Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Rams HC Sean McVay has ruled out RB Kyren Williams, WR Cooper Kupp, and DT Aaron Donald for Week 18's contest vs. the 49ers. Once the decision was made that backup QB Carson Wentz would be the Rams' starter on Sunday, it was reasonable to expect we'd see more of these big-name players sit out. Los Angeles gains nothing from playing all their starters in a game that doesn't alter their playoff hopes. This news leaves rookie WR Puka Nacua as the active playmaker of note for season-long managers who play into Week 18 -- although we are not expecting Nacua to play a full slate of snaps. Veteran Demarcus Robinson sits highest among Rams in the Week 18 WR Rankings.
The Rams will start QB Carson Wentz in Sunday's game against the 49ers, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. They'll be resting Matthew Stafford in a game they don't need for playoff positioning. That revelation likely confirms that WRs Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua and RB Kyren Williams will also sit. Beyond that, we'll see. We'd be surprised if Demarcus Robinson has elevated to the point of being rested in this game, but we'll be watching for specific reports ahead of Sunday's kick.
Congratulations if you started Rams RB Kyren Williams in your fantasy championship. The second-year back exploded in Week 17 vs. the Giants, tallying 101 scrimmage yards with 3 rushing TDs on 22 touches. Those who remained patient with Williams in dynasty or picked him up off the waiver wire in season-long leagues were handed a player who ranked second among RBs in PPR points per game (21.2) with a massive average of 23 touches per game in 2023. It’s fair to proclaim him as a true “league winner” this season despite missing four games due to a high ankle sprain. He’ll assuredly be treated as a bonafide RB1 in 2024, regardless of format.
The forecast for today's Rams-Ravens game calls for a 97% chance of rain with winds of 10-15 mph and gusts up to 30. Expect lots of running from both offenses in this one. The over/under has dropped from 45.0 to 42.0 -- although the Ravens are still implied for a solid 24.75 points. See the updated projections for this game.
Rams RB Kyren Williams returned from IR in Week 12. You might say he did so with a bang. Handling 16 carries, the Notre Dame product tallied 143 yards – the second-highest mark of his career. He added a 6-61-2 receiving line on an 18.1% target share. A positive matchup with Arizona helped. But it’s clear Williams is back near 100% coming off an ankle injury. Also note: Royce Freeman mixed in for 13 carries, 77 yards, and 1 score. So Williams doesn’t look like a true workhorse as we advance. The next two weeks turn up difficult matchups vs. Cleveland and Baltimore.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero hears that Rams RB Kyren Williams will return as the lead back vs. Arizona today but that RB Royce Freeman will stay involved. "They wanna be careful about not overworking" Williams, Pelissero says. "Look for a roughly 2-to-1 ratio between Williams and Royce Freeman. Game flow is gonna dictate a lot of that." Our current projections have Williams for 16.7 carries to Freeman's 7.5 -- close to that 2-to-1 split. Williams should handle the majority of the passing-down snaps, though, and remains a strong RB2 play today. Freeman is really only in play in non-PPR fantasy leagues.
Rams HC Sean McVay suggested on Friday that RB Kyren Williams' workload could be scaled back in his return from his ankle injury this weekend. "We definitely want to be mindful of taking some snaps off him," McVay said. Williams played 88% of Los Angeles' offensive snaps between Weeks 2 and 6, averaging 16.4 carries and 4.4 targets per game. Don't expect him to play that big a role vs. the Cardinals on Sunday -- but we are expecting Williams to step back in as the Rams' clear lead back. See where he sits in the Week 12 RB Rankings.
The Rams released RB Darrell Henderson, making room for RB Kyren Williams to re-join the roster. Henderson was abysmal as a runner over the past four games, averaging just 2.4 yards per carry. He was easily out-played by RB Royce Freeman, who will be the No. 2 going forward. The move to dump Henderson is a good sign that the Rams feel good about Williams' ankle. He should return as Los Angeles' clear lead runner and handle most passing downs.
Rams HC Sean McVay confirmed on Monday that RB Kyren Williams (ankle) will return for this weekend's game vs. the Cardinals. He's been sidelined since Week 6. Williams was dominating Rams backfield work before going down, averaging 16.4 carries, 81 rushing yards, 4.4 targets, 2.6 catches, and 21 receiving yards from Week 2 to 6. We can't bank on Williams regaining that type of workload, but we are expecting him to return as Los Angeles' clear lead back. RBs Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman didn't do nearly enough in Williams' absence to lock in significant roles.
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.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Rams RBs Royce Freeman and Darrell Henderson are expected to lead the backfield vs. the Steelers today. Those two will get "the majority of the workload," a source tells Schefter, while rookie RB Zach Evans serves as the No. 3 RB. RB Myles Gaskin will be inactive today, per Schefter, but is expected to play next week. This backfield will continue to evolve while RB Kyren Williams recovers from his ankle injury. And Schefter adds that no Rams RB will "dominate the workload the way Williams did before he suffered a high ankle sprain ... and that might be the case even once Williams returns as the team aims to preserve his longevity." For Week 7, Freeman and Henderson are just desperation fantasy plays in what figures to be a pass-heavy game plan from Los Angeles. Evans is not useable.
The Rams placed RB Kyren Williams on IR with his ankle injury, knocking him out for the next four games. Los Angeles has a Week 10 bye, so we won't see Williams until Week 12 at the earliest. He's worth keeping stashed in the vast majority of fantasy leagues considering how productive he was before going down. We'll get our first look at the Rams' Williams-less backfield in tomorrow's game vs. the Steelers.
Rams RB Kyren Williams (ankle) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Steelers. He’s likely to miss multiple games with his ankle sprain. With RB Ronnie Rivers (knee) on IR, the Rams have RBs Zach Evans, Royce Freeman, Darrell Henderson, and Myles Gaskin available this weekend. HC Sean McVay said Friday that he plans on using three or even all four guys – but wouldn’t say what the rotation will look like. This is a situation to try to avoid in Week 7 fantasy lineups.
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