Rams DL Aaron Donald has announced his retirement after 10 NFL seasons. He won three defensive player of the year awards, 2014 defensive rookie of the year, and eight first-team All-Pro honors. The coming season will be the Rams' first without Donald in the lineup since 2013. From 2014-2023, he missed just nine total regular-season games. L.A. will obviously be hard-pressed to ever find another D-lineman near Donald's level. Expect them to look for help in that area with the 19th pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, though.
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 have added DT Aaron Donald to the injury report. He's questionable for tomorrow's game against the Commanders because of "tightness in his groin," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. We've knocked Donald down the Week 15 DL rankings. If he's out for the game, the Rams' defense would become a riskier play with likely a lower fantasy ceiling.
The Rams have ruled DL Aaron Donald out for the 3rd straight game. He's dealing with a high-ankle sprain.
The Rams have ruled DL Aaron Donald (ankle) out for Monday night’s game against the Packers
The Rams have already ruled DL Aaron Donald out for Sunday's game against the Seahawks. Donald might very well miss games beyond that, as he's dealing with a high-ankle sprain. We'll see what else comes from the team on that front. Missing Donald clearly damages the Rams defense vs. both the pass and the run. It's tough to say how much, because it'll be the 1st time in his career Donald has missed a game with injury. He previously sat out Week 1 of 2017 because of a contract dispute and then missed the regular-season finale that year after the team clinched.
Rams DL Aaron Donald suffered a high-ankle sprain in Sunday's loss to the Chiefs. HC Sean McVay said Monday that his status for Sunday's game against the Seahawks is "TBD," according to Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times. Losing Donald would obviously significantly impact the L.A. defense. We'll watch his status this week.
Rams DL Aaron Donald (foot) is active for today's game against the Panthers. He belongs in most IDP lineups.
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 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 WR Cooper Kupp didn't practice Wednesday because of a foot injury. TE Tyler Higbee (ankle) and DL Aaron Donald (foot) also sat out. HC Sean McVay said afterward that the team will "be smart" with all the dinged up starters. We'll track the status of all 3 key fantasy contributors throughout the week.
Rams-Bengals joint practice Thursday ended early because of an embarrassing brawl. That included Rams DT Aaron Donald swinging a helmet, an action that now has many calling for the vet to be suspended. One issue getting in the way of swift movement on this front is that the NFL reportedly isn't in charge of player behavior at practices. That responsibility falls to the teams. So the Rams would need to take action against Donald. We'll see whether their hand is forced -- or if nothing happens to Donald. We obviously can't adjust our fantasy outlook for him until something happens. It's at least a situation to be aware of in the thick of fantasy football draft season, though.
Update: The Rams tell ESPN's Sarah Barshop that "the incident will be addressed internally, and any discipline will remain in house." Doesn't sound like they'll be doing much.
Rams DL Aaron Donald told NBC's Peter King that he's committed to the Rams at least through 2023. His latest contract extension runs through 2024 but includes no penalty for leaving after 2023. Donald turned 31 in May, and there was some rumor this offseason of him contemplating retirement.
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