The NFL season is in its final week. As happens every year, injuries are rearing their ugly heads. As fantasy football managers prepare to set Week 18 lineups, it’s important to stay informed on the latest injury news. Davante Adams has missed multiple games with a hamstrings train. What is his current status and outlook for this week?
Is Davante Adams Playing Week 18?
Adams has been dealing with a left hamstring issue since the Los Angeles Rams’ Week 13 game at Carolina and has remained on the injury report for multiple weeks. He managed just a single limited practice in the lead-up to Week 15, then aggravated the injury running a route late in the win over Detroit, immediately grabbing at his hamstring and leaving the game for good. Ian Rapoport reported at the time that the wide receiver would be considered week-to-week with the exacerbation.
The Rams held Adams out completely on the short turnaround to the Thursday night game against Seattle in Week 16. Los Angeles listed him as doubtful on their final injury report, and he was officially inactive for that contest. He remained sidelined for Week 17’s Monday night matchup against the Atlanta Falcons after failing to practice all week.
Adams went through his routine in pregame warmups, and he looked good, suggesting he is likely healthy enough to play. However, the Rams are locked into a Wild Card spot after being officially eliminated from NFC West title contention when the 49ers and Seahawks both won on Sunday. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Los Angeles is likely to hold Adams out for the final regular-season games so he is fully ready for the playoffs.
Adams returned to a limited practice on Thursday, marking his first session since aggravating the hamstring in Week 15. He remained limited again on Friday and carries a questionable designation into Sunday’s regular season finale against the Arizona Cardinals. Head coach Sean McVay confirmed that he will play his starters even if the San Francisco 49ers beat the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night, which would lock the Rams into the No. 6 seed.
The bigger concern for fantasy managers is whether McVay actually follows through on playing his starters and how long they remain in the game. With the Seahawks defeating the 49ers on Saturday night, the Rams do have a shot at the No. 5 seed, but they can go no higher. McVay has never cared about seeding and has never played a single relevant player in a meaningless game. No coach holds more players out of preseason games than McVay.
I would be stunned if Adams played on Sunday. He definitely is healthy enough to suit up, but with the game not mattering much, it doesn’t make sense to put him at risk of further aggravation. Fantasy managers should expect Adams to return for the postseason. Those playing in playoff fantasy leagues can operate under the assumption he will be ready to go when the Rams’ playoff run begins.
Adams’ Fantasy Football Outlook
Adams turned 33 years of age on Christmas Eve and with 14 touchdowns this season, his stat line doesn’t look a day past 28.
His role as a scoring vulture, however, is tied heavily to Matthew Stafford, another greybeard that you have to worry about in terms of decline (or not playing all together). Adams has been a yardage liability for the majority of this season (no more than 60 receiving yards in eight of 14 games this season) and those are the profiles I tend to fade.
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Give me volume and I’ll figure out the variance that comes with touchdowns, not the other way around. In past years, lower end options like Wan’Dale Robinson or even top shelf options like Trey McBride have been able to survive the volatility of touchdowns because of their rock steady roles in a PPR setting.
That’s not the case here: if you take the cape off of Superman, you’re left with Clark Kent, a handsome reporter that is nice to be around, but not one that is saving the world from impending doom.
Clark Kent doesn’t win fantasy championships for you and that’s what 2026 Adams figures to look more like. I’m just projecting at this point, but he’s outside of my top 30 right now.
— Kyle Soppe, PFSN Fantasy Analyst
