AugustUpdate Camp News |
Staff Rankings
| Config Cheat Sheet
| STOMP
Draft Strategies | Depth Charts | Mock Drafts | SOS | Tools | ADP
Diehards Staff Experts Poll | Draft Simulator | University Videos
Draft Strategies | Depth Charts | Mock Drafts | SOS | Tools | ADP
Diehards Staff Experts Poll | Draft Simulator | University Videos
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 | |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Go To: FlashUpdate / August Update Main Page
| Los Angeles Rams | |||||
|
Go To: Off-season Team Review
| |||||
| Most Recent News Updates: | |||||
| LAR -- Kupp Still Visiting Specialist; Week 1 Increasingly Uncertain (9/04/14:46 CT) | |||||
| LAR -- Kupp Seeing A Specialist; Week 1 Status Uncertain At Best (9/02/14:24 CT) | |||||
| LAR -- Jefferson Ready To Step Up If Kupp Misses Time? (9/01/17:58 CT) | |||||
| LAR -- Kupp Day To Day After Suffering A Setback (8/31/16:18 CT) | |||||
| LAR -- Rams Set To Add Maher As Their PK (8/30/12:41 CT) | |||||
| LAR -- Stafford Struggling To Communicate With Younger Teammates? (8/29/21:12 CT) | |||||
| LAR -- Rams Unable To Generate Anything In Exhibition Finale (8/27/00:12 CT) | |||||
| LAR -- Kupp Feels Like He'll Be Ready Week 1 (8/24/15:07 CT) | |||||
| LAR -- Kupp Back At Practice And Reportedly Running Well (8/24/09:22 CT) | |||||
| LAR -- Kupp To Resume Practicing This Week (8/21/12:49 CT) | |||||
| LAR -- Rookie QB Bennett Gets Past Rough Start Vs. Raiders (8/20/00:13 CT) | |||||
| LAR -- Williams Earning More Time Alongside Akers? (8/15/09:42 CT) | |||||
| LAR -- Bennett Makes A Case To Be QB2 (8/15/00:12 CT) | |||||
| LAR -- McVay Not Concerned About Kupp; WR Is Day-To-Day (8/08/01:13 CT) | |||||
| LAR -- Initial Issues And Injuries Of Note (8/08/00:00 CT) | |||||
Current News Updates
9/04 All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp was in Minnesota on Monday to see a specialist in the hopes of getting at the root of his hamstring issues, coach Sean McVay said. The visit comes after Kupp had a setback with his recovery from a hamstring injury last week. McVay said Kupp remains day-to-day, adding that he should have more clarity on Kupp's availability for Week 1 on Wednesday. The Rams open their season Sunday at the Seattle Seahawks. "I think you just move forward, and you have to be able to operate with the situation and the guys we do have and if he's able to go then that's outstanding for us and, if not, then that's kind of how we've been operating it," McVay said. "I think the most important thing is that whenever he's ready to take the field, whether that be this week, whether that be Week 2, whatever it is, as long as he's able to have that return to performance, he's feeling like the Cooper Kupp that we all know and love and he's got some clarity on what is really going on, I think that will be a really good situation for us. ..." Kupp, 30, was first injured in a training camp practice Aug. 1 and missed all three preseason games.9/02 WR Cooper Kupp is in Minnesota today visiting with a noted body specialist to further understand his hamstring issue, sources tell NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. With two pulls in one summer, the hope is to fully comprehend the root of the issue. HC Sean McVay has described him as “day-to-day. ..." Meanwhile, Rapoport added that even though there has been no firm word on Kupp’s status, exercising caution for Week 1 is the likely outcome. It’s a long season and putting him on the field early at less than 100 percent doesn’t help anyone. 9/01 The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue reports (via Rotoworld) that Van Jefferson would be the Rams’ No. 1 receiver if Cooper Kupp (muscle strain) misses time. As Rotoworld reminded readers, Jefferson didn’t play a single snap with Matthew Stafford in 2022 as Jefferson recovered from an ACL injury just in time to return to the lineup when Stafford was sidelined. Jefferson last season served as the team’s nominal No. 1 wideout after Kupp went down with a season-ending ankle injury, catching 24 passes for 369 yards with three touchdowns over 11 games. Puka Nacua and TuTu Atwell, according to Rodrigue, would function as the Rams’ second and third receivers if Kupp, who suffered a setback with the hamstring injury he first suffered in late July, is out. 8/31 WR Cooper Kupp returned to practice a little over a week ago and said that he felt like he was on track to play in the season opener after missing time with a hamstring injury, but his availability has become a little cloudier. HC Sean McVay told reporters on Thursday that Kupp suffered a “setback” with the hamstring. McVay called the injury a strain and said that Kupp is considered day-to-day as the team moves closer to their opening game against the Seahawks. As Profootballtalk.com notes, the fact that Kupp’s condition took a turn for the worse after several days of practice would seem to be reason for the Rams to exercise extra caution before turning him loose again. Van Jefferson, Ben Skowronek, Tutu Atwell, Puka Nacua and Demarcus Robinson are the other receivers on the Rams’ 53-man roster. 