LOS ANGELES — The Rams will need some extra time to determine who will be ready to play in Monday night’s game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Left tackle Alaric Jackson (knee) and defensive end Braden Fiske (ankle) will be listed as questionable for the Week 17 game. Receiver Davante Adams (hamstring) will be listed as doubtful, while right guard Kevin Dotson (ankle) and defensive back Josh Wallace (ankle) were ruled out by head coach Sean McVay on Saturday.
With Jackson and Fiske, McVay did not predict whether either would play but said the Rams (11-4) will use all the time they have to make that decision.
“I think questionable is a fair statement for those guys,” McVay said. “That’s the hope. I think it’s more likely than not that they will. But you just want to make sure that we’re using all the time. I think so, but it wouldn’t be something that would be crazy if they weren’t able to make it.”
Jackson injured the knee in last week’s overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks, twice going into the injury tent on the sidelines before finishing the game. Jackson was limited in Saturday’s practice after not participating earlier in the week.
“The good thing is that we do have time on our side, so optimistic that he’ll be ready to go. And if not, guys will be ready to step up,” McVay said, adding that D.J. Humphries would start at left tackle if Jackson isn’t ready come Monday.
While not ruled out officially, it appears Adams is poised to miss his second consecutive game after catching an NFL-leading 14 touchdowns through the first 14 games of the season.
Adams has not practiced since injuring his hamstring against the Lions in Week 15.
“He’s doing great, he’s making really good progress. I know he’s chomping at the bit to be able to get back out there,” McVay said. “Nobody wants to be out there more than him but if you saw his game-day demeanor during the Seahawks game and the way he was uplifting and elevating, I think he should take a ton of pride in the way that that group played as a whole because of a lot of the leadership that comes from him.”
McVay said Wallace’s ankle did not progress the way that the Rams’ medical team expected, and the team decided it would be best to hold him out against the Falcons (6-9). Wallace has stepped up at nickel corner during Quentin Lake’s stint on injured reserve.
But the Rams do expect to elevate Roger McCreary from injured reserve for the Falcons game. The Rams expected McCreary to provide depth at corner after acquiring him from the Titans in a mid-season trade.
“We’re excited to see what he can do,” Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. “It was unfortunate, we were expecting to have a big role for him in that Tampa game when he came back. … He’s going to use all that practice time and he’s been here a while now where he’s used to our system. Hopefully we can use that and figure out what he does best and put him in those positions.”
McVay also named Derion Kendrick as someone who could contribute in Wallace’s absence.