Los Angeles

Rams

Robinson made good on his status as the clear third option in head coach Sean McVay’s 11-personnel-heavy offense, playing almost every down en route to seven targets. Of note, Puka Nacua left the game early in the second quarter after aggravating a knee injury that had him on the injury report leading up to the game, potentially vaulting Robinson into a secondary role should Nacua miss any time moving forward.

Parkinson played most of the game for the Rams, filling in admirably as the primary all-purpose tight end for Sean McVay’s 11-personnel-heavy offense. Backup tight end Davis Allen played sparingly and saw just one target, meaning Parkinson can likely be started with confidence on a weekly basis in deep leagues and scooped off the wire for consistent floor.

Fellow wide receiver Puka Nacua left the game early in the second quarter after aggravating a knee injury that had him on the injury report leading up to the game, paving the way for Kupp to tie a career high in receptions with 14. Before Nacua departed, Kupp slightly edged the second-year receiver in targets at five to four, with each pass-catcher also seeing a carry in the first quarter. Nacua’s injury could force him to miss time in the coming weeks, during which Kupp will serve as the primary cog of the offense through the air. It is unlikely Matthew Stafford is forced to attempt 49 passes in Week 2 against a Cardinals opponent that can be beaten on the ground, but Kupp still carries immense upside for as long as Nacua remains out. Either way, Kupp currently looks like a solid bet for steal of the fantasy draft status this season.

The biggest takeaway from Week 1 for Williams was his continued workhorse status in a Rams backfield that came into the season with some question marks following the selection of Blake Corum in the third round of this year’s draft. Corum was active but did not see a running back opportunity, instead ceding backup work to Ronnie Rivers. Williams saw 21 of a total 23 running back opportunities and should see better fantasy days ahead against opponents not as stout against the run as the Lions. One such occasion occurs in Week 2 when the Rams travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals.

Stafford lost one of his top pass-catchers early in the second quarter after Puka Nacua aggravated the knee injury that had him on the injury report leading up to Week 1, forcing a heavy dose of Cooper Kupp for the remainder of the game. He fed Kupp an ungodly 21 targets on a ridiculous 49 pass attempts. Unfortunately for the Rams, the Lions got the ball back for a two-minute drill and eventually tied the game with under a minute left to force overtime. They would then win the coin toss and the drive the field for the clinching touchdown and Stafford and the Rams would not touch the ball again. It was a valiant effort considering the stout nature of the Lions run defense, which forced the lofty pass attempt numbers. We’ll have to wait and see how Nacua’s knee responds in the coming week as it could force a similar setup when the Rams travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals in Week 2, albeit in a much friendlier ground matchup.

Nacua tested his knee at the half and was eventually carted to the locker room before being ruled out for the remainder of the game. It is a bit worrisome that the injury appears to be an aggravation of the existing knee injury, which could result in some missed time for the second-year pass-catcher. Nacua caught all four targets for 35 yards and added seven yards on his lone carry prior to departing.

Nacua remained on the field following a short reception over the middle of the field in the second quarter. He struggled to the sideline before spending over 10 minutes with trainers in the blue medical tent. He reportedly got his knee re-wrapped before running on the sideline to test the knee. Nacua was present on the team’s injury report all week with the same knee injury. He managed to catch all four targets for 35 yards and added seven yards on his lone carry prior to departing.

No word on when the injury occurred or what the ailment is, but the veteran tackle was carted to the locker room for further examination in the second quarter of the team’s Week 1 game against the Lions. Expect further update to follow.

Havenstein entered the game listed as questionable and will ultimately miss Week 1 with an ankle injury suffered in camp. As expected, wide receiver Puka Nacua is active after being removed from the injury report earlier in the week.

Right tackle Rob Havenstein (ankle) is listed as questionable. Nacua suffered a knee injury early in camp but returned to practice before the end of the offseason. He practiced in full all three days this week before being cleared from the injury report. Nacua appears to be fully past the knee injury, locking him in as a low-end fantasy WR1 for the first week of the season. Though the Nacua versus Cooper Kupp debate raged all summer, a potential shootout with the Lions is a great spot for both wideouts to put up big numbers.