8/30 The Rams had no kicker on their initial 53-man roster, but they’re set to have one now. According to multiple reports, Los Angeles is finalizing a deal with veteran Brett Maher — who was released by Denver this week. As Profootballtalk.com notes, the club got a good look at Maher last week, as the Rams and Broncos had joint practices before their Saturday preseason game. Maher missed a pair of field goals early in the preseason but made the rest of his attempts and all eight of his extra points. The Broncos acquired kicker Wil Lutz from the Saints on Tuesday to replace Maher. In 54 games for Dallas and New Orleans over the last four seasons, Maher has hit 81 percent of his field goals and 96 percent of his extra points while sending 65 percent of his kickoffs for touchbacks. Last year, Maher was 29-of-32 on field goals and 50-of-53 on extra points for the Cowboys. 8/29 Kelly Stafford, the wife of Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, recently had some surprising comments about the generational divide in the team’s locker room, which has left Matthew at a loss when it comes to connecting with his younger teammates. On Tuesday, HC Sean McVay was asked whether he has any concerns in the aftermath of her remarks. “No, I’m not concerned because I think if you know Kelly, I took that as more of a joke at the old man,” McVay told reporters. “And I’ll be honest, there’s a couple throws that he made during training camp where I wanted to say, ‘Yes sir,’ to him as well. He’s done a great job being able to. ... I mean, if you watch and if you come out to camp, this guy’s done a phenomenal job of leading, connecting with his teammates. ..." As Profootballtalk.com suggests, like many comments that get brushed off as a nothing-to-see-here joke, it’s hard to find the punchline in her observations. The comments sounded like an actual observation regarding the fact that Stafford’s younger teammates spend most of their time with their faces in their phones, making it harder to connect with them. We'll see how much of an issue that is. That said, the players we're most interested in as fantays managers -- Cooper Kupp, Tyler Higbee, Van Jefferson -- all have established connections with the QB. 8/27 As USA Today's Cameron DaSilva framed it, "Well, the good news is these preseason games don’t count. The bad news is the Rams looked significantly overmatched in each of their three exhibition contests against the Chargers, Raiders and Broncos. ..." The Rams were embarrassed by Denver on Saturday night in the preseason finale, losing 41-0 on the road. Neither team played their starters, so this game isn’t an indication of how they will play this season, but it was still discouraging to see the Rams play so poorly in the final preseason game. It was started by Stetson Bennett and finished by Dresser Winn, with Brett Rypien getting a handful of opportunities in the middle. But no matter who was leading the offense, the Rams struggled to move the ball. The Rams were sloppy on both sides of the ball, with Bennett throwing two unsightly interceptions and the defense struggling to get anyone on the ground. The defense was once again gashed on the ground, allowing more than 140 yards rushing to Denver. That’s partly because of poor tackling, but the gap discipline and edge contain was bad, too. Tanner Brown missed another field goal attempt, his second in four tries this preseason. This one was a 39-yarder, which he pulled left of the upright. He’s gotten very little work this preseason. ... Ethan Evans was busy, punting five times for 281 yards with three of those punts being downed inside the 20-yard line. He averaged 52.2 yards per punt and showed good hangtime. Penalties were a big problem for Los Angeles, including a facemask penalty by Tre Tomlinson that was so egregious in the first quarter that he was ejected for the tackle. ... Several players got the night off, including Ben Skowronek, Puka Nacua, Jonah Williams, Russ Yeast and others. That’s a clear sign they’re making the 53-man roster. The Rams sat Matthew Stafford and several other starters the entire preseason. ... The Rams open the regular season at Seattle on Sept. 10. ... You can access complete stats for Saturday's Week 3 exhibition finale via our exclusive Fantasy BoxScore. 