Heading into Week 7, the wide receiver injury picture is being shaped by a few major names at the top of the board. Puka Nacua, DeVonta Smith and Christian Kirk all enter the weekend with uncertainty hanging over their statuses, while several other notable pass-catchers are already out or cleared to play.
The list of absences includes Rashee Rice, Emeka Egbuka, Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel, all of whom have been ruled out. On the other side, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Matthew Golden and Christian Watson have been taken off the injury report and are set for action.
Nacua’s week took a turn on Thursday, when he showed up on the injury report with a calf issue that surfaced in practice. Things didn’t get any cleaner on Friday, when he did not practice and was then listed as questionable.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport called the issue “more minor than anything else,” but “not precautionary,” which leaves his status in a fragile spot. With the Rams sitting at 2-4 and Davante Adams already sidelined, they need Nacua - but they also can’t afford to push him into a longer absence.
Based on how the week played out, he looks a little worse than 50/50 to suit up.
Smith’s situation is trending in the wrong direction as well. He returned last week, but a lingering hamstring issue kept him out of practice on both Thursday and Friday.
That’s a step back from his workload last week, when he logged one limited session and one full practice. The Eagles will release their final injury report on Saturday, but for now Smith looks like he’s headed toward questionable, at best.
Kirk is pushing toward a long-awaited debut for the 2026 San Francisco 49ers after missing the first six games with a calf injury that sent him to injured reserve. He put together three full practices this week and has been tagged questionable, though the expectation is that he’ll be activated Saturday and available Sunday. If that happens, he could be thrown right into a significant role, with Evans and Samuel both unavailable.
Dontayvion Wicks is dealing with an ankle injury he picked up in the Eagles’ Week 6 loss to the Panthers, and he has also been unable to practice through the first two days of the week. That’s not a great sign, though he still has Saturday to get in some work. Right now, he also looks headed toward questionable.
Tank Dell, meanwhile, appears ready for his long-awaited return after the catastrophic knee injury he suffered in 2024. He was a full participant all three days this week and was listed as questionable for Sunday, but he has already been confirmed as good to go.
In Other News...
Puka Nacuas Rams Future Suddenly Feels Far Less Certain
Puka Nacua has already become one of the defining young pieces in the Rams offense, but his long-term place in Los Angeles is suddenly coming into sharper focus for all the wrong reasons. The team is reportedly reconsidering whether to move forward with a contract extension for the wide receiver, a reflection of both his injury history and concerns about how much availability he can guarantee over time.
Nacua has missed multiple games this season, and the Rams are weighing the financial risk of a major commitment at a time when the roster is already under strain. With an aging core, a pile of pending free agents and more injuries to manage, Los Angeles may be inclined to wait before making a decision on one of its most important young players. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Need Kyren Williams And Blake Corum To Finally Get Rolling
The Rams head into Week 7 with a chance to lean into an area that has not always looked as sharp as Sean McVay would prefer. Against a Raiders defense that has struggled to stop the run, Los Angeles should have a real opening to feature Kyren Williams and Blake Corum more heavily and try to build a steadier ground game around them.
For a team dealing with injury issues, getting that part of the offense moving matters beyond just the matchup on paper. Williams and Corum are the backs most positioned to change the tone of this offense if the Rams can create consistent lanes, and this is the sort of game where they need to turn opportunity into something more than just a promising plan. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Face A Week 7 Matchup That Could Expose One Big Problem
Week 7 brings a matchup that should give the Rams a clearer read on where they really stand after six weeks, and the matchup card is crowded with issues worth watching. The quarterback comparison is part of it, but so are the injuries and availability questions on both sides, along with how each team stacks up in the trenches, on defense and in the kicking game.
For Los Angeles, this is the kind of game that can sharpen the picture of a roster still trying to show its best version across every phase. The Raiders present enough strength in a few spots to make the Rams earn it, and enough uncertainty elsewhere to keep the focus on whether Los Angeles can clean up the same recurring weakness before it turns into a bigger concern. [Read more 🡒]