Los Angeles Rams Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday that Rams WR Cooper Kupp (hamstring) has been ruled out for Week 1 vs. the Seahawks. The veteran wideout sustained a setback in rehabbing his hamstring late last week and sought the insight of a specialist in Minnesota on Monday. In speaking on 'NFL Live', Schefter added that Rams HC Sean McVay has not ruled out the possibility that Kupp could be placed on IR. Kupp's absence for Week 1 was a somewhat expected move. The real risk now is that a stint on IR would mean that the fantasy star would miss the first four games of 2023 at a minimum. Managers looking to replace Kupp could look to Van Jefferson, as he's now the presumed Rams WR1. We'll continue to monitor this situation as more information becomes available regarding a potential prolonged absence.

Rams HC Sean McVay said that he'd know more about WR Cooper Kupp's hamstring on Wednesday. Kupp is visiting a specialist in Minnesota to get another opinion on the injury. “You want to be able to just take it a day at a time,” McVay said. “We’re hopeful that this will give some clarity once he goes and talks to these doctors. It doesn’t fall in alignment with some of the things that have ended up occurring relative to the standard strains of the hamstring just based on what’s occurred over the last month and a half.” The last part of that quote is particularly worrisome. At this point, we'd be very surprised if Kupp plays in the opener vs. the Seahawks. And he could miss time beyond that. We'll continue to keep you updated on the situation.

On Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted that Rams WR Cooper Kupp is visiting "a noted body specialist" in Minnesota to address his hamstring injury. Rapoport adds the goal of the visit is to "fully comprehend the root of the issue" but that "exercising caution for Week 1 is the likely outcome" for Kupp. It sounds like fantasy managers will not have the veteran wideout available for the beginning of the season. These recent developments have caused Kupp to fall down our rankings, though we still view him as a viable WR1 in most formats. Check out where Kupp sits in our current WR rankings.

Rams HC Sean McVay hinted that WR Cooper Kupp (hamstring) might not be ready for the season opener. “It’s just tricky,” McVay said. "There’s a difference between ‘return to play’ and ‘return to performance’. We want ‘return to performance’ for Cooper Kupp, and we know how special of a player, how special of a person he is. We want to make sure that we’re smart with that and getting him back to feeling like the Cooper Kupp that we all know — and that he is able to play the way he is capable of, whenever that is. Whether that’s Sept. 10 or not, we’ll continue to monitor that and control what we can control.” Kupp was sidelined for about three weeks with his initial hamstring injury. We don't know how this setback compares in terms of severity, but it wouldn't be surprising if he was out a similar length of time. For now, we've trimmed one game off Kupp's projections. See where he lands in the WR rankings.

On Thursday, ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted that Rams WR Cooper Kupp (hamstring) has suffered a setback in his injury recovery. HC Sean McVay is calling Kupp "day-to-day" with this ailment. The veteran wideout sustained this injury on August 2 and has been working his way back ever since. With a setback so close to the regular season, it's concerning news for those looking to draft Kupp as a high-end WR1. This is not to say his fantasy value has totally cratered, but those drafting soon ought to be wary of this prolonged soft tissue injury. See where Kupp appears in our current WR rankings.

The Rams signed K Brett Maher. They'd been without a kicker after releasing Tanner Brown at final cuts on Tuesday. Maher sports a career 81% FG conversion rate and could be a fantasy spot-start option this season if the Rams offense bounces back.

The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue writes that Rams RB Kyren Williams "could have a bigger impact" on the team's passing game in 2023. Williams has reportedly "excelled throughout training camp" in this capacity, and QB Matthew Stafford "seemed to get comfortable" targeting him as a receiver. Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Rodrigue is the belief the Rams will "probably feature both [Cam] Akers and Williams," meaning that whatever hopes existed for rookie Zach Evans to seize a fantasy-relevant role are dwindling. Williams was used sparingly as a rookie last season, only seeing 50%+ of offensive snaps twice in 2022, but this potential uptick in usage could vault him into deep league PPR consideration. See where the Rams RBs appear in our current RB rankings.

Rams WR Cooper Kupp (hamstring) told reporters on Thursday that he's on track to play Week 1. That's been our expectation all along. Kupp remains a top-4 player in our overall PPR rankings.

