Los Angeles Rams Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo (back) is not listed on the final Week 8 injury report and will start Monday night's game vs. the Lions. Garoppolo's return is good news for Vegas' skill-position players, but he's a low-end QB2 in fantasy lineups.

Rams LB Ernest Jones (knee) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Cowboys. He played through the same issue the past two games, though, and managed limited practices all week. We're betting Jones will play.

Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo (back) was upgraded to full participation in Friday's practice. He's on track to return for Monday night's game vs. the Lions -- good news for Vegas' skill-position players.

Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo (back) got in a limited practice on Thursday. Garoppolo "should play" vs. the Lions on Monday night, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. We'll track Garoppolo's status over the next few days.

The Rams released K Brett Maher, who missed two FGs and one XP in the Week 7 loss to the Steelers. He'll be replaced at least for now by K Lucas Havrisik. We've never heard of him either. Havrisik was on the Browns' practice squad but has never attempted a regular-season NFL kick. He made just 64% of his college FGs at Arizona.

Rams WR Puka Nacua bounced back in Week 7 vs. the Steelers with 8 catches on 12 targets for a monstrous, team-leading 154 receiving yards. The rookie now leads all NFL WRs with 58 receptions on the year. His teammate Cooper Kupp didn’t see nearly the same level of success on Sunday, hauling just 2 of 7 targets for a disappointing 29 receiving yards. Regardless, both wideouts will be must-start options in Week 8 vs. the Cowboys.

Rams QB Matthew Stafford completed 14 of 29 passes for 231 yards with 1 TD and INT apiece in Week 7’s loss vs. the Steelers. The veteran’s 14 fantasy point effort is certainly a disappointing outcome in what was projected to be a softer matchup against a Pittsburgh secondary that has struggled for much of this season to date. He’ll have a solid opportunity to turn things around next week vs. the Cowboys.

Rams LB Ernest Jones (knee) is active for today's game against the Steelers. Use him as planned in your IDP lineups.

There's a "real chance" Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo is back for Week 8, according to NFL Network. Garoppolo will miss Sunday's game vs. the Bears with "overall back soreness" but isnt dealing with a long-term injury. QB Brian Hoyer will start against Chicago, NFL Network confirms.

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.

As expected, Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo (back) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Bears. He didn't practice all week and has no timetable for return. The Athletic's Dianna Russini reports that QB Brian Hoyer will get the start in Garoppolo's place. Hoyer went 6 of 10 for 102 yards in relief last week but should still be considered a downgrade for Las Vegas' pass-catchers. The 38-year-old threw just 108 regular-season passes across the previous five seasons.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo (back) will not play vs. the Bears on Sunday. There's been no timetable given for Garoppolo's return. It's also unclear who will get the start at QB for Vegas this weekend. Rookie QB Aidan O'Connell got the nod when Garoppolo missed Week 4, struggling to 238 yards passing on 6.1 yards per attempt. Veteran QB Brian Hoyer replaced Garoppolo this past week, going 6-of-10 for 102 yards, 0 TDs, and 0 INTs. Neither guy should be in your Week 7 fantasy plans.

Asked Wednesday if rookie RB Zach Evans is on track to start Sunday against the Steelers, Rams HC Sean McVay said: "I wouldn't say that. All four of those guys are possibilities, and we're truly navigating through that." The other three, of course, are Royce Freeman, Myles Gaskin, and Darrell Henderson. McVay added that Evans has improved and said, "I'm looking forward to seeing how he handles this week." QB Matthew Stafford separately told The Athletic's Jordan Rodrigue that this is a "compete for carries" week. We'll see how the week finishes out, but you should bet on no single player controlling backfield work the way Kyren Williams has to this point. All L.A. RBs will make for risky Week 7 plays, barring word from McVay that someone has emerged as the clear leader.

Rams HC Sean McVay labeled RB Kyren Williams "week-to-week" with his ankle injury and admitted that the team is still discussing whether to place him on short-term IR. Williams had his left ankle in a "cast-like material" and was using a scooter at practice on Wednesday, per The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue. At this point, it'd be a surprise if Williams played again before the Rams' Week 10 bye.

Rams QB Matt Stafford said Wednesday that it's a "compete for carries" week, per The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue. RBs Kyren Williams (ankle) and Ronnie Rivers (knee) will miss Sunday's game vs. the Steelers, leaving RBs Zach Evans, Darrell Henderson, Myles Gaskin, and Royce Freeman to battle for snaps and touches. HC Sean McVay echoed Stafford's sentiment. "We've got the week to be able to evaluate," McVay said. "I would say all four of those guys are possibilities, and we're truly navigating through that." McVay added that he was "pleased" with how RB Zach Evans played in his first six offensive snaps of the season last week. We'll continue to look for clues on what Los Angeles' backfield will look like on Sunday, but we probably won't have a great idea until the game is underway.

Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo (back) did not practice on Wednesday. While he reportedly dodged a major injury in last week's game vs. the Patriots, Garoppolo doesn't seem particularly likely to play against the Bears this weekend. We'll see if he's able to get back on the practice field tomorrow.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that the Rams expect RB Kyren Williams to miss "multiple games" with his ankle sprain. Williams "should be back, at the latest, after the Week 10 bye." That would mean three missed games, which should affect your waiver and potential trade moves this week. The Rams will turn to some combo of Zach Evans, Royce Freeman, Myles Gaskin, and Darrell Henderson in the meantime. We'll keep watch for more insight into the plan ahead of Sunday's game against the Steelers.

ESPN's Sarah Barshop writes that Rams RB Zach Evans is "likely" to start Sunday's game vs. the Steelers. RBs Kyren Williams (ankle) and Ronnie Rivers (knee) will miss that one. The Rams' only other RBs are Evans and Royce Freeman, who's on the practice squad. "Obviously you saw Zach Evans get the first carries," HC McVay said Monday. "We've got Royce Freeman on our practice squad, and there'll be some different things that we're in the midst of working through right now." We'll look for further hints on what the backfield will look like this week. But we're expecting Evans and Freeman to be involved -- and for the Rams to go pass-heavy. Evans is the better fantasy option but shouldn't be considered more than a RB3 or flex play for now.

A Monday MRI revealed an ankle sprain for Rams RB Kyren Williams that's expected to keep him out for Sunday's game against the Steelers, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Backup Ronnie Rivers is also dealing with a PCL sprain that's expected to cost him a few weeks. That leaves Zach Evans and Royce Freeman as the only healthy RBs on the roster. Evans played his first 6 snaps of the season Sunday against the Cardinals, running for 10 yards on 4 carries. Freeman has been on the practice squad and averaged a dynamic 2.9 yards per carry since the start of 2021. We'll watch for specifics on L.A.'s backfield plan for Week 7. But expect a pass-heavy approach for a team that has already leaned that way. Evans and Freeman only appear worth a waiver look if you're in dire need. The Pittsburgh matchup has been slightly positive for RB scoring, according to our adjusted fantasy points allowed.