Los Angeles Rams Depth Chart
- NFC West
- Stadium
- SoFi Stadium
- Head Coach
- Sean McVay
- Offensive Coordinator
- Kevin O'Connell
- Defensive Coordinator
- Brandon Staley
- Special Teams Coach
- John Bonamego
- Defensive Scheme
- 3-4
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said that tight end Tyler Higbee (elbow) will be a game-time decision for Week 12 against the division-rival 49ers. Already coming into this game as a low-end and unreliable TE2, Higbee should be avoided by fantasy managers this weekend. He scored three times on five catches in Week 2 but hasn't scored since and has over three receptions since then just one time. Gerald Everett hasn't done much to talk about either, but he'd become a more attractive TE2 sleeper in DFS and deeper leagues if Higbee were inactive Sunday. The 49ers Defense has also excelled against the tight end position this year, allowing the second-fewest fantasy points per game to the position and only two touchdowns all season.
The Los Angeles Rams placed starting inside linebacker Micah Kiser (knee), their leading tackler, on Injured Reserve on Thursday. Backup Troy Reeder, who started eight games last year and had three sacks in his lone start this year, is expected to start with Kiser out. Kiser has been really solid on the interior of the Rams Defense this year, recording 77 tackles (44 solo), three passes defensed and one forced fumble in nine games this season. The 25-year-old from Virginia suffered the knee injury in the Monday night win over the Buccaneers. While LA will miss his presence for at least the next three games, their defensive unit as a whole should remain fantasy relevant. The Rams defense should be considered a top-five fantasy unit this weekend against the division-rival 49ers and backup quarterback Nick Mullens.
The Los Angeles Rams have claimed defensive end Derek Rivers off of waivers after he was released by New England over the weekend. Having appeared in eight games with the Patriots this season, Rivers has compiled four tackles and four quarterback hits to go along with 1.5 sacks. Not yet having started a game in his NFL career, Rivers figures to be merely a depth piece for the Rams Defense, albeit one that has the size to be a consistent pass-rusher. Los Angeles' defensive group has earned itself weekly consideration due to its sack potential, currently tied for third in the NFL with 32 sacks as a group. It's unclear if Rivers will be active for Sunday's game against San Francisco at this stage, but fantasy managers in need of a streamer option in season-long formats can put the Rams in consideration.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Robert Woods took advantage of his team's perfect game plan in Week 11 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night en route to a third-place finish among wideouts for the week. He caught 12 of his 15 targets for 130 yards and a touchdown. After seeing his targets trend downwards for the last four weeks, he led the team in targets and had nine more than teammate Josh Reynolds, who had been outperforming Woods over that span of games. Woods will rarely present this type of ceiling, but his floor is generally one of the safest in football as a WR2.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp didn't have a great matchup in Week 11 on Monday night, but it didn't matter, as he went off for a big night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He caught 11 of his 13 targets for 145 yards. Unfortunately, he couldn't get into the end zone on the night, but this was still a fantastic night regardless. The matchups that the Rams are dealing with over the next few weeks aren't great, but Kupp gets enough volume to maintain fantasy value. He's firmly in the WR2 conversation with the volume that he's seeing and he can have WR1 upside with games like this.