Los Angeles Rams DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee sustained a catastrophic knee injury last year in the Wild Card round against the Lions, but the veteran has worked his way back and is ready to contribute to the passing game as the Rams return to the same round on Monday Night Football against the Vikings. Higbee missed the first 14 games of the season but played in each of the last three. In his return, he scored a memorable touchdown to seal the team's Week 15 win against the Jets. That was his only catch of the week, and he added just one more catch in Week 16 in a limited role once again. While the rest of the Rams' starters rested in Week 18, Higbee continued his comeback by playing 27 snaps (41%) against the Seahawks. He hauled in five of his seven targets for 46 yards and a touchdown from Jimmy Garoppolo, but he'll be back to working with Matthew Stafford this week. He's a nice sleeper option this week since he has such a good rapport with Stafford, and the Vikings have been a neutral matchup for tight ends this season, ranking 13th against the position.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Jordan Whittington showcased some big-play potential last week in the regular season finale, and the Rams may need to be more aggressive in this week's matchup against the Vikings on Monday Night Football of the Wild Card Round. The sixth-round pick from Texas was involved early in the season when Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp were injured. He had a combined 13 catches for 151 receiving yards in Week 4 and Week 5 but then sustained a shoulder injury that kept him limited for several weeks. Whittington stepped back in last week while the starters rested and caught three of his four targets for a team-high 86 receiving yards while also adding 12 rushing yards on two carries. Whittington does bring some sizzle and upside to the Rams' passing game, but his role is uncertain since the Rams rotate receivers behind the tandem of Nacua and Kupp. He's a dart throw play with upside for DFS contests on Monday.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua has been outstanding this season and has managed to put up consistent numbers despite the offense bogging down the past few weeks. He'll likely be busy again on Monday Night Football as the Rams open their playoffs with a home game against the Vikings. The Vikings allowed the most fantasy points per game in the NFL this season to wide receivers, who scored 18 touchdowns and averaged over 180 receiving yards per week. Nacua will look to attack that matchup after racking up 990 receiving yards on 79 catches in just 11 games. He had at least seven catches in seven of his last eight games while averaging 104.8 yards per contest. Earlier in the season, he lit up the Vikings for seven catches on 106 yards and two touchdowns in Week 8. Nacua is a great play with both a high floor and a high ceiling in this matchup since he should have plenty of volume and space to work against Minnesota.

Los Angeles Rams running back Ronnie Rivers will likely step in as the primary backup to Kyren Williams for the Rams' Wild Card matchup against the Vikings on Monday Night Football. Rookie Blake Corum (arm) suffered a season-ending forearm injury in Week 18 after playing a minimal role most of the season. Rivers had 10 carries early in the season but had not gotten a touch since Week 4 before taking a team-high 12 carries for 48 yards in the regular season finale against the Seahawks. He added four catches for 34 more yards out of the backfield. Rivers will likely get a few snaps, so he does bring a little upside, but his role will likely be too small barring injury to count on the third-year running back for fantasy.

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams was the focus of the Rams' offense over his last five games of the season, and he'll return to action on Monday against the Vikings after getting a week off in Week 18 to rest for the postseason. Williams scored six rushing touchdowns in his last six games, averaging 91.5 rushing yards on 20.8 carries per game. The Rams relied on him to control the clock and their defense to make big stops as they won five in a row and secured the division crown. Williams will have to carry a heavy workload again on Monday, especially with his backup Blake Corum (arm) done for the year. He'll face a very tough Vikings' run defense that allowed the second-fewest rushing yards and fourth-fewest yards-per-carry in the NFL this season. Running backs did score six touchdowns against them in the last two weeks, though, so there is some hope that Williams can overcome the matchup. He has a high floor based on his volume, but the matchup lowers his ceiling despite his very successful season.