Los Angeles Rams Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo has a torn UCL along with a fracture in his right thumb. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport calls the latter injury a "chipped bone" and adds that Garoppolo is "going to try to gut it out, somehow" vs. the Texans on Sunday. We'll see how this week goes, but for now, we're expecting QB Trey Lance to get the Week 17 start. Lance's rushing ability gives him fantasy upside -- but he'd be a downgrade for Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle.

Niners QB Jimmy Garoppolo sat out Monday's practice with a right thumb injury he's believed to have sustained early in Thursday night's game at Tennessee, according to Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury. Garoppolo completed that game, so we'll see whether this issue affects his Week 17 status or if the team is just opening a long practice week in cautious fashion.

Update: ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that it's thought to be "a more significant injury" than a right thumb sprain. We'll see how this week goes for him.

Rams LB Ernest Jones left Sunday's win over the Vikings with a left ankle injury. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the team believes he suffered a high-ankle sprain. The early word is that he's "week to week," which means he'll almost certainly miss at least this Sunday's game at Baltimore. With Jones leaving early, Troy Reeder led Rams LBs in playing time at 86%. He'll be a solid-to-good option for IDP lineups in Week 17.

The Rams on Friday activated S Jordan Fuller from the COVID list, clearing him to play against the Vikings on Sunday.

Rams TE Tyler Higbee has been activated from the COVID list. He figures to return for Sunday's game vs. the Vikings, although he'll carry elevated risk after missing most of the practice week.

Browns S John Johnson III came off the COVID list Monday morning, clearing him to play against the Raiders. That’s a key return for the Cleveland defense but not a big factor for IDP lineups

Rams TE Tyler Higbee has been placed back on the COVID list. He, of course, missed last week's game vs. the Cardinals after a false positive test. He presumably actually tested positive this time and is now unlikely to play vs. the Seahawks on Tuesday night. With Higbee out last week, TE Kendall Blanton caught 2 of 3 targets for 29 yards.

Washington on Thursday placed S Kamren Curl on the COVID list, leaving him likely to miss Sunday's game at Philadelphia. He's the 2nd member of the starting secondary to hit the COVID list this week, following CB Kendall Fuller. We'll see whether anyone else in the group goes with them.

Rams TE Tyler Higbee has been activated from the COVID list. He was forced to miss Monday night's game vs. the Cardinals due to a false positive -- a tough break for fantasy owners who needed him. Higbee will be back for Sunday's game vs. the Seahawks and could play an expanded role if WR Odell Beckham misses with his COVID.

Dolphins RB Malcolm Brown (quad) is expected to return to practice this week, according to The Miami Herald's Barry Jackson. Brown's status has suddenly become important with RBs Myles Gaskin, Salvon Ahmed and Phillip Lindsay on the COVID list. Brown has been out since Week 7 but could play a significant role vs. the Jets on Sunday. We probably won't have a good idea of what Miami's backfield will look like for that one until late in the week.

The Rams have added TE Tyler Higbee to the COVID list, knocking him out for tonight's game against the Cardinals. That leaves Kendall Blanton and Brycen Hopkins at TE for the team. Blanton led Hopkins 5-3 in routes last week. Hopkins, however, was drafted earlier (Round 4 vs. undrafted), enjoyed the much more productive receiving career in college and brings a 75th-percentile speed score and 73rd-percentile SPARQ-x score for the position, according to PlayerProfiler.com. If you need a desperation fill-in TE, we'd go with him. Higbee has averaged just 5.2 targets per game for the year, so we don't expect his absence to significantly impact the fantasy outlook for anyone else on the team. We'll see whether he can make it back for the team's Week 15 game against Seattle.

Rams QB Matt Stafford's health is "certainly an issue," ESPN's Dianna Russini reports. Stafford is dealing with elbow pain and a chronic back issue, per Russini. Stafford has looked banged up on a few occasions this season and struggled in his last 2 outings prior to the bye. He's not listed on the Week 12 injury report, and we're not altering Stafford's projections vs. the Packers today. But his health will be worth keeping a close eye on the rest of the way.

The Saints cut K Brian Johnson and signed K Brett Maher. Maher isn't a viable Week 11 fantasy play with the Saints missing RB Alvin Kamara and both OTs.

Rams LB Ernest Jones (illness), CB Jalen Ramsey (knee) and OLB Von Miller (ankle) are questionable for Sunday night's game against the Titans. HC Sean McVay said Friday that he expects Jones and Ramsey to play, according to the team's website. Miller, on the other hand, will be a game-time decision. The Sunday night kickoff means most IDP lineups can't wait for that decision.

Rams RB Matt Stafford (back) is not listed on the final Week 9 injury report. He only got in a limited practice on Friday, but HC Sean McVay said all week that Stafford would be fine for Sunday night’s game vs. the Titans. He’s safe to use in fantasy lineups.

Rams QB Matt Stafford (back) missed practice again on Thursday. HC Sean McVay has said that he expects Stafford to play vs. the Titans on Sunday night -- and we haven't sensed any concern from Rams beat writers. But check back tomorrow for another update on Stafford.

Rams QB Matt Stafford missed Wednesday's practice with what he said was back stiffness. He added that he fully expects to play vs. the Titans on Sunday night. We'll see if he gets back on the practice field tomorrow.

Rams HC Sean McVay said Monday that he expects DT Sebastian Joseph-Day to be ready for Sunday's game against the Titans after he missed Week 8 with a chest injury, the team website reports. CB Darious Williams will return to practice this week as well, opening his 3-week window to return to the active roster. He missed the past 3 games while on IR with an ankle sprain.

Browns S John Johnson III left in the 1st half of Sunday's loss to the Steelers with a neck injury. S Grant Delpit filled in the rest of the way and should start if Johnson misses further time. Johnson has been a disappointment on the fantasy-scoring front in his 1st Cleveland season, spending far less time "in the box."

Rams CB Jalen Ramsey (illness) and S Jordan Fuller (knee) are active for today's game against the Texans.