Rams declared WR Danario Alexander, TE Michael Hoomanawanui, WR Austin Pettis, S Jermale Hines, DE Robert Quinn, LB Jabara Williams and G Tony Wragge inactive for Sunday's opener against the Eagles.

Hoomanawanui's absence could mean a big first week for rookie Lance Kendricks. Alexander apparently couldn't get his left knee loose, and if this is the first of string of inactives, it's hard to believe he'll be long for the Rams roster. Quinn's absence comes as a big surprise, as the No. 14 overall pick is not believed to have missed any practices.

Danario Alexander's troublesome left knee "never will get better," according to Rams' head trainer Reggie Scott.

It's why Alexander opted against a sixth operation during training camp. "He does have a lot of degenerative changes," Scott said. "That means things over time, wear and tear, that are not going to change. So we're trying to maintain what we have." Alexander remains an intriguing talent, but the odds he ever stays healthy enough to become a truly relevant fantasy player are low.

Danario Alexander made the Rams' final roster.

Despite persistent left knee woes, Alexander was kept over Donnie Avery and Mardy Gilyard. The Rams see Alexander's potential as a playmaker if he can ever sustain healthy and don't want to give up on him just yet. Fantasy owners should be monitoring Alexander's progress as a possible in-season waiver add.

ESPN's Mike Sando considers Danario Alexander the least likely receiver to make the Rams' roster in a battle with Mardy Gilyard and Donnie Avery.

The Rams simply can't trust Alexander to stay healthy, and Sando expects St. Louis to keep rookies Austin Pettis and Greg Salas despite their slow camps. Were the Rams to waive Alexander, his potential might be enough to convince another team he's worth a waiver claim. Ideally, the Rams could stash Alexander on injured reserve, but he'd have to be waived/injured first.

Danario Alexander has opted against another clean-up procedure on his troublesome left knee.

It would have been the sixth known surgery on the knee. Though Alexander's MRI revealed no further damage, he's dealing with "chronic swelling" this year. Coach Steve Spagnuolo called DX "one tough sucker," noting that the receiver wants to play through the pain. We'll see if he gets that chance in a Rams uniform this year.

Danario Alexander was back on the practice field Tuesday after an MRI on his left knee came up negative.

It's a positive sign for DX, but he's fallen behind in the wide receiver derby after dealing with swelling off and on throughout camp. It's still not a sure bet that he'll be on the roster in Week 1.

The MRI on Danario Alexander's left knee showed no further damage.

It sounds like a positive prognosis, but Alexander's inability to get to 100 percent is troubling. "It's not that anything happened; it's just that it feels funny to him and we want to make sure we're not dealing with anything serious," coach Steve Spagnuolo said. "It's a tough situation." We are removing the talented Alexander from all flier lists.

Danario Alexander underwent an MRI on his five-times surgically repaired knee Monday.

The MRI was announced by the team. The fact that Alexander can't get over the hump with the same knee makes us think he'll eventually need to either 1) Take an extended period off from football, or 2) Need a more extensive knee surgery. At this point, we'd be a bit surprised if he made the Rams' roster.

Danario Alexander is "rallying a bit" during the Rams' third week of training camp.

Alexander missed a couple days last week as fluid built up in his troublesome knees. But he's back now and earning compliments from coach Steve Spagnuolo. "He's battling," Spagnuolo said. "I give him credit. He works his butt off. He wants to be out there for every rep." If Alexander can sustain health, he'll be worth a flier in deeper fantasy formats.

Danario Alexander was forced to sit out several days of practice recently due to swelling in his left knee.

Alexander was back in practice Tuesday, but it's a reminder that knee problems are going to hang over his head. "It's my first time going through a (full) training camp. So it's just a lot of pounding and stuff like that - it just swells up on me a little bit," Alexander said. If healthy, he has the potential to be the best receiver on the Rams and he remains a worthwhile flier in all fantasy formats.

Danario Alexander and Brandon Gibson are working as the first-team receivers early in Rams camp.

