Two DNPs, one of them buried mid-answer. McVay tagged Trent McDuffie's groin as "a day at a time" and, in the same breath, confirmed Nate Landman is in the concussion protocol. That's the Rams' most-targeted corner and their leading tackler leaving the lineup in the same week — while the DraftKings line sits at -2.5 to -3 and the Super Bowl market holds between +700 (FanDuel) and +800 (DraftKings). Corner absences get priced as noise. So do linebacker absences. In this case both are wrong, for different reasons.
The McDuffie hedge is the tell
"Trent will be a DNP with his groin," McVay said, then: "evaluate his status as we go." Two hedges stacked — no participation, no timeline, no designation beyond the daily evaluation. Coaches who expect a player back volunteer the Friday plan; McVay didn't.
The production explains the caution. McDuffie has 16 tackles, one interception and seven pass breakups in five games, the seven PDs tied with Quentin Lake for the most on the roster. That's a corner the Rams have been willing to leave alone in coverage, and losing him changes which side of the formation gets tested.
The relevant tell is what McVay offered unprompted: "Josh Wallace and Colby Parkinson will both be full." Wallace is the contingency. He has 11 tackles, one interception and two pass breakups across five games, with that interception coming at Denver in Week 3 — a tackling-profile corner, not a coverage eraser. Jaylen Watson (11 tackles, one INT, five PD in four games) is the other body. For Las Vegas, the actionable side is the Raiders' boundary receivers drawing the softer matchup, not anything on the Rams' defensive props.
Landman's Monday detail compresses his clock
McVay's phrasing matters: "On Monday, kind of found out Landman landed in the concussion protocol." The protocol started before the practice week. That's a shorter runway to Sunday than a Wednesday entry, and McVay closed it with "he'll be on a DNP."
Landman has 41 tackles in five games — 13 against Buffalo, 10 at Philadelphia. He is the volume tackler, and volume tacklers are the ones whose absence shifts an opponent's run-game math and the underneath passing game. Omar Speights (22 tackles, two sacks) is next up, and his recent line is steady: five, six and five tackles in Weeks 2 through 4 before four in Week 5. Shaun Dolac (12 tackles) is the third body.
The fantasy read is IDP-specific and unglamorous: Speights inherits the tackle ceiling, and the Raiders' running back sees a lighter second level. Nothing in the -2.5/-3 at DraftKings reflects a defense missing its leading tackler.
The kicker non-answer is a real one
"Need a kicker. That's not something that we've talked about right now." That is not a denial — it's a coach declining to endorse the incumbent while confirming a workout: "brought a couple guys in and he did a good job... experienced vet." Blake Grupe was 18-of-26 (69.2%) for New Orleans last season. A staff that has already run kicker workouts in-season has modeled the alternative.
The implication isn't a kicking prop — there's no market listed here. It's game management. A coach without conviction in his kicker attempts fewer field goals and more fourth downs, which tilts the Rams' scoring distribution toward touchdowns and away from threes. That's a real, if small, input into how you play the number.
What to watch
Thursday's practice report is the whole story: a second straight McDuffie DNP converts the hedge into a designation, and the play becomes Las Vegas's outside receivers plus Speights in IDP formats. A limited Friday and the market's silence was correct all along.
Read the full transcript: Sean McVay Press Conference Transcript (2026-10-21)
