Rams Kicker Blake Grupe Hurts Knee on a Tackle in His L.A. Debut
Grupe nailed a 44-yarder, then wrecked his knee making a kickoff tackle. The Rams' kicking nightmare just got worse heading into Week 6.
Knee injury ends his debut after one kick; no timeline, no trust.
- Grupe hurt on kickoff tackle after a 44-yd FG
- Downgraded from doubtful to out on Sunday
- Career 81.9% on FGs (86-of-105), 98% on XPs
- Punter Ethan Evans now handling kicking duties
- Rams cut Harrison Mevis after Week 5
The Rams thought they'd solved their kicking mess. Blake Grupe, signed days earlier to replace the released Harrison Mevis, drilled a 44-yard field goal in the first quarter of his L.A. debut Sunday. Then he tried to play linebacker. Grupe lowered his shoulder to tackle returner Devin Duvernay on the ensuing kickoff, came down awkwardly, and was initially listed as doubtful before the team downgraded him to out with a knee injury.
That's one made kick before the night ended in a training-room visit. For a career 81.9% field-goal shooter (86-of-105) who's hit 98% of his extra points, it's a brutal way to open his Rams tenure — and it leaves Los Angeles right back in the kicking hole it just tried to climb out of.
The Scramble on the Sideline
With Grupe sidelined, the whole operation got reshuffled. Punter Ethan Evans took over kicking duties, with receiver Jordan Whittington reportedly working on holds along the sideline. But Sean McVay clearly didn't trust the setup: after Matthew Stafford hit Blake Corum for a 15-yard score, the Rams went for two (and missed), and later gambled on fourth-and-1 at the Arizona 27 rather than attempt a field goal — turning it over on downs.
This has been a season-long sore spot. Mevis botched both of his attempts in Monday's overtime loss to Buffalo, including a blocked game-winner, which is exactly what forced the switch to Grupe in the first place. Mevis scored just 29 PPR points across five games in 2026, trending 5.8 points below his own average over his final five outings. Now the guy brought in to fix it is on crutches.
The Fantasy Fallout
Grupe was our No. 1 kicker (No. 15 overall) coming off 112 PPR points over 16 games in 2025, so this stings for anyone who grabbed him off the wire. There's no return timeline, and Los Angeles may not even deploy a traditional kicker in the short term — Evans hasn't been asked to attempt one yet. That's a non-startable situation.
Drop Grupe if you're hurting for a roster spot; stash only if you have a deep bench and want to see the knee news. Don't bother with Evans in a kicker slot until the Rams actually let him swing. If you need points at the position this week, there are 31 more stable options. The upside here is McVay's offense remains fine — Corum (38 PPR points through five games in 2026) is the real Rams asset to watch, not whoever's handling the tee.
