Rams Kicker Grupe Hurt in Loss: Survivor Read on LAR

Rams lose their kicker — and the game

Blake Grupe, signed by the Rams just this week, left with a knee injury after trying to make a tackle on a kickoff return. That exit forced punter Ethan Evans into emergency duty, including a go-ahead extra point, as the only kicking option left on the roster. Los Angeles still dropped the game to the Cardinals.

It's a reminder that special-teams chaos can swing a close game — and that's exactly the kind of variance survivor players want to avoid.

Survivor-pick impact on the Rams

Despite the loss and the kicker question, the Rams line up as favorites in each of the next three weeks: -8.5 at Las Vegas in Week 7, -3.5 at home against the Chargers in Week 8, and -5.5 at Washington in Week 9. The Week 7 trip to Vegas is the cleanest of the three and a defensible survivor pick if you still have LAR available — a healthy kicking situation would make it stronger, so keep an eye on Grupe's status and whether the Rams add depth.

The Week 8 home game against the Chargers is a coin-flip spread at -3.5 — too thin for a survivor stake. On the other side, Arizona just beat the Rams but turns into a double-digit road underdog at Dallas in Week 8, so the Cardinals aren't a pick to lean on either. Save LAR for the matchup where the number is biggest and the special-teams picture is settled. For more on building out your season, see our NFL survivor pool picks.