Colby Parkinson (shoulder) limited on Thursday

Parkinson is unlikely to be startable as a TE1 if he plays on Monday night, but his return will likely reduce Tyler Higbee’s snap share. Higbee has been TE1-viable in each of the last two weeks.

One of only two healthy Rams tight ends, Higbee was the Rams’ clear-cut No. 3 passing-game weapon behind a returning Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. There’s a huge gulf between the Rams’ wideouts and Higbee, but he should be able to provide TE2 streamer value for the next several weeks, including Week 5 against the Bills.

Parkinson’s absence with knee and shoulder issues at least comes as Puka Nacua returns, though the Rams are somehow down to only two healthy tight ends. Parkinson appears to be genuinely day to day, so we would assume he has a decent chance of returning for Week 5 against the Bills. Improbably, the Rams’ injury issues have made Tyler Higbee a legitimate streaming option.

He didn’t practice at any point this week with an AC sprain suffered after he had already been questionable with the knee ailment heading into Week 3. Tyler Higbee should be a reasonable TE2 option against the Eagles this week even if Parkinson is healthy; it doesn’t seem like he is.

Ferguson briefly departed after injuring his ankle in the team’s Sunday Night Football loss to the Broncos, returning for two snaps prior to departing again after his lone reception of the evening. The ankle injury now appears likely to cost the talented young tight end at least one game, with the potential for the absence to linger if the sprain is “more high than low.” McVay also relayed that fellow tight end Colby Parkinson suffered an AC sprain and is considered day-to-day. Veteran Tyler Higbee would be in line to operate as the primary receiving tight end after amassing 62 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions in Week 3, should both miss. Higbee should be added in all formats as a potential TE1 in the immediate future.

Higbee’s first quarter touchdown got the scoring started for the Rams, but it wasn’t until Terrance Ferguson departed with an ankle injury that his volume truly took off. From that point forward, Higbee was one of the primary options through the air, finishing two targets behind Davante Adams for the team lead. Fantasy managers will want to monitor Ferguson’s status closely in the coming week as Higbee could become a legitimate waiver target should Ferguson miss time.

Parkinson did not practice once this week because of the knee issue, so it’s a bit of a surprise that McVay sounds optimistic about him suiting up today. The team may have kept him out of practice as a precaution. He will handle an inline tight end role while Terrance Ferguson handles de facto WR2 duties with Puka Nacua out. Ferguson remains in the TE1 mix while Parkinson is a touchdown-or-bust TE2.

Whittington is WR Puka Nacua’s (hip) direct backup, so he will be out there running a decent number of routes. Whittington has, however, never managed to establish himself as a reliable contributor. He does not need to be rostered in 12-team leagues. Rams TE Colby Parkinson (knee) will be questionable.

The Rams have leaned on multi-TE sets when Puka Nacua has missed time or been limited over the past year, so losing Parkinson would be another notable loss for the offense. Even if he plays, this injury all but locks in Terrance Ferguson as the team’s de facto WR2 for Week 3, assuming Nacua remains sidelined. Ferguson is pushing for a TE1 ranking ahead of his Week 3 date with the Broncos.

Higbee ended up leading the Rams’ tight ends in targets and receptions, as Davis Allen had just one catch before exiting with a head injury, and Terrance Ferguson didn’t catch his only opportunity. Ferguson still seems like the tight end to roster going forward, but one could argue Higbee has the higher floor because he’ll see more snaps because of his blocking ability. That’s not a ringing endorsement, if it’s not obvious. The Rams will try and get it going against the Giants in Week 2.