Beat writer Jim Thomas cautions not to read too much into this, but it's notable that Alexander and Gibson are getting the first crack. We suspect Alexander has a better chance to hold onto a starting job than Gibson, whose 2010 tape couldn't have impressed Josh McDaniels much. Alexander has the potential to be a big-time, go-to receiver if his knees stay healthy.

According to 101 ESPN St. Louis' Tony Softli, Danario Alexander has been "dragging that leg" in Rams player-organized offseason workouts.

Softli is referring to Alexander's five-times surgically repaired left knee. "That really bothers me, that scares me," Softli said. Softli also noted that Alexander "hasn't changed his physique," leading him to "doubt he even lifted a weight during the offseason." Alexander has the best receiver skill set on the Rams, but this is more reason to believe he's not ready for a true breakout.

Danario Alexander insists his surgically repaired left knee has improved significantly this offseason.

"Watching him go through wide receiver drills and just getting off the line, he looks much quicker, looks much faster, much more explosive than he did in the (2010) season," Sam Bradford said. After five surgeries, another setback wouldn't be shocking. If he stays healthy, though, Alexander should be guaranteed a significant offensive role this season.

Danario Alexander's troublesome left knee has given him no problems of late.

The knee, which has been operated on five times, has remained healthy all offseason, allowing Alexander to focus on getting ready to play in 2011 as opposed to rehabbing. He flashed the ability to stretch the field last season that he had at the University of Missouri, but appeared in parts of only eight games. He's a poor bet to remain healthy and productive for fantasy owners next season.

Danario Alexander gushed over his new offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels.

McDaniels' arrival is certainly good news for the entire Rams passing game and Alexander knows it. "The guys like Randy Moss and Brandon Lloyd, the success that they've had in the offense that we're in, it makes your eyes light up," Alexander said. We'll see what kind of talent the Rams add to the position, but DX will certainly be an upside pick in fantasy next season.

Rams GM Billy Devaney thinks Danario Alexander will be "100 times better" after being able to go through through OTAs, minicamps and training camp.

"Listen, he needs work," Devaney said. "There's no question. Route refinement. We all know he's got a ton of ability. So this offseason will be great for him." DX showed flashes of his vast potential in his rookie year despite not being signed until late August. There's big upside here if he can manage to stay healthy, and bringing in a creative offensive coordinator like Josh McDaniels couldn't hurt.

Danario Alexander caught three passes for 14 yards in the Week 17 loss to the Seahawks.

Alexander had a crucial drop in the fourth quarter, as Sam Bradford threw a perfect deep ball to him that simply went right through DX's arms. He also had another drop on the sideline that would have gone for a first down. On the bright side, Alexander played more snaps was featured more the last two weeks than he has been all season. He represents the team's best current big-play threat, though Donnie Avery will be back next year and the Rams are sure to go after a No. 1 receiver.

The Rams are undefeated in the three games in which Danario Alexander has caught at least four passes.

"We feel good when he's on the field," a smiling offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said. Alexander said his knee, surgically repaired five times, feels better than it has in a long time. He's coming off a season-high 43 snaps in Week 16, and he's expected to be heavily involved again this week at Seattle.

Danario Alexander was on the field for 43 of the Rams' 66 offensive snaps Sunday.

His previous high had been 30, which he set the previous week against the Chiefs. As the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Bill Coats points out, the Rams are 4-3 in games where Alexander has appeared and 3-0 in games where he's had a major role. The undrafted rookie has proven to be a legit playmaker when given the snaps.

The Rams used four receivers on at least 20 snaps in their Week 16 win over the 49ers.

"We were saving it," coach Steve Spagnuolo said. "It's Christmas, so we sprung it out there." The formations allowed Danario Alexander to play his most snaps all season, and he exploded for 99 yards on six catches. "I loved it," added Sam Bradford, who often played with four receivers at Oklahoma. "We could catch them in their base personnel, which gave us some matchups that we really liked. ... We had some great matchups in the slot."