Rams safety Russ Yeast ready if called upon against Lions

THOUSAND OAKS — As expected, Rams starting safety Jordan Fuller (ankle) was a non-participant in Wednesday’s walk-through practice as the team prepares for its playoff opener against the Detroit Lions on Sunday night.

Fuller, who aggravated the injury on the opening drive of last weekend’s victory over the San Francisco 49ers, is still considered day-to-day, head coach Sean McVay said.

“We’ll use all the time that we have, so really no further information on him right now,” McVay said.

Should Fuller, a team captain who was second on the team in tackles and first in interceptions this season, be unable to play against the Lions, the Rams will likely have to lean heavily on second-year safety Russ Yeast.

Yeast began the season as a starter alongside Fuller, only to see his role diminished as veteran John Johnson III began to see more snaps. But the Rams coaching staff told Yeast to stay ready even as moved into a complementary position.

“Just keeping my routine the same as it’s been all year, learning from the guys, from their mistakes and learning from my own mistakes,” Yeast said. “And just staying ready for the moment, preparing every day, watching film, practicing hard.”

He got an opportunity on Sunday when Fuller went down, and Yeast made the most of it. He matched his season-high with seven tackles and had two fourth-quarter pass breakups, one of the 49ers’ final drive to help the Rams preserve their 21-20 victory.

That performance provides a good boost for Yeast if he’s called upon to play a bigger role in the event that Fuller is limited or sidelined by his ankle.

“It does a lot,” Yeast said. “Me personally, I never lost confidence in myself or anything that I can do. It’s just momentum moving into the game. Hopefully Jordan gets back, but if I’m in that role, I’m confident just using the momentum from this game to go into it.”

Briefly

Offensive lineman Joe Noteboom (foot), linebacker Troy Reeder (knee) and offensive lineman Rob Havenstein (veteran rest day) did not practice on Wednesday. Tight end Tyler Higbee (shoulder) and offensive lineman Kevin Dotson (shoulder) were limited.