2024 Team Previews: Los Angeles Rams

Los Angeles Rams 2024 Preview

All ADP data is courtesy of Fantasy Pros.

** = target in drafts at this ADP

Top 120

Puka Nacua, WR (ADP: 14, WR8): Nacua was an absolute revelation as a rookie, who took the baton from an injured Cooper Kupp from Week 1 as the Rams WR1 and never let it go even after Kupp returned. Nacua’s not a traditionally dominant receiver; he didn’t excel on deep patterns, and wasn’t getting major separation down the field on nines and corner routes. He also was good, but not necessarily great vs. zone coverage, which many would have assumed since he took up Kupp’s ridiculous volume. When he saw 15 targets in Week 1, and then 20!!!!! in Week 2, untrained eyes said “he’s got the Kupp role.” He’s actually a different player than Kupp, which is why he can still justify his suddenly sky-high ADP with Kupp sharing the field.

Yes, Nacua was in the slot a ton when Kupp was out and he thrived on that crazy volume. But on the season, he only took 24.1% of his snaps from the inside, spending way  more time on the outside (64.5%) and 11.5% out of the backfield in motion. The stats fooled us into assuming he’s this slot-based, zone-beating darling, when, in fact, he is a dominant outside possession receiver who surpasses most of his peers in this archetype because he is a monster after the catch. Nacua’s not a player with elite speed and doesn’t kill teams vertically, and the Rams are wise enough to not force it. They spammed slants digs and curls in that order, and his success rates on those routes were 81.8%, 75.4% and 77.8%, respectively. The suddenness of his success can lend to a perception that he’s now being overvalued, and that the production was fluky and based on Kupp not being there early on. The truth is that while Puka’s not the prototype outside receiver who delivers fantasy success, he is an incredibly talented player whose role is perfectly suited to an elite offense. Having Kupp in the mix all year can definitely reduce his volume to a degree, but this passing game is going to be so concentrated between the two of them that his numbers won’t suffer. Nacua’s a fine pick here.

**Kyren Williams, RB (ADP: 16, RB8): After doing basically nothing as a rookie, Williams erupted out of the gate when we all thought Cam Akers was due for a huge volume season. He missed some time last season, but per game, the only RB better than Williams was Christian McCaffery, and it wasn’t by much. On a per game basis, Williams was closer to CMC than the No. 3 RB, Raheem Mostert, was to him, and Mostert scored 21 touchdowns. Williams posted 1,350 yards from scrimmage and proved to be a true dual threat workhorse, a breed which is dying in modern football. He was a trusted option when the Rams were in close; they were ninth in the NFL in rushing attempts inside the 10-yard line (52), and a whopping 32 of them were Williams.

Like Nacua, the success was so jarring and out of nowhere that his current ADP feels frightening, as if you might be buying fool’s gold. The Rams’ selection of standout Michigan RB Blake Corum in the draft doesn’t set anyone at ease either. But Williams isn’t a big back, and he did get hurt last season, so Corum’s presence could definitely just be an insurance policy and a way to get Williams breathers. It’s slightly concerning, but after he was so efficient and effective in 2023, this ADP actually seems like a very good value.

**Cooper Kupp, WR (ADP: 33, WR17): Kupp’s been banished from the elite class of WRs by fantasy managers after injuries derailed the past two seasons to some degree, but has he now become a screaming value? Kupp has still been a very productive player when on the field, but last season showed some hints of decline and new streakiness. He returned in Week 5 and played in 12 games last season. In four of them, Kupp went for more than 110 yards, scoring in three of those games. That’s prime Kupp, as each of those games included 7+ receptions, and at least eight targets. He also had 52 yards or fewer in all eight of his other games, which was decidedly un-Kupp like.

The truth is that Kupp showed real decline last year as a man-beater, falling to the 35th percentile (65.2%) vs. man coverage, with legit bad success rates on nines, posts and digs, as well as diminished success on slants (72.6%), which had been his bread and butter. Kupp continued to shred zone coverage though, and with Nacua proving that he can absolutely hack it on the outside, we should expect to see Kupp really monopolizing slot reps and playing the flanker when they have two-receiver sets. This means that depending on the defense they’re facing, we should still see those vintage, week-winning Kupp performances, but we can also expect some lower output games. Some will go into their drafts not knowing whether or not Nacua or Kupp is the true WR1. I think it’s fairly clear that going forward, Nacua is the primary option, but Kupp can definitely be the better value in 2024.      

Fantasy Relevant (120-150 ADP)

Blake Corum, RB (ADP: 119, RB41): I am a big fan of Corum as a fantasy stash this season, because as high as I am on Williams, his injury potential is high and if an injury occurs, Corum seems poised to walk directly into a huge role. Being a bell cow for a Sean McVay offense is a plum position for fantasy production, and Corum has shown in college that he’s built for big workloads.

At Michigan, he was the workhorse for the Wolverines, logging 247 and 258 carries as a junior and senior, and topping 1,500 and 1,300 yards from scrimmage, respectively in those seasons. He also scored 19 touchdowns as a junior, and an absurd 28 touchdowns as a senior. He’s built like Kyren Williams, plays like Kyren Williams and has the durability and goal line chops to walk right into a leading role if called upon. The biggest issue for Corum’s value is simply that Williams is one of the best RBs in football, and McVay has a tendency to ride one RB when that  RB is quality. I’m not a big proponent of handcuffing RBs, but if you spend big on Williams, I’d absolutely make drafting Corum a priority.

Matthew Stafford, QB (ADP: 143, QB20): Stafford is one of the best real life QBs in football, but despite being in a Sean McVay offense with two elite receivers, he simply doesn’t rate as a difference-maker on a weekly basis. Yardage is no issue for Stafford, but he’s only thrown for 40+ TDs twice in his 15-year career, and has failed to even reach 30 TDs in seven of his last eight seasons. Stafford is a very high-end streaming option for plush matchups, and he can serve as a steady hand if you want to take a big swing at a risky option like Jayden Daniels at QB, but beyond this his primary value is supporting the Rams’ elite skill players.

Favorite Deep Sleeper

Demarcus Robinson, WR (ADP: 267, WR84): This offense is so heavily funneled through Nacua, Williams and Kupp that there’s barely any room for anyone else. Robinson is not likely to be a fantasy mainstay, but he has had success in bursts at the NFL level, and he’d become a featured option if Nacua or Kupp went down with an injury. He did have a stretch from Weeks 13-16 in which he scored in four straight games, and put up 80+ yards on six receptions in back-to-back games in Week 15 and 16. He can be rostered in very deep leagues – think 14-team, 3-WR type formats – but aside from that, he can be ignored on Draft Day. Just remember him if there’s an injury to one of LA’s big two.

Deep Cuts (150 & later)

Tyler Higbee, TE (ADP: N/A): Higbee is coming back from an ugly knee injury and is all but certain to begin the season on PUP. He’s not draftable, but he’s on here because when he returns, he will be a part of this offense. Higbee has spent several seasons as a player who blows up from time to time, tricking managers into adding him and then disappointing. That hasn’t changed, but he will be a streaming option when he’s healthy again.

Tutu Atwell, WR (ADP: N/A): Atwell’s just too small and one-dimensional to be a real fantasy option on a consistent basis, but he has shown explosive potential, and like Robinson, he can put up numbers if Nacua or Kupp missed time. Unlike Robinson though, Atwell’s floor in any given week is a zero, even if Nacua or Kupp don’t see the field. Robinson would be much safer in that universe and that’s why he’s preferred to Atwell.