8/24 Cooper Kupp returned to practice this week after dealing with a hamstring injury and said on Thursday he’s on pace to play Week 1 against the Seahawks. “Yeah, I feel like I am,” Kupp said in his Thursday press conference (via Profootballtalk.com). "[G]oing out there Week 1 would be tough, not having that opportunity to see those [practice] reps, have those reps, and have that kind of stuff in your back pocket of being able to see those patterns. So, I feel good about the path we’re on now.” Kupp has now participated in four consecutive practices, with the Rams working from Monday to Thursday — the last two days with the Broncos in Denver. Kupp said that he was initially feeling like his timing was a little behind earlier in the week, but things got back on track as he took more snaps. While Kupp and Los Angeles’ starters won’t be on the field for Saturday’s preseason finale, Kupp said that if it were Week 1, he would play. HC Sean McVay said he thought Kupp looked “really good” in Thursday’s practice. 8/24 WR Cooper Kupp was back on the practice field Wednesday for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury three weeks ago, and he looked like he’s back to full speed. At the Rams’ joint practice with the Broncos, Kupp battled with Denver cornerback Patrick Surtain II, and quarterback Matthew Stafford said Kupp was his old self. “I thought Coop looked great,” Stafford said (via Profootballtalk.com) after practice. “Just happy to see him running around, smiling, having fun playing ball again.” After leading the NFL in catches, yards and touchdowns in 2021, Kupp missed half the season in 2022 and wasn’t as effective when he did play. Getting Kupp back to 100 percent would go a long way toward getting the Rams back in the playoffs. 8/21 According to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Althletic, Cooper Kupp will practice against the Broncos, per HC Sean McVay. Kupp suggested the same during the broadcast of the team's Saturday game against the Raiders. The star wideout has been sidelined since leaving an Aug. 1 practice with a hamstring injury. We'll continue to watch his progress closely. 8/20 As NFL.com's Michael Baca reported, Stetson Bennett overcomes another rough start. The Rams rookie quarterback's second go-around in the preseason didn't start so well after finding just three offensive points and giving away a costly turnover in the first half, but he eventually showed why L.A. decided to use a fourth-round pick on him -- just as the former Bulldog did last week. Bennett's big blunder may have been a miscommunication with his receiver, but there was no erasing the ugly pick that directly ended in seven points for Las Vegas. He soon turned it around on the Rams' first possession of the third quarter, concluding an 11-play, 75-yard drive with a 4-yard TD run and getting there with assertive passing along the way. Bennett's night ended going 15-of-24 for 142 yards with no passing TDs and the pick-six in three quarters of play. 8/15 According to NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal, Kyren Williams could be earning a timeshare with Cam Akers in the Rams' backfield. Listening to the always-excellent Jourdan Rodrigue on her 11 Personnel podcast, Williams has played well enough to have a big role on passing downs. He may be seen as a steadier down-to-down option than Akers, who is more of a home-run hitter. ... Meanwhile, rookie receiver Puka Nacua built on his camp hype with a tough touchdown grab among his three catches. He's battling Tutu Atwell for the team's third receiver spot. 8/15 Saturday's exhibition opener gave everyone a glimpse at who might be the backup to 15-year veteran Matthew Stafford. Brett Rypien got the start, but Stetson Bennett showed promise after early struggles. As NFL.com framed it, "Playing in front of an offensive line that often had more holes than Swiss cheese," Bennett started his preseason debut by nearly throwing three interceptions. After he got the wild passes out of his system and let the first-game nerves subside, the Georgia product grew in confidence, seemingly with each throw. Bennett was back making plays at SoFi Stadium, a feeling the former Georgia Bulldog is very familiar with after winning the 2023 National Championship on the same field just eight months ago. After 16 plays, Bennett led the Rams' first scoring drive of the game with an 11-yard touchdown pass to fellow rookie Puka Nacua. Bennett, who finished 17 of 29 for 191 yards, showed flashes of potential that could have him in the lead for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart. 8/08 Following up on the Cooper Kupp's injury, it still seems likely the veteran receiver will be fine. “It’s really day-to-day,” coach Sean McVay told reporters on 8/5. “He just felt a little tweak. It was a red zone route, just felt a little tightness in his hamstring. ..." So how concerned should we be? According to McVay, not very. "I don’t think it’s