From now till Thursday, September 1 — the day of the final preseason games — FantasyLabs is releasing our 2016 team previews: 32 previews in 32 days. Are you ready for some football?
Los Angeles Rams Team Preview
Regardless of whether the franchise was returning to Los Angeles or not, the Rams had six reasons to trade all of their assets in exchange for the pick that would lead to Jared Goff: Sam Bradford, Nick Foles, Kellen Clemens, Austin Davis, Shaun Hill, and Case Keenum. Those six play-callers have had a hand in the Rams’ 27-36-1 record over the last four seasons.
With Todd Gurley, Tavon Austin, Aaron Donald, and Robert Quinn, the Rams certainly don’t lack talent to compete in the loaded NFC West. If their defense can once again finish top-10 against both the run and the pass (per Football Outsiders’ Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average), the Rams — and stop me if you’ve heard this before — will be a developed-quarterback shy of being seen as serious contenders.
Quarterbacks
Case Keenum
In five starts for the Rams last season, Keenum averaged 7.77 DraftKings points, 49th among quarterbacks. He managed to limit turnovers, tossing only one interception in that time, but even that skill likely won’t be able to save his starting job with Jared Goff lurking this year. Keenum will start 2016 as Los Angeles’ No. 1 quarterback, but with no upside and clear issues passing against the blitz, don’t expect many starts before 2016’s No. 1 overall pick gets the nod.
Jared Goff
After watching season after season of the QBs mentioned above, the Rams finally gave in this year and went after a QB. Only a few days prior to April’s NFL draft, the Rams shipped the 15th-overall pick, two second-round picks, a third-round pick, and their first- and third-rounders in 2017 to the Titans in order to move up and take Goff No. 1 overall.
As a native of California, Goff became the University of Cal’s first-ever freshman starter on opening weekend in 2013, setting school records in passing attempts (531), passing completions (320), and passing yards (3,508) that first season. Over the next two seasons, Goff piled up 8,687 passing yards and 78 touchdowns, capping off his junior year with a 64.5 percent completion rate. He may not be the Rams’ No. 1 quarterback right now, but he will be soon enough. Of course, starting a rookie QB will definitely affect the rest of the offense and fantasy-relevant skill players.
Running Backs
Todd Gurley
Gurley’s rookie campaign started slow: He missed the first two weeks of 2015 while rehabbing from reconstructive knee surgery performed in the offseason, and then received only seven touches on 14 snaps in his debut in Week 3. However, over the next 12 games he averaged 20.3 touches, 4.8 yards per carry, and finished with the third-most rushing yards in the league (1,106). Only Devonta Freeman (22.28), Arian Foster (19.5), and Le’Veon Bell (18.8) averaged more DraftKings points per game in that span.
Gurley noticeably wore down (or was run into the ground, perhaps) in his rookie campaign. Once the rookie dipped his toes into the water in Week 3, head coach Jeff Fisher wasted no time to fully immerse him, handing him an average of 22 carries between Weeks 4 through 8. Gurley responded with 566 rushing yards and an average of 6.4 YPC.
Whether it was injury, his massive workload, or all the above, Gurley ran for only 531 yards over the next eight games, averaging a much-worse 3.9 YPC.
Gurley’s 2016 outlook likely falls somewhere in between his highs and lows of last season. With no notable competition behind him and Fisher’s refusal to venture away from running the ball, Gurley is yet again an option with upside no matter where he’s priced.
Benny Cunningham
Gurley accounted for 66 percent of the Rams’ running back carries, leaving little room for anyone else to be involved. Still, Cunningham found his way onto the field in 71.3 percent of the Rams’ third-down plays, which was fifth-most in the league among RBs (per NFL.com’s Matt Harmon). Cunningham additionally had the third- and fourth-most targets on the team in the last two years, respectively. Cunningham has Bilal Powell-like value in the Rams’ passing game if Gurley misses any time, but Malcolm Brown would likely lead the team in carries if that happened.
