Los Angeles Rams Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Rams HC Sean McVay said Monday that the team is expecting QB Matt Stafford (thumb) to start this weekend's game vs. the Seahawks. Stafford was able to grip and throw the football in Monday's post-bye-week practice. We'll keep an eye on his progress throughout the week. Stafford would be a shaky QB1 play in Week 11 fantasy lineups, but his return is great news for the Rams' skill-position players.

Rams HC Sean McVay says he expects RB Kyren Williams (ankle) to be ready when he's eligible to return from IR, according to multiple reports. Williams has missed three games, so he'll remain out at least through Week 11 -- on the other side of the team's bye. But we should have him back for fantasy lineups from Week 12 on. Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman have combined to take over the backfield in Williams' absence. We'd guess some version of that duo will hold on to a little more work after Williams' return than any other Rams RB had before he went down. That's not because they've outplayed Williams, but rather because few RBs dominate backfield touches the way Williams was pre-injury. That said, we'll certainly assume a controlling share for Williams upon return until/unless the team shows otherwise.

Rams HC Sean McVay said Monday that he's "optimistic" about getting QB Matt Stafford back from his thumb injury after the Week 10 bye. That'd be excellent because QB Brett Rypien was horrible in Green Bay on Sunday, totaling just 130 scoreless passing yards. WRs Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua combined for five catches and 80 yards. We'll track Stafford's status when the Rams get back to work next week.

Rams WRs Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua combined for only 5 catches (14 targets) for 70 yards against the Packers. Kupp’s now tallied 98 yards over his past three games. We’re pretty much throwing out this one, though. With Matt Stafford (thumb) sidelined, Brett Rypien stepped in and threw for 130 yards (4.64 YPA). The Rams ran only 55 plays, limiting Rypien’s volume (28 attempts). Here’s the good news: Stafford has a real chance to return following a Week 10 bye. And Los Angeles' short-term schedule looks fine with upcoming matchups vs. Seattle and Arizona. We wouldn't be looking to sell-low here.

Rams WR Puka Nacua (knee) is active for today’s game vs. the Packers. He was limited in practice all week, but we’ve heard nothing to suggest that the knee will be a major factor today. QB Brett Rypien is a bigger concern for Nacua’s Week 9 fantasy outlook.

Rams QB Matt Stafford (thumb) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Packers. He reportedly made progress throughout the week, setting him up to play after Los Angeles’ Week 10 bye. QB Brett Rypien makes his fourth NFL start and first for the Rams today. He sports a career 61% completion rate and 5.9 yards per attempt. Expect a conservative, run-leaning attack from the Rams today.

Rams WR Puka Nacua (knee) is expected to play vs. the Packers today, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Nacua was limited in practice all week, but we don't have any other details on his status. Between the knee injury and QB Brett Rypien likely getting the start, Nacua has fallen in the Week 9 WR Rankings.

ESPN's Adam Schefter hears that Rams QB Matt Stafford (thumb) is "unlikely" to play vs. the Packers today. "The team is giving him all the time it can before it has to make any final decisions about his availability," Schefter adds. QB Brett Rypien is still the favorite to start today, but it sounds like Stafford has a good chance to be ready after Los Angeles' Week 10 bye. We'll get the Rams' inactives around 11:30 am ET.

Rams WR Puka Nacua (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Packers. He was limited in practice all week. We’ve heard nothing to suggest that Nacua is in danger of missing this one. But between the knee issue and QB Matt Stafford’s likely absence, Nacua looks more like a WR3 this week.

Rams QB Matt Stafford (thumb) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Packers. He didn’t practice all week, but HC Sean McVay said Friday that he wants to take it all the way up to game time before deciding whether Stafford will play. McVay added that Stafford’s swelling and grip strength have improved throughout the week. We’re still not expecting him to play this weekend but will continue to monitor the situation. QB Brett Rypien will draw the start if Stafford is out.

