Fantasy Football 2019 Team Previews: Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams
Must Own
Todd Gurley, RB (ADP: 13): The preseason will be massively important to determining a final judgment on Gurley’s draft value, but some of us don’t have the luxury of waiting. Gurley is, simply, the toughest case to decide on in fantasy. In the past two seasons he’s been unquestionably the top asset in fantasy football, scoring 40 rushing and receiving touchdowns, rushing for more than 1,200 yards twice and serving as an elite pass-catching back. He has no competition for carries when healthy, and he’s in one of the best offenses in football.
However, there’s no way around his alarming decrease in usage toward the end of last season, and into the playoffs. When the best RB in football is being out-touched by C.J. Anderson, that’s a major red flag. We don’t know for sure what is going on with Gurley’s knee, but the pervasive rumor is that he is arthritic, and that will mean limitations on his usage for the remainder of his career. Honestly, that makes the decision even tougher. There’s no timetable in which we know to avoid him before he’s back to himself. We have no idea how much the Rams will push the envelope with him; he could’ve been dealing with severe symptoms last winter that have subsided now. I’m comfortable drafting Gurley in Round 2. Even if he sees a usage dip, he’ll be the go-to guy in the red zone and he can contribute as a rusher and receiver. This ADP seems right, and if he falls further, I’m partial to viewing him as a value rather than a risk.
Robert Woods, WR (ADP: 38): Woods is the first of Los Angeles’ trio of fantasy relevant receivers off the board. He showed promise in his first year with the Rams, then blossomed into a fantasy stud last year, breaking out for 86 catches, 1,219 yards and six touchdowns. While Woods doesn’t have the big-play potential of teammate Brandin Cooks, or the supernova single-week performances, he is the best option in this receiving corps as it relates to consistency and target share. Woods racked up 60 yards or more in 14 of the Rams’ 16 games, and totaled at least five receptions 12 times. Woods is a WR1 in PPR formats, and a high-end WR2 at worst in any format. I love him at this ADP and won’t hate it if it rises.
Brandin Cooks, WR (ADP: 39): Cooks, Woods’ flashier teammate, is going one pick later. Cooks caught just six fewer passes, and posted near-identical yardage and touchdown numbers. The main difference between the two is how they arrive at their stellar numbers at season’s end. Cooks had five 100-yard or more games, but also more games in which he performed like a WR3 or worse. His down games were less frequent than in previous stops with the Saints and Patriots, likely because of the Rams’ ridiculous offense. Still, he’s prone to more extreme performances in either direction, so the choice between Cooks and Woods may just boil down to preference or your roster construction at that point in the draft. Either way both are great receivers. Personally, I prefer Woods.
Cooper Kupp, WR (ADP: 48): Kupp, coming off a torn ACL, is being drafted earlier than I expected. I’m a fan of Kupp, especially in this offense, but you’re certainly buying him at a point where he needs to be pretty close to his ceiling to justify this ADP. Kupp was averaging five catches and 70.8 yards per game at the time of his injury, and he’d already scored six touchdowns. This ADP is fine if you believe he will return to action without rust or increased risk of re-injury, as he seemed to become Jared Goff’s preferred option in the end zone. With that said, I’m not completely sold that he’ll be 100 percent based on how quickly he’s returning from a serious injury. I’d like to see him go a tad later, but if you like him this is an okay draft position. I absolutely prefer Woods and Cooks at their respective ADPs.
Jared Goff, QB (ADP: 94): Goff is getting some respect, going 11th off the board at his position. He lacks the flair of Aaron Rodgers or the two-way intrigue of Deshaun Watson, but when push comes to shove Goff can put up monster numbers. As McVay’s signal caller, Goff threw for 4,688 yards in 2018, tossing 32 touchdowns in the process and completing nearly 65% of his pass attempts. Expect those numbers to rise if you buy Gurley’s knee situation as a serious one, as they’ll lean even more on Goff and this elite receiving corps. Goff can even run a little bit too; he averaged 2.5 attempts per game, finishing with 108 yards and two scores on the ground. This is the area of the draft I’d be targeting for a high-upside QB, rather than paying up for Mahomes’ ceiling, or even paying handsomely for Andrew Luck or Rodgers.
Defense/Special Teams: Any D/ST with Aaron Donald in it is going to be fantasy-relevant, as he’s the best defensive player in the sport. This team could already get after the passer with Dante Fowler and Donald, and now they’ve added veteran Clay Matthews to the mix. The secondary has studs at CB – Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters – and they’ve made another major addition in S Eric Weddle. The Rams are loaded.
Fantasy Relevant
Darrell Henderson, RB (ADP: 93): Henderson is probably more of a handcuff, but his ADP is boosted because of the uncertainty shrouding Gurley. There’s a ton of hype for this rookie out of Memphis, and rightfully so, as he rushed for close to 2,000 yards and scored 25 touchdowns in his final collegiate season. Henderson can catch the ball, and looks the part of a three-down back, which he very well could be as soon as this season. I think this ADP is quite high for someone who could be a non-factor if Gurley is close to 100%, but he’s a must-own for anyone who drafts Gurley. For Gurley owners, this is no reach because Henderson has the potential to be a big deal with enough opportunity.
Handcuff(s)
Malcolm Brown, RB (ADP: 304): Brown is still here. I know right?! While we all lose our minds over Henderson, Brown could retain a central role in the Rams backfield if Gurley’s knee refuses to cooperate. One of the knocks on Henderson in his draft profile is a weakness in pass protection, which leaves the door open for Brown to be the guy on passing downs. This is all assuming Gurley is out of the picture due to injury. I can’t recommend any fantasy owner roster three running backs from a single team, but this is just another reason for non-Gurley owners to not overdraft Henderson.
Deep Sleepers
Josh Reynolds, WR (ADP: 262): Reynolds has talent, but even a McVay offense has limits to how many mouths it can feed. A team with an elite RB and three top-notch receivers is full to the brim, so if everyone’s healthy, Reynolds is going to have to subsist on scraps and/or garbage time. Reynolds did step up at times last year, though, after Kupp went down. He finished the season with 402 yards and five touchdowns. He can be a WR3/FLEX type if the injury bug bites this receiving corps.
Gerald Everett, TE (ADP: 286): Everett is a long shot because, as is the case with Reynolds, he’s unlikely to see enough targets to matter. He could be a useful matchup play though, because the raw talent is there. Everett hauled in 33 passes in 2018 and scored three touchdowns, and he’s presumably the top pass-catching tight end in the offense. The key is simply whether or not Goff will ever need to throw it to him.