes before 1 pm ET this afternoon. RBs Kyren Williams, Ronnie Rivers, and Royce Freeman are active for Los Angeles. Williams figures to handle the majority of the backfield work.

The Rams signed RB Royce Freeman. He replaces the recently retired Sony Michel on the roster. Freeman has totaled just 132 carries over the past three seasons and is unlikely to be a 2023 fantasy factor.

Texans RB Dare Ogunbowale (knee) is active for today’s game vs. the Jaguars. He should continue mixing in behind lead back Royce Freeman.

RB Royce Freeman led the Texans with 11 carries and 51 yards in Sunday's loss to the Chiefs, the 1st game since RB Dameon Pierce landed on IR with a high-ankle sprain. RB Dare Ogunbowale got the position's only other carries, taking 8 rushes for 14 yards. RB Rex Burkhead led the backfield in targets (4), receptions (2) and receiving yards (17). Freeman added a 5-yard catch on his only target. This is a backfield to avoid the rest of the way.

The Texans placed RB Dameon Pierce on IR with his ankle injury, ending his 2022 season. Pierce had an impressive rookie season, running for 939 yards on 4.3 yards per carry in a bad Houston offense. He currently ranks 8th in Pro Football Focus rushing grade and 3rd in Elusive Rating among 39 RBs with 100+ carries. It's enough to make Pierce the favorite to lead this backfield in 2023, but we'll see what the Texans do at the position this offseason. The Texans promoted RB Royce Freeman from the practice squad on Saturday. He joins Rex Burkhead and Dare Ogunbowale in the backfield for Sunday's game vs. the Chiefs.

Texans RB Dameon Pierce (ankle) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Chiefs. RBs Dare Ogunbowale and Rex Burkhead are on the active roster, with RBs Royce Freeman and Gerrid Doaks on the practice squad. We’ll see if Houston makes an elevation on Saturday, but you should try to avoid this backfield in fantasy lineups.

Texans RB Dameon Pierce is expected to miss "at least" 1 game with a "relatively mild high-ankle sprain," a source tells insider Aaron Wilson. It sounds like Pierce could end up missing a couple of games but is expected back this season. Houston released RB Eno Benjamin on Tuesday, leaving Dare Ogunbowale and Rex Burkhead as the healthy RBs on the active roster. RB Royce Freeman is on the practice squad. Hopefully you don't need to mess with this situation in Week 15 fantasy lineups.

The Texans re-signed RB Royce Freeman after dumping him at final cuts. Houston now has Freeman, Rex Burkhead and Dare Ogunbowale behind Dameon Pierce -- plus Marlon Mack on the practice squad.

The Texans have cut RB Royce Freeman. With Marlon Mack on the practice squad, Houston’s depth now turns up Rex Burkhead and Dare Ogunbowale behind rookie Dameon Pierce.

Texans rookie RB Dameon Pierce ran for 37 yards and a TD on 6 carries in Thursday night's preseason finale against the 49ers. Pierce started the game and handled Houston's first 4 RB carries before giving way to Rex Burkhead for a 2nd-down run on the opening possession. Pierce then converted the 3rd-and-1 play that followed and later scored the 1-yard TD run to close the drive. That marked the end of Pierce's night, with Burkhead, Marlon Mack and other playing on. HC Lovie Smith tried to temper the buzz on Pierce ahead of the game. “We’re talking a lot about Dameon, but I’m going to say the same thing for, we like what Marlon has done, Royce, Rex, Dare," he said Wednesday, per Texans Wire. "We have a good group. We have a good strong running back room.” It's pretty clear that the rookie will lead that room into the season. Just how much work Pierce gets will be the question we can't answer. And it's worth keeping in mind that no one expects this offense to rank in the top half of the league. Still, there's a case to be made for Pierce anywhere beyond the top 24 RBs in fantasy football drafts right now. The rookie moved up our RB rankings a little this morning.

Texans RB David Johnson was not activated from the COVID list and will miss today’s game vs. the 49ers. Rex Burkhead should remain Houston’s clear lead back, with Royce Freeman the #2.