2023 Team Previews: Los Angeles Rams

Los Angeles Rams Fantasy Preview 2023

All ADP data is courtesy of Fantasy Pros.

** = target in drafts at this ADP

Top 120

Cooper Kupp, WR (ADP: 6): Kupp doesn’t need much said about him, but because the Rams have become a pretty barren source of fantasy points, we can go a little deeper. As a Top 5 pick and the WR3 off the board, he’s getting respect. But why isn’t he the WR1? Sure Justin Jefferson is more physically impressive, and he might just be the best receiver in football. But per game, guess who was the WR1 last year? Kupp, and that was coming off a Triple Crown season in 2021 where he was easily the best player in fantasy football and nearly won the real-life MVP. Kupp had fallen off his 2021 pace and was still averaged eight receptions and 90.2 yards per game, with seven total touchdowns in nine games. I’ll restate constantly that touchdowns are fickle, but not with Kupp. At least not since Matthew Stafford became the Rams QB, which, he still is.

Kupp is very good vs. man coverage, posting a 70.6% success rate, but he’s a damn Terminator vs. zones (87.3% success). He’s an amazing slot receiver, but it’s clear that the creativity of Sean McVay, and the trust he has in his QB, have unlocked all types of unique ways to deploy Kupp and get him the football. Per Reception Perception, Kupp only lined up in the slot 46.6% of the time in 2022 and was in the backfield 11%. His is why Kupp can be trusted to absolutely dominate event though he’s pretty much the only skill player on this team that anyone has to worry about. First, he beat double teams 56.8% of the time, so good luck. Second, it’s not easy to plan on doubling someone all game when you can’t predict where they’ll be.

Lastly, on the rare occasion that a DB does have Kupp reasonably covered, he won 83.3% of his contested catch opportunities and only dropped 2.1% of his targets. This is an absolutely amazing player, and nothing besides injury is going to stop him from having his way with any opposing secondary.

**Cam Akers, RB (ADP: 55): It got weird with Akers last year. Coming off an injury, he was fed the ball and for the first several weeks he just…sucked. He scored only one touchdown, broke 60 yards once through five games and then it looked like he’d never play for the Rams again. He was inactive for the next two games, returned to light volume in Weeks 9 and 10 and we all wrote him off. How could you not?

From Week 10-Week 18 he averaged 15.8 carries per game, averaging 76.3 yards, 4.8 yards per attempt, and he scored six times. To isolate further, in Weeks 16-18 he averaged 21 carries, 115 yards and scored three touchdowns in one game vs. Denver. For the back half of the season this player, who wanted out, and whose team appeared to try hard to accommodate it, looked very much like the highly ranked player we all were hyped about as a rookie. He finished as a Top 15 RB per PFF, and he enters 2023 as a clear-cut leader of this backfield for a team with precious few capable options elsewhere. Catching the football is not something he’s ever done as an NFL player, so maybe that caps his ceiling just below elite, but if he sees the volume it looks like he will it’d be hard for him not to finish as a strong RB2. He’s currently going as the RB21, so there is certainly potential for him to provide value and beat this ADP.

Fantasy Relevant (121-200 ADP)

Tyler Higbee, TE (ADP: 158): Higbee’s a perennial tease, a guy who looks amazing one week and is capable of completely goosing you the next. He’s never going to change, and if the narrative of “Who else besides Kupp will Stafford throw to?” is brought up, nod politely, smile and continue to ignore Higbee in drafts.

**Matthew Stafford, QB (ADP: 181): Stafford is very interesting, because he’s older (35) and has a long injury history, but he’s also one year removed from throwing 41 touchdowns, 4,886 yards and winning a Super Bowl. If Stafford plays 2023 and his healthy all year, the chances of him finishing as the QB26 are microscopic. This ADP is building in missed games, and I simply don’t like doing that. Even healthy, his lack of rushing would depress his ADP. It’s very hard to imagine Stafford and Kupp not producing fireworks, and the threat of Kupp all over the field not opening up opportunities for his lesser teammates. 41 touchdowns would be a stretch, but give me him over, say, Jordan Love or C.J. Stroud.

Deep Cuts (200 & later)

**Van Jefferson, WR (ADP: 218): Jefferson is now a clear-cut WR2 for this offense. There’s no Allen Robinson or Robert Woods anymore, and Odell Beckham is a memory. Jefferson wasn’t special last year, and has never put up big numbers, but he’s rarely just had a solidified role all to himself. He has averaged 15 yards per catch in his career, and that downfield prowess should complement Kupp well who ravages secondaries in short and intermediate range. His middling PFF grades tell a bit of a different story than his 15.2% WR DVOA and 100 Defensive Yards Above Replacement. If you believe in McVay, then Jefferson is well worth a dart throw at this ADP.

Kyren Williams, RB (ADP: 263): Williams didn’t have a chance to do much last season, but with Darrell Henderson gone he’s the next man up to back up Akers. Chances are Akers will be among the league leaders in carries, so Williams won’t have much value. But he looks like an obvious handcuff at this point unless the Rams snap up one of the veteran RBs lurking on the free agent market.

 

 

Raimundo Ortiz