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Atwell

This will be Atwell’s first time playing for a team other than the Rams, who drafted him in the 2021 NFL Draft’s second round. Atwell spent time on injured reserve last season, dealing with a hamstring injury. Although he is unlikely to be a full-time, fantasy-relevant player with the Dolphins, his speed will help stretch the field.

Atwell is again a healthy scratch for the playoffs. The Rams did not have a player listed on their final injury report for the week and enter a tough road environment at near full strength as they look to win their third conference championship game under Sean McVay.

Typically a valuable, role-playing field stretcher, Atwell just hasn’t been able to crack the Rams’ loaded skill corps rotation this season. Now 26 years old, it’s possible healthy-scratched Atwell has played his final game for the Rams as he heads to free agency this spring.

Atwell has been back at practice for a few weeks and is finally ready to return to action. He will play a part-time role on offense unless something happens to Puka Nacua or Davante Adams.

Atwell remains on injured reserve despite practicing fully for two weeks. The team evidently feels comfortable with their current wide receiver corps, and we can’t really blame them. Still, keeping Atwell’s downfield speed on injured reserve rather than wielding it on occasional shot plays is surprising. It remains to be seen whether he will return for Week 15 against the Lions.

Atwell surprisingly carried no injury status for Week 13, but was not activated from injured reserve. Xavier Smith, who returns kicks, was up and managed a 3/83 day in Atwell’s absence. It doesn’t sound like the Rams are all that fussed about the $10 million Atwell getting back. He’s droppable in all but the deepest fantasy leagues based on this update.

We expect the team to announce his official activation from injured reserve soon. The speedy wide receiver practiced fully all week, so he should be ready for his typical snap share. The volatile fantasy producer cannot be counted on for FLEX value, but all it takes is one play. A classic boom-bust deep threat.

Atwell practiced fully yesterday as well, putting him on track to return from injured reserve in Week 13 against the Panthers. The downfield wide receiver relies on big plays, making him a highly volatile FLEX option.

This came just moments after McVay announced that the Rams will open Atwell’s 21-day practice window this week. Atwell was placed on injured reserve after attempting to play through his hamstring injury in Week 8, but it sounds like the team doesn’t expect him to need to miss more than the four-game minimum before returning. Atwell has caught just four passes for 164 yards and one touchdown this season and can be left on waivers for the time being.

Atwell’s absence led McVay to creatively feature tight ends in the passing game. As things currently stand, only two Rams wide receivers, Puka Nacua (85) and Davante Adams (84) have more than 17 targets. The tight end unit accounts for 73. McVay will surely continue using his newfound, hefty personnel tactics, but Atwell’s return adds a speedy wrinkle to the offense. He can be rostered by wide receiver-needy managers, but he will only be a volatile, big-play-dependent FLEX option when he retakes the field.