Malcolm Brown
Brown is best deployed as a finisher, as he lacks the sort of explosiveness seen from Gurley or even Cunningham. Fortunately, he’ll be used sparingly. He is a tremendous blocker and the perfect complement to Cunningham’s straight-line speed. If Gurley misses any time, Brown would have limited value as a goal-line runner.
Wide Receivers
Tavon Austin
The Rams extended Austin’s contract this offseason, signing the fourth-year wideout to a new four-year, $42-million dollar deal. Fisher said the team would like to get Austin 100 catches this season, lofty expectations for someone whose career-high in a season is 52 receptions. In games that Gurley started, however, Austin averaged 9.09 YPC and 9.99 yards per reception. In three games without Gurley, Austin averaged 6.25 YPC and 6.83 YPR. His totals haven’t been mind-blowing by any means, but he showed positive strides with the former Georgia back in the lineup. He is best used as a tournament option this year, as he’s mostly dependent on touchdowns and yards after the catch. He does have double-dip potential (getting touchdown points for both the D/ST and returner) because of his special teams role.
Kenny Britt
Since joining the Rams in 2014, Britt has managed to play 16 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in his career. He led the team in receiving both years. Only turning 28 this season, it’s still plausible that Britt has a ceiling the league has yet to see. With a competent quarterback and slightly more reps, it’s anyone’s guess whether the former Titan could actually be a fantasy asset. For the time being, he’ll continue to play second fiddle to Austin on a team that finished with the slowest pace in 2015.
Brian Quick
The oft-injured possession receiver has been quite disappointing in the last two years, mustering only 35 catches in 20 games. Quick will compete for the No. 3 wideout role, but rookie Pharoh Cooper could overtake him at some point this season.
Pharoh Cooper
Cooper was selected by the Rams in the fourth round of April’s 2016 NFL Draft. At South Carolina, Cooper received Freshman All-SEC honors in 2013 despite receiving only 23 touches. Unleashed the following year, Cooper hauled in 69 catches for 1,136 yards and 11 total scores as a sophomore. He posted similar numbers in his junior campaign, finishing with 1,084 yards and nine touchdowns from scrimmage. Cooper is only 5’11” and posted a less-than-stellar 4.63 40-yard dash at the combine; he is an eternal slot receiver. Whether he has any chemistry with Goff is another story.
Tight Ends
Lance Kendricks
Kendricks averaged 2.6 targets, 1.8 receptions, and 16.5 receiving yards per game in his three seasons behind Jared Cook, now with the Green Bay Packers. Even in his best year — 519 yards and four touchdowns in 2012 — Kendricks notably recorded 22.9 percent of his whole-season yardage total in Week 15 against the Buccaneers. Many still believe he has untapped potential and could showcase his athleticism with more reps and a better quarterback. Whether that’s true or not will be proven once Goff is named starter. For the time being, if Kendricks can win the job outright from Tyler Higbee, note that the Rams tight ends combined for a 27 percent target share from Keenum last season.
Tyler Higbee
Higbee, the Rams’ fourth-round pick in 2016, is all that stands in Kendricks’ way of becoming the No. 1 tight end. Unfortunately for Kendricks, Higbee is taller (6’6” to be exact) and fresh off of a mammoth season in which he hauled in eight scores in nine games at Western Kentucky. Higbee flashed some of that wide-receiver-turned-tight-end athleticism in his first preseason game when he recorded five receptions for 49 yards. Whichever tight end develops a rapport with Goff will be worth monitoring in fantasy this year.
Two-Minute Warning
As head coach of the Rams, Jeff Fisher has led his team to records of 7-8-1, 7-9, 6-10, and 7-9 in the last four seasons. Despite transcendent talents on both sides of the ball, their 7.5 win total in 2016 seems like a stretch. Also, their schedule isn’t easy. Outside of playing in the brutal NFC West, Los Angeles is forced to travel to New Orleans and New England, and additionally hosts Carolina in Week 9. Gurley’s volume is safe as long as Fisher keeps his job, but if the Rams struggle out of the gates, expect a change in their staff and philosophy by the time the bye week rolls around. By the time Goff starts, the Dodgers could be the only team in Los Angeles competing in games that matter.
