Los Angeles Rams Depth Chart
- NFC West
- Stadium
- SoFi Stadium
- Head Coach
- Sean McVay
- Offensive Coordinator
- Mike LaFleur
- Defensive Coordinator
- Raheem Morris
- Special Teams Coach
- Chase Blackburn
- Defensive Scheme
- 3-4
Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee (Achilles) was not present for the team's practice on Wednesday due to an Achilles injury. It's not a great start to a short week for Higbee, but if he can get back on the practice field in the next two days, he'll have a shot at playing in Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts. The 30-year-old has operated as a decent low-end TE1 for fantasy managers through the first three weeks and has seen more targets with receiver Cooper Kupp (hamstring) beginning the year on Injured Reserve. Higbee had a season-high 71 receiving yards on five catches in the Monday night loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. If he's unable to play this week, Brycen Hopkins would likely serve as the Rams' No. 1 pass-catching tight end.
Los Angeles Rams rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua (oblique) remained limited at practice on Wednesday. Nacua has been playing through a nagging oblique injury in the first three weeks of his NFL career, and the Rams are managing his repetitions throughout the week. It hasn't really affected the 23-year-old fifth-rounder, though, as he's managed an incredible 30 catches on 42 targets for 338 yards in his first three games. However, he has yet to find paydirt and came back to Earth with only five catches for 72 yards in the Monday night loss to Cincinnati. Nacua may only have one more opportunity left in Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts to be a target hog for fantasy managers that plucked him off the waiver wire with Cooper Kupp (hamstring) eligible to return from Injured Reserve in Week 5.
When asked if he expects Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (hamstring) to come off Injured Reserve to make his season debut in Week 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles, head coach Sean McVay said, "That's the hope." Kupp is "ramping up his workload" and "progressing," according to McVay. It's all good news for Kupp's fantasy managers hoping to get him back as soon as he's eligible, but we won't know more about his availability for Week 5 until the Rams begin practicing next week. In the 30-year-old's absence, both rookie Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell have been fantasy relevant, combining for 584 receiving yards in the first three games of the season. Kupp's return will surely put a damper on their overall upside and target shares, but how much remains to be seen.
Although the Los Angeles Rams ended up falling short by a score of 19-16 in the Monday night loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, tight end Tyler Higbee had his best game of the young season in Week 3. Higbee caught all five of his targets for a season-high 71 yards. His five receptions were tied for the team lead with rookie wideout Puka Nacua, and his 71 receiving yards came one yard shy of the team lead on the night. Through three weeks, the 30-year-old has caught 11 of his 15 targets for 132 yards and no touchdowns, ranking him as the TE10 in fantasy so far in half-point PPR scoring. Higbee will have at least one more week to soak up more targets against the Indianapolis Colts before top wideout Cooper Kupp (hamstring) is eligible to return from Injured Reserve.
Wide receiver Puka Nacua (oblique) caught five passes for 72 yards in the Los Angeles Rams' Week 3 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Nacua, who had 35 targets in the first two games of his career, settled for a more modest seven on Monday night. His longest gain came late in the fourth quarter when Matthew Stafford found the receiver open near the five-yard line for a 37-yard reception. A better throw from Stafford might have resulted in Nacua's first touchdown, but instead of making the catch on the run he had to go to the ground to make the play and was easily touched down by a defender at the three-yard line. Nacua is a must-start in Week 4 when the Rams face the Indianapolis Colts, who have allowed two 100-yard games and four total touchdowns to opposing wide receivers this season.
