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Player Outlooks (2024)
QB Matthew Stafford: Since throwing for 41 touchdowns in his first season with the Rams, Stafford has disappointed with a 12-12 record and 34:19 touchdown-interception ratio over the past two years—which has seemed to prevent Los Angeles from committing to him with guaranteed money beyond 2024. That could change over the next couple of months, but if not, Stafford just needs to play like he did down the stretch last year when he threw for 296.0 yards per game with 17 touchdowns and three interceptions over the final seven outings (including playoffs). Consider him a mid-range QB2 that could be a steal in Sean McVay’s offense if everything goes right.
QB Jimmy Garoppolo: Garoppolo has a 43-20 career record and would be in a tremendous spot with the Rams if he’s forced into action—as the system and playmakers both fit his skillset. With the 49ers, Jimmy G had a per-17-game average of 4,056 passing yards, and he’d thrive attacking the short and intermediate levels with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.
RB Kyren Williams: We highlighted Williams last season as a player that could emerge for a gritty Los Angeles team, but he blew past even the highest of expectations as the Rams leaned on him heavily in 2023. Essentially, Williams became “McCaffrey Lite” for Sean McVay’s offense, and a broken hand that resulted in four missed games is the only thing that remotely slowed him down—and even that didn’t last with him scoring 35.4 fantasy points upon his return and following it up with point totals of 18.7, 12.8, 22.0, 16.4, and 29.1 to close out the year. Durability is the only real question mark, but he’s too good to not be considered as a late first-round selection in all formats.
RB Blake Corum: You would be hard pressed to find a more productive college back than Corum, as he was a complete touchdown machine for Michigan with 59 scores over the past three years—including a whopping 28 total touchdowns last season as the Wolverines won their first national title since 1997. Whether it’s near the end zone or deep inside his own territory, Corum routinely blasts through the hole at full force, and he packs a punch at five-foot-eight, 205 pounds, which could make him a threat for goal-line carries as a rookie. There should be weekly standalone value if he gets some short-yardage work, and Corum is a top handcuff.
RBs Boston Scott and Ronnie Rivers: Los Angeles had said that Scott’s ability as a kick returner was appealing to them with the new kickoff rules in place, but he’s another smaller runner that plays bigger than his size. We’ll see if the former Eagle can beat out Ronnie Rivers for the No. 3 job after Rivers was the preferred backup to Kyren Williams when healthy in 2023.
WR Puka Nacua: An out-of-this-world rookie season for Nacua puts him comfortably in the WR1 ranks heading into Year 2, and being in Sean McVay’s offense makes him a very safe selection early in fantasy drafts. The only slight concern for putting him higher than this is the numbers declining with Cooper Kupp in the lineup (13.2 fantasy points per game, which would have made him more of a borderline WR1/WR2), but Nacua was just a rookie—and LA played through him in the playoff loss with nine receptions for 181 yards and a score. The combination of strength, intelligence, toughness, and craftiness makes Nacua an excellent target in the second round.
WR Cooper Kupp: Since one of the greatest receiving seasons of all-time with a 145/1,947/16 line in 2021, Kupp has appeared in 21-of-34 games over the past two years, and he’s now entering his age-31 campaign after the production—which remained high in 2022—fell off dramatically when on the field last season. The optimistic view would be that Kupp can return to glory with Puka Nacua drawing attention from opponents, and he started his 2023 season with lines of 8/118 and 7/148/1 before the inconsistency started to kick in while perhaps not quite being himself. On the other hand, the days of Matthew Stafford completely locking onto Kupp are over with Nacua on the team, and the peak of 114.5 receiving yards per game was nearly cut in half (61.4) last season.
WR Demarcus Robinson: Robinson came on in a big way for Los Angeles down the stretch last year, and the level of consistency he showed was remarkable with fantasy-point totals of 13.5, 12.1, 13.7, 17.2, and 10.2 from Week 13 through Week 17. The production came with both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua in the lineup for LA, so remaining a crucial part of the offense is realistic for a guy that once had a game with 172 yards and two touchdowns (with the Chiefs). We might see the Rams rely more on the tight ends after signing Colby Parkinson, though, and complementary players can often fall off the following year after a brief stretch where they catch fire.
WR Tutu Atwell: It feels like Atwell was less of a factor last season due to Demarcus Robinson emerging late, but he actually had career-highs across the board with 39 receptions, 483 yards, and three touchdowns. Although the downfield upside wasn’t quite there with a modest 12.4 yards per target, Atwell could be a factor if an injury strikes and Matthew Stafford’s deep ball is on point.
WRs Tyler Johnson and Jordan Whittington: The No. 5 job will likely come down to Johnson and the sixth-round rookie Whittington, and both have similar games as possession targets that can work the middle of the field. Based on how important that is in Sean McVay’s offense, the winner of the battle will be worth keeping tabs on in the event of an injury to Puka Nacua or Cooper Kupp.
TE Tyler Higbee: Higbee will face added competition for snaps this year after the Rams signed Colby Parkinson and seemed to prioritize bringing in the former NFC West rival, but his experience in Sean McVay’s offense and connection with Matthew Stafford should give him the advantage from a fantasy perspective. While last year was more inconsistent with a lowered floor and ceiling, Higbee has had big games and stretches in recent years to at least make him worth considering if you can choose your spots—but it’ll take more touchdowns (both of his scores came in one game last year) to regain the fantasy outlook he had before 2023.
TE Colby Parkinson: Parkinson was an ideal fit for Los Angeles having grown up in the area and being close with new teammate Tyler Higbee, and his on-field play is obviously the most important factor—with the tight end himself saying his skillset matches some of the routes and the blocking scheme for Sean McVay’s offense. As is the case with all the tight ends, touchdown success is key to hitting as a fantasy option, and Parkinson’s frame at six-foot-seven could allow him to thrive in scoring territory.
Other Notes
Best IDP value: S Kamren Kinchens
Tre’Davious White is another option we are very high on with the hopes that he can stay healthy at cornerback, but Kinchens could immediately slide in as the starting free safety as a rookie—and he could be another young defensive star for LA after Kobie Turner and Byron Young emerged in 2023. The playmaking instincts and willingness as a tackler makes Kinchens a great investment.
Stat to know (via draft guide)
In nine games with more than 15 touches last season, Kyren Williams went for fantasy-point totals of 25.0, 26.2, 21.8, 35.4, 18.7, 12.8, 22.0, 16.4, and 29.1.