Los Angeles Rams

Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports that Rams WR Tutu Atwell was placed on the Reserve/COVID list. (Source: Jourdan Rodrigue on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Atwell is the first Rams player to be placed on the COVID-19 list this season. An outstanding college player, the Rams selected him in the second round with hopes he will make an immediate impact. If Atwell is vaccinated, he will be able to return to the team after testing negative twice 24 hours apart. If he is unvaccinated, he will have to quarantine for 10 days, which is the same rule the NFL instituted last year when a player tested positive for COVID-19.

Rams HC Sean McVay says that Rams RB Darrell Henderson will not be seen in a preseason game and will not take any chances with his new RB1. (Source: Cameron DaSilva on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Henderson will now be taking over as the Rams RB1 this season after a devastating injury to RB Cam Akers. McVay went on to say that it has never been an "ability" question about Henderson and more about keeping him available. McVay believes that Henderson is an every-down back but has to make sure he is durable, thus no preseason games for him. Henderson has a great opportunity to break out, if he can stay on the field. These quotes are very positive and show the trust McVay has in the 3rd-year running back. His ADP is already starting to climb, but he will be worth the cost if he stays healthy.

Jourdan Rodrigue of the Athletic said that Los Angeles Rams RB Xavier Jones “may quietly be one of the team’s better assets this fall.” (Source: The Athletic)

Fantasy Impact: The Rams recently lost running back Cam Akers to a torn Achilles, and that Jones could be the next RB up after current starter Darrell Henderson. “Jones may quietly be one of the Rams’ better assets this fall, depending on Henderson’s health and the Rams’ ultimate depth at the position,” said Rodrigue. Jones’ role as the No.2 running back could be short-lived if the Rams decided to bring in another free agent. Duke Johnson, Le’Veon Bell, Adrian Peterson, Devonta Freeman, Chris Thompson, Bo Scarbrough, Kenjon Barner, and Todd Gurley have been linked to Los Angeles. Jones flashed potential in college and had a pair of 1,000-yard rushing seasons at SMU. The 23-year-old will have the opportunity to compete for No. 2 spot on the RB depth chart. He is currently 113th among all RBs in the latest expert consensus draft rankings but expect that number to rise if Jones lands the role as the Rams backup running back.

Per sources, Los Angeles Rams RB Cam Akers suffered a torn Achilles while training and he will be out for the entire 2021 season. (Source: Tom Pelissero on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Brutal blow for both Akers and the Rams, who figured to lean heavily on the second-year running back out of Florida State. With Akers now done for the season, this looks to be Darrell Henderson’s job, and he should be viewed as a high-end RB2 with the expected workload. With Malcolm Brown also gone, look for Los Angeles to bring in a veteran running back to take some of the workload off Henderson this season.

With Tyler Higbee not practicing, rookie tight end Jacob Harris has seen first-team reps during OTAs. The Rams' coaching staff has been impressed by the fifth-round pick, who has proven he can move around the field and serve as a true mismatch headache for other teams. In addition to being a tall and agile pass-catcher, Harris is expected to have a major role on special teams. When commenting on the rookie, head coach Sean McVay said, "I think he’s a guy that has a tremendous amount of upside. Wes Phillips has done a really nice job of getting him up to speed. His natural range, catch radius, body control for a player of his size is pretty rare. I think you guys can see — for NFL guys to stand out the way that he has done, in some of these limited settings, in shorts and in helmets, he’s definitely made a positive impression." (Source: The Athletic)

Fantasy Impact: McVay isn't the only Rams coach excited about Harris. Rams scout Michael Pierce, who first tipped the team on potentially drafting Harris, said, "If you think that he can be a tight end—which, I think he can be a tight end—then you say, ‘Let him develop, and he’ll win a spot at tight end because he’s so athletic, so fast, he can jump so high and he has that determination that you want out of the position. But then you think, ‘OK, he can be a receiver,’ because he’s got that top-shelf speed, he can really get to the top of coverage, he can jump and attack the ball." There is also a data side to the hype surrounding Harris. “I have done some studies over the past few years, looking at positions where, in those later rounds, what is going to give you the most success?” explained Sarah Bailey, a football analytics manager. “Tight end is one of those positions where the athlete has more probability of actually making it. I look at probability of playing, and when he switched his position from wideout to tight end, he actually increased his probability of playing by almost 20 percent." Ultimately, the stars are all aligning for Harris. Offseason coachspeak should be taken cautiously and Harris may not be an immediate breakout candidate, but he's still an intriguing stash regardless.

Rams WR Cooper Kupp said his knee is doing "really well" on Wednesday. (Source: Jourdan Rodrigue on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Kupp was playing through bursitis early in the year before suffering a different knee injury later in the season. It isn't ideal considering Kupp tore his ACL back in 2018, but the good news is that he's doing better now. Perhaps the Rams' top slot receiver has some untapped fantasy upside if Matthew Stafford can take this offense to new heights.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that FA QB Blake Bortles is signing with the Green Bay Packers. (Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Bortles spent last season on the Rams as the backup to Jared Goff. The Packers are dealing with a QB dilemma right now with Aaron Rodgers wanting out. The only other QB on the roster is Jordan Love, so this could just be a depth-piece signing. Packers organization are hoping they can mend things with Rodgers, but it's unclear if they can. If Rodgers does get traded, Bortles could become the starter since Love may not be completely ready for NFL action. This is a situation to monitor.

