Los Angeles Rams

Head Coach: Jeff “7-9” Fisher (5th year)
Offensive Coordinator: Rob Boras (1st year)
Defensive Coordinator: Gregg Williams (3rd year)

Depth Chart

Quarterback: Jared Goff (r), Case Keenum
Running Back: Todd Gurley, Benny Cunningham, Malcolm Brown
Wide Receiver: Tavon Austin, Kenny Britt, Brian Quick, Pharoh Cooper (r), Mike Thomas (r)
Tight Ends: Lance Kendrick, Tyler Higbee (r)
Kicker: Greg Zuerlein
Defense/Spec Teams: 2015-Finished 23rd in yards against and 13th in points against. Finished 11th in sacks and 17th in interceptions.

Coaching Philosophy

I think it’s pretty clear this year that the Rams’ main objective is to run the ball and run the ball a lot. With a rookie quarterback and an uninspiring, group of receivers, it’s fair to say that the strength of the team is running back, Todd Gurley. Expect to see a lot of him this season. The Rams also promoted Rob Boras to offensive coordinator and he has an extensive history as a tight ends coach. He has spent the last few seasons as tight ends coach for the Rams. In 2014, tight end Jared Cook led the team in receptions (52…sad, isn’t it?) and in 2013, Rams tight ends accounted for half of the teams’ receiving touchdowns (11). He also was able to take Marcedes Lewis to a pro bowl (2010) while in Jacksonville and was also very successful in Chicago with Greg Olsen. While the names of the tight ends in St. Louis don’t necessarily inspire a great deal of confidence, a very late sleeper in deeper leagues may be rookie, Tyler Higbee.

Fantasy Outlook

Rams Quarterbacks

The Rams invested a lot in Jared Goff, making him the number one overall pick, but I think it’s a few years before they see the big payoff.

Let’s start by saying that unless you’re in a two quarterback league, neither Case Keenum nor Jared Goff should be drafted. It’s still unclear which one of the two will be under center on Week 1, but either way, I think we see first overall pick, Jared Goff as the starter before too long, so let’s focus on him. Coming from the University of California, Goff has faced some very good competition in the PAC 12. He’s a very good pocket passer who is good under pressure and has also shown he can make it through his reads effectively. He has a good, not great arm, but it’s good enough to make all the throws. He can struggle with making poor decisions at times, but for fantasy purposes, I can live with that. The main reasons I can’t get behind drafting him this year is that for a rookie to come in and learn an NFL offense, adjust to the speed of the game and be provided with the awful weapons the Rams have for him to throw to, I just don’t see him having a big year. They will run the ball a lot and their defense is good enough where he shouldn’t see a ton of garbage time, passing situations, so while I like him in Dynasty formats, in redraft leagues, stay away from the Rams quarterback situation.

Rams Running Backs

Todd Gurley is one hard dude to bring down.

Second year running back, Todd Gurley missed the first two weeks of the season and took over the role of lead back in Week 4. From that point on, only Devonta Freeman scored more fantasy points than Gurley over the rest of the year. He ran for at least 100 yards in his first four games and scored double digit touchdowns in 13 games played. At 6’1″, 227 pounds, he’s massive, but yet has the speed and quickness of a much smaller back. He’s a powerful runner who can break tackles and has a nose for the end zone. With the passing game still developing, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Gurley with 300 rushing attempts in 2016 and if he stays close to the 4.8 yards per attempt from 2015, he could flirt with 1,400+ yards and double digit touchdowns in 2016. Gurley likely won’t be a huge factor in the passing game, but 25-30 receptions is a realistic possibility. He is my number one running back in non PPR leagues and number two back in PPR leagues behind only David Johnson. He’s a lock to be drafted in the first round.

With Tre Mason losing his fricken mind, it looks like Benny Cunningham will be the closest thing to a handcuff the Rams currently have on their roster. If you select Gurley, you may be wise to select him, but by no means should you expect the same kind of fantasy production. One name to also keep an eye on for the rest of training camp is Malcolm Brown. Brown has looked good in camp and led the Rams in rushing yards in their first preseason game. Neither Cunningham or Brown will have value while Gurley is healthy, but it’s a battle that’s worth watching to see if either locks down the handcuff role this summer.

Rams Wide Receivers

Tavon Austin is looking to build upon his success in 2015

Tavon Austin showed last season that he may be the best gadget player in the NFL. He did it both rushing and receiving as he had 52 rushes for 473 yards and also 52 receptions for 434 yards. When you throw in his nine total touchdowns, he had a very solid fantasy season and he finished as the WR28 in PPR leagues. As nice of a season as it was, I’m not sure I’m ready to board the Tavon Austin train. He is a little too inconsistent for my taste. In 12 of his 16 games played, he scored 12 fantasy points or less (PPR) and he had only four big weeks where he was able to score 20+ fantasy points. I’m not sure I want a guy that will help me for four weeks, but hurt me in the other three quarters of the season. He comes at a modest ninth or tenth round draft price, but I’m still going to leave him to the other chumps in my league.

Kenny Britt and Brian Quick have been very frustrating for fantasy owners throughout the years. Both are competing for the second and third wide receiver spot with rookies Pharoh Cooper and Mike Thomas. Cooper projects as a slot receiver and since Britt and Quick don’t play the slot, he may carve out a role for himself in year one. Not a large enough role to be fantasy worthy, but someone who can help the Rams move the chains. Thomas is 6’1″, 200 pounds and could develop into a nice receiver down the road. However, he struggles with drops and sometimes has a hard time getting off the line of scrimmage and that make me think that the Rams are going to look at him as more of a developmental player and keep Britt and Quick more involved in 2016. That being said, none of the four should have much fantasy value in the run-heavy Rams offense.

Rams Tight Ends

Lance Kendricks isn’t a fantasy option. However, rookie Tyler Higbee is very interesting. History shows that rookie tight ends very rarely are fantasy producers, but Higbee is someone to definitely target in dynasty leagues. He’s 6’6″, 250 pounds and is a converted wide receiver. He was the best runner among tight ends in the draft and broke ten tackles in 38 catches last season. He’s limited as a blocker, but he has all the potential to become a very good pass catcher for years to come. Right now he’s not worth drafting in redraft leagues, but keep an eye on him and he could potentially be a tight end that you could stream later in the season.

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