In a crucial matchup in the battle for the NFC West, the Los Angeles Rams may be without one of their top receivers.
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported on Dec. 15 that 12-year veteran wide receiver Davante Adams is considered ‘week-to-week’ with a hamstring injury. Rapoport wrote Adams is ‘almost certainly’ going to miss the Rams’ Week 16 ‘Thursday Night Football’ game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Los Angeles clinched a playoff berth with its Week 15 win over the Detroit Lions on Dec. 14, but the Rams lost Adams to a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter.
Here’s the latest Adams injury update ahead of Week 16:
When will Davante Adams return?
Adams is expected to miss the Rams’ Week 16 meeting with the Seahawks on ‘Thursday Night Football.’
Rapoport of NFL Media reported on Dec. 15 – one day after Adams suffered a hamstring injury – that the veteran wide receiver was considered ‘week-to-week’ with the injury. Because the Rams have a short week, Adams is expected to miss at least one game with the ailment.
Los Angeles will likely re-evaluate Adams during its ‘mini bye’ following ‘Thursday Night Football’ to determine his status for the final two weeks of the season. The Rams have already clinched a playoff spot and will be able to use their postseason outlook (i.e., whether they’ve secured the top seed in the NFC and a first-round bye) to decide if Adams’ return can wait until the playoffs.
What happened to Davante Adams?
Adams re-aggravated an existing hamstring injury in the fourth quarter of the Rams’ Week 15 win over the Lions.
Early in the fourth quarter, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw a deep ball Adams’ way on a third-and-3 play. As he tracked the ball downfield, the veteran wideout appeared to pull up short with a lower-body malady. He fell to the ground during the play and remained down until Los Angeles’ training staff arrived to help Adams walk off the field.
Rapoport reported on Dec. 15 that the ailment that knocked Adams out of the game was not a new injury but instead an aggravation of a pre-existing issue.
Davante Adams stats
Through 15 weeks, Adams is the NFL’s leader in receiving touchdowns despite ranking outside the top 30 in receptions. He is also second on his own team in targets, receptions and receiving yards behind Puka Nacua.
Here’s how his stats look in 14 games played:
Targets: 114
Receptions: 60
Receiving yards: 789
Yards/reception: 13.1
Touchdowns: 14
Adams’ 14 touchdowns so far match his 2022 output with the Las Vegas Raiders, which led the league that year. It’s four scores short of his career high of 18 touchdowns, which he set with the Green Bay Packers in 2020 – a year in which he also led the league in the statistic.
Rams WR depth chart
Puka Nacua
Davante Adams (questionable – hamstring)
Konata Mumpfield
Tutu Atwell
Jordan Whittington
Xavier Smith
Outside of Nacua – who is second in the NFL in receptions (102) and receiving yards (1,367) – and Adams, the Rams’ wide receivers corps is lacking other standouts. Atwell and Mumpfield each have one touchdown apiece but no receiver outside of Nacua and Adams has more than 25 targets.
Most of Los Angeles’ passing offense has gone through its top two receivers, plus running back Kyren Williams and tight ends Colby Parkinson, Tyler Higbee and Davis Allen.