Los Angeles Rams Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Rams TE Tyler Higbee suffered a neck injury in the 1st quarter of Sunday's game vs. the 49ers and is questionable to return. Stay tuned for an update.

Update: Higbee returned in the 2nd quarter.

ESPN's Adam Schefter hears that Rams RB Cam Akers is expected to re-join the team if he's not traded before Tuesday's deadline. He won't play vs. the 49ers today, but it sounds like Akers could be back in uniform for Week 9's game against the Bucs. It's unclear, of course, what type of role Akers would be returning to. That said, Darrell Henderson is a strong sell candidate if you can get RB2 value for him in a trade.

Rams HC Sean McVay said Friday that WR Van Jefferson (knee) will play vs. the 49ers this weekend and have his "normal workload," per ESPN's Sarah Barshop. McVay added that Jefferson will be monitored throughout the game. A "normal workload" for Jefferson last year meant an 80% snap rate and 14.7% target share. It'd be a little surprising if Jefferson did that much in his 1st game since early-August knee surgery, but it sounds like McVay expects him to contribute. We'd try not to use Jefferson in season-long fantasy lineups this week, but he's an intriguing DFS flier.

Rams RB Cam Akers will not play vs. the 49ers this weekend, HC Sean McVay confirmed Friday. We'll see if Akers gets moved before Tuesday's trade deadline. Darrell Henderson figures to operate as Los Angeles' lead back again on Sunday.

Rams WR Van Jefferson (knee) put in a limited practice on Wednesday. He was just designated to return from IR earlier this week after early-August knee surgery. We'll see if Jefferson is ready for this weekend's game vs. the 49ers.

Rams RB Kyren Williams (ankle) has been designated to return from IR. He went down with a high-ankle sprain in the opener that required surgery. He's now eligible to practice, but HC Sean McVay said that Williams won't play vs. the 49ers this weekend. That should keep RB Darrell Henderson in the lead role. We'll continue to monitor Williams' progress. He's worth stashing in deep fantasy leagues.

Rams WR Van Jefferson (knee) has been designated to return from IR. He'll practice on Wednesday and is eligible to play vs. the 49ers this weekend. We'll see if Jefferson is ready after early-August knee surgery. A struggling Rams passing game could certainly use his field-stretching ability. Jefferson is worth stashing in deeper fantasy leagues.

Rams HC Sean McVay said Monday that he expects to get WR Van Jefferson back after the Week 7 bye. Jefferson has been sidelined since undergoing knee surgery in early August. The Rams desperately need his deep speed. Jefferson averaged 16.0 yards per catch on a 13.5-yard average depth of target last season. None of the Rams' current top 3 WRs (Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson, Ben Skowronek) are averaging more than 10.8 yards per catch this year.

Rams WR Cooper caught 7 of 8 targets for 80 yards in Sunday's win over the Panthers. He led the team in each of those categories, in a game that saw QB Matthew Stafford throw for 253 yards and 1 score. That TD went to WR Allen Robinson, who posted a 5-63-1 receiving line on 6 targets. WR Ben Skowronek and WR Brandon Powell tied for 3rd at 5 targets. Skowronek played 19 more snaps and ran 11 more routes than Powell.

Rams DL Aaron Donald (foot) is active for today's game against the Panthers. He belongs in most IDP lineups.

Rams TE Tyler Higbee (ankle) is active for today’s game vs. the Panthers. He got in just 2 limited practices this week and was listed as questionable, so there’s a bit more risk here than usual. But Higbee still sits inside the top 7 TEs across scoring formats in the Week 6 Rankings.

Rams WR Cooper Kupp (foot) is active for today’s game vs. the Panthers. He got in limited practices on Thursday and Friday and was listed as questionable, so it’s fair to assume that Kupp won’t be quite at 100% today. But he remains a must-start in season-long fantasy leagues.

Rams RB Cam Akers won't be rejoining the team "if the situation continues as it has so far this season," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport writes. Akers has "philosophical and football-related differences" with HC Sean McVay, per Rapoport. Akers won't play against the Panthers today and is expected to draw significant trade interest. We'll see where this goes, but it sounds like we shouldn't expect Akers to be part of Los Angeles' backfield going forward. That leaves Darrell Henderson as the leader of what's been an abysmal running game so far. Malcolm Brown will be the #2 RB, with undrafted rookie Ronnie Rivers as the #3. Rapoport says Rivers "has impressed and should get carries." We'll see what the snap and touch split looks like vs. Carolina today.

Rams WR Cooper Kupp (foot), TE Tyler Higbee (ankle) and DL Aaron Donald (foot) are all expected to play through their questionable tags today against the Panthers, according to multiple reports. All should be in fantasy football lineups, barring further word about playing-time limitations.

Rams TE Tyler Higbee (ankle) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Panthers. He got in limited practices on Thursday and Friday. HC Sean McVay said Friday that he expects Higbee to play on Sunday. This is a 4:05 pm ET kickoff, but we should get an update on Higbee on Sunday morning.

Rams WR Cooper Kupp (foot) is listed as questionable for this weekend's game vs. the Panthers. He got in limited practices on Thursday and Friday. HC Sean McVay didn't express much concern about Kupp throughout the week and said Friday that he expects Kupp to play on Sunday. You can keep him penciled into Week 6 fantasy lineups.

Rams DL Aaron Donald is questionable for Sunday's game against the Panthers. He's dealing with a foot injury that kept him out of practice this week. HC Sean McVay said Friday that he expects Donald to play. If he's active, Donald should be in IDP lineups.

Rams RB Cam Akers is out for Sunday's game vs. the Panthers for personal reasons, HC Sean McVay said Friday. McVay wouldn't provide any other details and declined to say whether Akers will rejoin the team going forward, per The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue. We'll update the situation as we learn more. Akers' absence leaves Darrell Henderson as Los Angeles' lead back. Don't expect efficient play in a struggling Rams running game, but Henderson should see enough volume to put up RB2 numbers this weekend. Malcolm Brown will be the Rams' #2 RB.

Rams TE Tyler Higbee (ankle) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. He should be fine for Sunday's game vs. the Panthers, but check back tomorrow for another update on Higbee's status.

Rams WR Cooper Kupp (foot) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. It sounds like he'll be fine for this weekend's game vs. the Rams, but we'll get another update on his status tomorrow.