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.
Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy said Tuesday that kicker Brett Maher has won the team’s starting job. McCarthy pointed out Maher’s leg strength and recent confidence as reasons for choosing him over Lirim Hajrullahu. Maher figures to be a viable streaming option this season.
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.
Three days after getting dumped by the Raiders, WR Demarcus Robinson has signed with the Ravens. It's obviously not a good look that Robinson couldn't crack a thin Vegas WR corps. But Baltimore's WR room is even weaker. Robinson will duke it out with James Proche, Devin Duvernay and Tylan Wallace for snaps behind WR Rashod Bateman. We'll keep an eye on Robinson but wouldn't spend a roster spot on him in any redraft or best-ball leagues.
After attending Rams practice on Wednesday, insider Peter King said QB Matt Stafford's arm "has not fallen off." Added King, "He really threw the ball well. ... The zip on the ball was very good. I think the reports of the death of his arm have been greatly exaggerated." It's certainly sounding like Stafford's right elbow issue is more of a pain-management thing, and not something that'll impact his play this season.
Rams QB Matt Stafford said Wednesday that his right elbow "feels good" and is "right on track." He admitted that he's not sure when the soreness in that elbow will go away, but he doesn't think it'll impact his performance. "I'm just going out there, doing my work [and] trusting the process that we have," Stafford said. "I know that I'm able to go out there and function at a high level right now. So whatever it feels like, hopefully, continues to keep getting better as it has. But I know that functionally, I feel like I can do everything I need to do. So just trying to continue on that road."
Rams QB Matt Stafford (elbow) was a full participant in Tuesday's scrimmage. He had “great energy, great command… threw the ball incredibly accurately… Really activated all parts of our pass game," HC Sean McVay said afterward. Reports on Stafford's right elbow have trended up over the last week. We'll continue to keep a close eye on him leading up to Week 1.
The Raiders released WR Demarcus Robinson. It's a slightly surprising move because Robinson was Vegas' most accomplished WR behind Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow. But, per The Athletic's Vic Tafur, Mack Hollins and Keelan Cole have emerged as the team's #3 and #4 WRs. "Tyron Johnson’s speed has put him in the mix as well," Tafur adds. None of these guys will be 2022 fantasy factors without an injury to Adams or Renfrow.
Rams HC Sean McVay told reporters after Monday’s practice that QB Matthew Stafford had been a full participant. That came in a shorter-than-usual session. But ProFootballTalk reports that McVay said the plan will be the same for Tuesday’s longer workout. It’s obviously good news for Stafford, who has seen managed workloads while he deals with right-elbow trouble
The Saints have cut veteran RB Malcolm Brown. He last only a couple of weeks on the roster. For now, New Orleans will roll with Mark Ingram, Tony Jones, Abram Smith, Dwayne Washington, and Devine Ozigbo behind Alvin Kamara.
Rams QB Matt Stafford (elbow) threw in full-team, 11-on-11 work in Tuesday's practice for the 1st time in training camp, ESPN's Sarah Barshop reports. The Rams have Stafford on a pitch count as he deals with a right elbow issue that we still don't know much about. But if the team was truly concerned, they wouldn't have him throwing at all in early August. We'll continue to keep an eye on this situation, but it hasn't impacted our Rams projections yet.
The Cowboys released K Jonathan Garibay and signed K Brett Maher on Tuesday. Garibay had reportedly struggled mightily in camp. Maher and K Lirim Hajrullahu will duke it out for the starting job over the next month. It's a situation to avoid in fantasy drafts until we get a winner.
ESPN's John Keim says Commanders S Kamren Curl is having the best training camp among his 3 years with the team. Kim says the 23-year-old has been more vocal, displaying growth in both his confidence and his comfort within the system. Curl has reportedly seen some time in the "Buffalo nickel" role that Landon Collins played last season, which includes some LB-type duties. Curl has the versatility to play in the box and deep. He spent a greater percentage of his time in deep coverage last year vs. 2020, which is generally negative for a safety's fantasy-scoring potential. But Curl's skill set and situation give him DB1 upside for IDP leagues.
Rams HC Sean McVay spoke about QB Matthew Stafford's right elbow issue on Thursday. McVay called it "a tricky deal," "abnormal for a QB” and "things that MLB pitchers deal with," per The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue. McVay added that the team explored different treatment options to alleviate the pain this offseason and that the team wasn't caught off guard by the situation when camp opened. “Could he (push through)? Yes. Is that the best thing? We didn’t think so," McVay said. Here's Rodrigue's take after listening to McVay: "While arm pain is never NOT a concern my sense is after some treatment early spring they decided to go with this onload/deload plan which has been on schedule per McVay." Until we hear that the pain in Stafford's elbow is gone -- or at least know exactly what he's dealing with -- he'll carry some elevated risk in fantasy drafts. His situation, of course, also impacts Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson and the rest of the Rams' skill-position guys.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Rams QB Matthew Stafford is "not expected to throw a lot over the next couple of days" to rest his right elbow. Rapoport says the issues has been described to him as "bad tendinitis" and that Stafford had a platelet-rich plasma "type" of treatment over the offseason. That apparently hasn't had the desired effect, as Stafford's throwing arm remains an issue. "Long term everybody in LA thinks this is gonna be fine," Rapoport says. Of course, the fact that he says "thinks" as we're well into the 2nd week of training camp remains cause for concern.
49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo has been cleared to practice after offseason shoulder surgery. "He has no restrictions and I’m watching him throw out here right now," GM John Lynch said. "He looks pretty good." With the 'Niners turning the offense over to QB Trey Lance this year, Garoppolo has been working separately from the rest of the team. We'll see if a trade materializes ahead of Week 1.
Rams HC Sean McVay said Monday that QB Matt Stafford still has "a little bit of pain" in his throwing elbow. Stafford had an injection in that elbow shortly after the Super Bowl and didn't throw at all during the spring. He's thrown some in camp but was held out of team drills on Monday. "We just want to be really smart with somebody that is as important as our quarterback is," McVay said. "[We want to] put together a plan that we feel like is in his best interests and our team's best interests." The Rams continue to downplay this situation. But when a QB is still experiencing pain in his throwing elbow in August, we're on alert.
Rams QB Matthew Stafford gave a lukewarm update on his throwing elbow Saturday: “It’s coming along. I’m kind of right where I want to be and just continue to get it feeling better. Get it stronger. You just lose those reps through the offseason and [I’m] trying to gain some of those reps back at the moment.” On one hand, it’s nice to not get an overly positive/optimistic update from a player on his injury. On the other, we’d love to hear that Stafford is further along. We’re still not altering our outlook, but we’ll be tracking the situation throughout August
The Saints have signed veteran RB Malcolm Brown. The former Ram and Dolphin spent last year in Miami, posting 33 carries for 125 yards and 1 score (7 games). He figures to slot in no higher than RB3 behind Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram. Even if Kamara is suspended for 4-6 games, Brown can be left alone in fantasy drafts.
Rams HC Sean McVay said Sunday that RB Kyren Williams (foot) is expected to be cleared before the end of the preseason. The rookie opened camp on the PUP list after breaking his foot in late May. Williams is a long shot for early-season fantasy value and would likely need a Cam Akers or Darrell Henderson injury to hit the fantasy radar this year.
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