anything to be overly concerned with but [we] want to be able to be smart with him and I’m hopeful to get him back out here sooner than later," the coach explained. "But he knows his body so well and he’s got a specific plan and you guys see him, he’s out here moving around. As far as exactly when he’s back, I’m definitely hopeful that by the time we at least have our competitive practices against the Raiders, he’s able to get that kind of work because I think that is important. Don’t want to rush it, but I think it’s kind of more of a day-to-day thing. It’s not something that we expect to drag on, but you never know with the soft tissue stuff. ...” As PFT notes, soft tissue injuries need rest. And even when they seem to be fine, they need a little more rest before the player tries to open the throttle and go at top speed. Stay tuned. 8/08 What's worse than a Super Bowl hangover? Two stints in the concussion protocol and finishing the season on injured reserve with a spinal cord contusion definitely qualifies. As fantastic as Matthew Stafford's debut with the Rams went in 2021 with nearly 5,000 yards, more than 40 TDs and a Lombardi Trophy, the encore was filled with frustration. He only notched one 300-yard game and had as many games with multiple TDs (two) as he did with multiple picks. If he can stay out of the blue tent and if WR Cooper Kupp is also at 100 percent, Stafford becomes a comeback candidate instead of a 35-year-old has-been. If not, another Georgia QB -- two-time national champion Stetson Bennett -- is waiting on deck as a 2023 fourth-rounder. Stafford said he felt "refreshed" when off-season workouts began. "I'm not 25, but I definitely feel good," he said. "I'm probably not a human JUGS machine like I used to be, but I can still get out there and throw it around a bunch. ..." Stafford has worked fully and thrown without difficulty since camp opened. The same can't be said of Kupp, who has been missing time with a hamstring injury suffered on 8/2. He won't be rushed back, but the Rams contend the issue isn't serious.
| |||||
 Team Review
Fantasy Grade: C-
Just two years ago, the Rams were holding up the Lombardi Trophy as the champions of Super Bowl LV1. Fast forward to 2023, and the Rams are a rebuilding team that has hemorrhaged veteran talent due to sal-ary cap constraints. Where the Rams were loaded with fantasy-relevant talent a few years ago, there are just a few names of note now. The biggest is wide receiver Cooper Kupp. who led the league in receiving yards, catches and touchdowns in 2021 an the way to Offensive Player of the Year honors. Kupp missed almost half the 2022 season, but he still averaged over 90 receiving yards a game, scored six touchdowns and ranked second among wideouts in PPR points per game. As Mike Faneli wrote at Fantasy Pros, when healthy Kupp is a fantasy machine. "Kupp averaged 18.2 half-point PPR fantasy points per genre last year and would have been the WR1 if not for a high ankle sprain despite Matthew Stafford's struggles," he said. "Furthermore, the superstar has been the most consistent fantasy wide receiver over the past two years. He scored 12.7 or more fantasy points in all but one game over the past two seasons, remov-ing the Week 10 matchup last year when he suffered the ankle injury, Meanwhile, Ku pp scored 20 or more fantasy points in 14 of those 26 games." Quarterback Matthew Stafford also struggled with injuries last year, putting the 35-year-old's future in jeop-ardy. However, Stafford assured reporters that he's fully healthy and confident that he will rebound in 2023. "It'll be a process as it always is to try and stay as healthy as you possibly can at all times,' Stafford said. "But I definitely feel like I can go out there and compete and do everything I want to do, which is fun and exciting for me: The Rams' backfield will be led by Cam Akers, who struggled to open the 2022 season as he recovered from a torn Achilles but came on strong down the stretch. Head coach Sean McVay told reporters that he expects Akers to build on last year's strong finish. "Confidence is a powerful thing that can compound in the right ways, and he certainly has taken the steps to be able to do that and that's a big deal." McVay said. "I'm really looking forward to watching him shine from start to finish this year." From Week 12 on last year, Akers was quietly a top-10 PPR option at running back. An R61 season isn't espe-daily likely, but given his relatively modest ADP Akers could be an interesting target for fantasy managers who eschew running backs early in favor of hammering Kupp and other high-end receivers. | |||||
|
2023 Off-Season News & Views
Click here for Complete set of News & Views
Click here for earlier off-season items |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||