Matthew Stafford is part of the Rams' long-term plans, according to Rams General Manager Les Snead. The latter appeared on the11 Personnel Podcast Wednesday, saying, "I don’t think we did (the trade) thinking two years. Based on his age, you can legitimately think five to seven, eight years if you look at what Drew (Brees) has done." (Source: The Athletic )

Fantasy Impact: Snead doubled down, adding, "With quarterbacks of his pedigree, a lot of those guys have played into their late 30s, for sure. So that was definitely the vision with (Stafford).” Although there was no extension in place when Stafford was traded, Snead confirms the eventual plan is to hand him one. For fantasy football purposes, consider the quarterback a no-risk, all-upside draft target - currently in tier 3 as QB13 in FantasyPros' Expert Consensus Rankings.

Former Rams WR Josh Reynolds has reached an agreement with the Tennessee Titans. (Source: Terry McCormick on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Reynolds saw a career-high 81 targets a season ago with the Rams. He joins a Titans team that doesn’t have a ton of pass-catching options behind A.J. Brown, especially after Corey Davis signed with the Jets and Jonnu Smith signed with the Patriots in free agency. Davis in particular leaves behind 92 vacated targets through 14 games in 2020, so it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility Reynolds steps up as the WR2 in Tennessee. This obviously depends on what the Titans decide to do on Draft day, but Reynolds could have some sneaky late-round appeal come 2021 fantasy drafts.

Troy Hill, a Youngstown, Ohio native, is signing with the Browns on a four-year, $24 million deal, according to Ian Rapoport. There was no mention of gurantees. (Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Hill joins safety John Johnson as another secondary signing for the Browns. Hill, Pro Football Focus' 27th-ranked cornerback last season, will line up in the slot. Outside of a Week 3 matchup with Cole Beasley, Hill allowed less than 60 yards in coverage in all but one outing.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports the Seahawks are signing former Rams tight end Gerald Everett to a one-year, $6 million deal. (Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Check back shortly for the fantasy impact.

Former Rams RB Malcolm Brown and the Dolphins have reached an agreement on a contract. (Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The details of Brown’s contract with the Dolphins are unknown at this time. He rushed for 419 yards and five touchdowns on 101 carries for the Rams in 2020. Brown averaged 4.0 yards per rush across six seasons with the Rams. The undrafted free agent will compete with Myles Gaskins and Salvon Ahmed for carries in the Dolphins backfield.

Rams LB Leonard Floyd is expected to sign a 4-yr, $64M contract to stay with the Los Angeles Rams. (Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Floyd was rumored to have drawn interest from the Titans, but the Rams didn't allow that to happen by scooping up the former first-round pick for the next four years. Floyd finished sixth in the NFL with 11 sacks last season and will be a staple of the Rams defense in the future.

Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the 49ers are signing OLB Samson Ebukam to a two-year deal worth $12 million that can be worth up to $13.5 million with incentives (Source: Tom Pelissero on twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The Rams lose another body on defense as Ebukam heads to San Fransisco. The veteran LB recorded 31 tackles and 4.5 sacks along side Aaron Donald last season. The moves adds depth to a weak injury riddled LB core in San Fransisco.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Browns and former Rams safety John Johnson III have agreed to terms on a deal for three years, $33.75 million with $24 million guaranteed. (Source: Ian rapoport of NFL Network)

Fantasy Impact: Another free agency domino falls as star saftey John Johnson inks a deal to head to Cleveland. The veteran safety recorded 105 tackles and 1 interception last season. He held a 85.3 PFF rating, good for third best in the league at the position.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Rams are extending a first-round RFA tender on standout CB Darious Williams. (Source: Ian rapoport of NFL Network)

Fantasy Impact: After a standout season in which Williams recorded 16 games, four interceptions, 44 tackles, and 14 pass defenses the Rams decided to extended the restricted free agent a qualifying offer of a 1st round pick. If Williams accepts the offer he will make $4.766 million in 2021.

The Los Angeles Rams are trading Jared Goff, a 3rd-round pick in 2021, a 1st-round pick in 2022, and a 1st-round pick in 2023 to the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford. (Source: Tom Pelissero on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: One former first overall pick is headed to Detroit while the other former first round pick gets a fresh start in Los Angeles. Detroit apparently had six offers for Stafford, but it was the package of Goff and the three picks that enticed the Lions. The deal can’t become official until the start of the league year on March 17, but this is the first of many that will kick off a wild NFL offseason.

Robert Woods caught 8-of-10 targets for just 48 yards in a 32-18 divisional round loss to the Packers.

Fantasy Impact: Woods led the Rams' receivers in targets, which was to be expected with Cooper Kupp (knee) inactive and Woods operating mostly out of the slot. He avoided Packers' CB Jaire Alexander for most of the game, which is why Jared Goff continued to look his way throughout. Woods finishes 2020 tying a career-high in touchdowns (6), but was unable to top 1,000 yards like he did in 2018 and 2019. Consider him a solid WR2 option in 2021.

Van Jefferson caught 6-of-7 targets for 46 yards and a touchdown in a 32-18 divisional round loss to the Packers.

Fantasy Impact: Jefferson's two best games both came down the stretch. In Week 17, he saw eight targets, and against the Packers in the playoffs saw seven targets and turned that into 46 yards and a score. Jefferson is a solid dynasty stash, but this Rams offense still runs through Cam Akers, Robert Woods, and Cooper Kupp until further notice.

Rams DL Aaron Donald (ribs) was removed from the team's final injury report and will play on Saturday against the Packers. (Source: Cameron DaSilva on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The expectation all week has been that Donald will play. LA will certainly need their stud defensive lineman on the road in Green Bay, opposite Aaron Rodgers and company.