The Rams have ruled LB Ernest Jones (knee) out for Sunday's game against the Packers. He missed practice all week after playing through "questionable" tags the previous three games with the same issue. Jones' absence should leave Christian Rozeboom as the Rams' top LB, and we've moved him into LB3 territory in the Week 9 rankings. Troy Reeder looks like the next guy up to join him but isn't a good IDP bet. If he takes on Rozeboom's role, Reeder would fill in for a player who has been on the field for 57.8% of defensive snaps through eight games.

Rams HC Sean McVay said Wednesday that QB Matt Stafford (thumb) won't go on IR. “We’ll continue to monitor it, and he’ll be day to day,” McVay added. From all indications, Stafford's injury is not as serious as initially feared. We're still not projecting him to play vs. the Packers this weekend. But a Week 11 return -- after a Week 10 bye -- seems realistic.

Rams QB Matt Stafford (thumb) did not practice on Wednesday. Although not ruled out yet, he feels like a long shot to play vs. the Packers this weekend. The Rams then have a Week 10 bye. It'll be QB Brett Rypien under center for the Rams if Stafford is out on Sunday.

Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo struggled on Monday night, completing 10 of 21 passes for 126 yards with 1 INT vs. the Lions. Week 8 was the third instance this season in which the veteran was unable to clear 200 passing yards or reach double-digit fantasy points. Garoppolo shouldn’t be considered a starter outside of deeper superflex leagues next week vs. the Giants, even in an easier matchup.

Rams HC Sean McVay said Monday that QB Matt Stafford is considered "day-to-day" with a UCL sprain in his right thumb. Stafford has some “swelling and some bruising,” which will continue to be evaluated, McVay added. “It’s really about, let’s see what happens over the next 24-48 hours in regards to just all of those things that we’ve previously mentioned. We were encouraged that it was a sprain. I think there was some potential concern that it could be worse. ... That’s what the scans revealed. And then we’ll see how quickly some of that stuff that is key and critical — to being able to grip and throw a football — some of those symptoms subside with Matthew, and how quickly that makes him able to return for us.” It sounds like Stafford avoided a worst-case scenario here, but we'd still consider him unlikely to play vs. the Packers this weekend -- especially considering the Rams then get a Week 10 bye. McVay also said Monday that the Rams will sign QB John Wolford off the Buccaneers' practice squad. Wolford spent the past three seasons with the Rams, making four total starts. We'll see if Wolford or QB Brett Rypien gets the start against Green Bay.

Rams QB Matt Stafford is still undergoing tests on his injured right thumb, according to The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue. The current plan is to evaluate his grip strength throughout the week to determine whether he can play against the Packers on Sunday. "Chillier conditions in GB combined with a bye after are some details in consideration for the short term, but Rams also are not ruling out injured reserve at this point as they are still gathering information that helps discern a larger timeline for Stafford," Rodrigue adds. We should learn more about Stafford's status by the end of Monday. For now, we're assuming that he does not play vs. Green Bay this weekend. That'd leave QB Brett Rypien under center for Los Angeles.

Rams WR Cooper Kupp mustered only 4 catches for 21 yards in Sunday’s loss at Dallas. Kupp led the team with 10 targets, but the big storyline here is the injury to Matt Stafford’s right thumb. He left in the second half and didn't finish the game, so we’ll track his status closely. Brett Rypien took over but looked overmatched on his 10 attempts. The Rams head to Green Bay for Week 9.

Rams QB Matt Stafford hurt his right (throwing) thumb in the first half of Sunday's game vs. the Cowboys. He appeared to bang it on a helmet at least twice. Stafford got the thumb taped and initially returned. But he exited again in the third quarter and has been replaced by QB Brett Rypien. Stay tuned for an update on Stafford.

Update: Stafford is officially questionable to return.

Rams RB Zach Evans is a healthy scratch for today's game vs. the Cowboys. Not a big surprise after he played zero snaps last week. RB Myles Gaskin is active for Los Angeles, but we're expecting RBs Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman to again handle the majority of the work.

Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo (back) is not listed on the final Week 8 injury report and will start Monday night's game vs. the Lions. Garoppolo's return is good news for Vegas' skill-position players, but he's a low-end QB2 in fantasy lineups.