Rams WR Cooper Kupp (hamstring) will take part in joint practices with the Broncos this week, HC Sean McVay said Sunday. Kupp has been sidelined since August 2 but will now have close to three weeks to gear up for the regular-season opener. Barring a setback, the hamstring shouldn't impact his 2023 fantasy value.

Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo "was up-and-down early in camp but has been impressive of late," ESPN's Paul Gutierrez writes. Garoppolo also looked good in his 2023 preseason debut on Saturday night, completing all four of his passes for 39 yards on a 68-yard TD drive. He's still not an exciting fantasy option, but the improved play is good news for Vegas pass-catchers.

Rams WR Cooper Kupp (hamstring) was doing some light work off to the side of Tuesday's practice. Here's video, courtesy of The Los Angeles Times' Gary Klein. It's further confirmation that, barring a setback, Kupp will be ready to roll come Week 1.

Rams HC Sean McVay labeled WR Cooper Kupp "day-to-day" with his hamstring injury and said, “I don’t think it’s anything to be overly concerned with.” McVay added that he's hoping to have Kupp back for joint practices with Raiders in a week and a half. It's the latest indication that Kupp's injury should be in the rearview by the time Week 1 rolls around. He continues to sit fourth overall in our fantasy football rankings.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler confirms that the Rams view Kyren Williams as their No. 2 RB. Fowler adds that the Rams "like Williams a little bit more as a pass protector than they do [Cam] Akers." That suggests that Williams will steal passing-down work from Akers, which we've been projecting all along. Williams is unlikely to have fantasy value behind a healthy Akers, but an Akers injury would turn him into a volume-based fantasy play.

Rams OC Mike LaFleur said Thursday that WR Cooper Kupp (hamstring) is day-to-day and "he'll be fine," according to Turf Show Times. We'll keep watching for more on this situation at least until Kupp returns to the field. For now, he hasn't budged in our WR rankings.

Rams WR Cooper Kupp left Tuesday's practice with a hamstring injury. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports he had an MRI and that the team expects him back "for scrimmages in a few weeks." We'll watch for more detail on that end of it, but the Rams have obvious reason to be cautious with Kupp's health.

Per reporter Gary Klein, the Rams “project” rookie QB Stetson Bennett as a “reliable backup…and perhaps [Matt] Stafford’s successor.” A Round 4 pick in April, Bennett’s seemingly off to a strong start at camp. “What I really like about him is, if a play doesn’t go well, he’s able to reset himself and go to the next play,” HC Sean McVay said. “You can definitely feel the athleticism show up, and I think he’s getting more and more comfortable.” The two-time national champion turns 26 in October. He’s only a stash in deep dynasty superflex setups.

Rams Wire's Cameron DaSilva says "no one should sleep on [Demarcus] Robinson or [Tyler] Johnson as the Rams' No. 3 receiver." He adds that either has a chance to "leapfrog" Ben Skowronek, Tutu Atwell, and Puka Nacua in pursuit of that third spot, joining Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson. We wouldn't recommend investing heavily into any of those competitors -- and we're not even especially interested in Jefferson. But we'll be watching to see who emerges as that No. 3 wideout.

Rams rookie WR Puka Nacua has continued to be heavily involved on offense with the start of training camp. Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic called it a "substantial workload" Thursday. That came minutes before Stu Jackson of the team website called it "very apparent the Rams are continuing to test and give [a] big workload" to Nacua. This follows buzz on the rookie in spring workouts. Nacua recently landed among our dynasty rookie sleepers. The Rams' thin receiving corps gives him a shot at immediate fantasy relevance as well, from a no-risk ADP. We'll keep watching his progress -- and ADP -- through summer. For now, the rookie remains low in our 2023 WR rankings.

Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic is hearing “positive mutterings” about fifth-round TE Davis Allen. He’ll get an extended look early in camp, as veteran newcomer Hunter Long (groin) is on PUP. File Allen’s name away as a deep dynasty sleeper. Tyler Higbee, now 30, enters a contract season.

Rams QB Matt Stafford appears to be throwing a full workload in training camp, according to The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue. That wasn't the case the past two summers, as Stafford dealt with injuries. “I feel a lot better physically,” Stafford said. “I feel really healthy compared to where I was at this point last year, so that’s fun for me.” There's bounce-back potential here given better health for Stafford, WR Cooper Kupp, and the Rams' offensive line.