The Rams let Cooper Kupp leave for the rival Seahawks and replaced him with one of the few available upgrades on the market, in Davante Adams. Adams joins Puka Nacua as one of the most potent one-two punches in any receiving corps in the league. With stalwart Kyren Williams running the ball, however, will they get enough targets to both feast? And what of Tyler “Hate Crime” Higbee? Let’s dive into the overdrafted, underdrafted, and sleeper fantasy football options on the L.A. Rams!
Underdrafted:
Davante Adams, Wide Receiver (WR17, Pick 36 Overall)
My Rank: WR17
Last season was extraordinary for Davante Adams. He peaced out on the Raiders, rejoining Aaron Rodgers in New York, and despite missing weeks four through six, still finished as WR9 in fantasy points per game, with 17.2 PPR points per contest, tying him with Mike Evans and putting him just behind Nico Collins’ 17.6 PPR points per game.
While Adams averaged 2.7 more PPR points per game with Rodgers than the Raiders, I doubt that it solely has to do with Rodgers; it likely has to do with playing with an aging future Hall of Famer. Hmm, I wonder if Davante Adams might find that in L.A. (he is).
The Rams lost a ton of targets in the wide receiver room and replaced them all with Adams. Cooper Kupp (Seattle) and DeMarcus Robinson (San Francisco) are leading the way. The Rams have the third-most vacated air yards (2021), the second-most vacated targets (215), and the only player the Rams have who will reliably take those targets.
Adams can handle the targets; I don’t have to tell you that. He averaged 10 targets per game every season since 2018, and the Rams have a lot of Adams in their game plan, given that they let two team stalwarts go this offseason and again only replaced them with Davante Adams.
Ultimately, I don’t have to break down Adams’ pedigree: he’s finished as a top-ten receiver in eight of the last nine seasons, and his one time outside the top-ten, he finished as WR15. He did not slow down much last year, despite his midseason speed bump, finishing in the top fifteen in receptions, yards, YAC, red zone targets, touchdowns, and yards per team pass attempt. He feels like he is being drafted at his floor, and his ceiling is, as we’ve seen, the #1 wide receiver in fantasy football.
Overdrafted:
Blake Corum, Running Back (RB57, Pick 172 Overall)
My Ranking: RB75
It’s strange to put a guy this deep as “overdrafted,” but there isn’t really a reason to draft Corum at all. Kyren Williams simply dominates the backfield too much: Williams had 79.5% of the RB carries, 81.8% of the rushing yards, 100% of the RB touchdowns, 82.5% of their first downs, 100% of their explosive yards, 74% of their carries inside the 5, 85% of RB routes run, and 72% of team RB targets & receptions.
The Rams also don’t have him pegged for a pass-catching RB2 role on their offense; that role simply doesn’t exist for Sean McVay. Since Todd Gurley moved on, the running backs have averaged 3.97 targets per game as a group, with the RB2 receiving just 40 targets over the last three seasons combined.
There simply isn’t work for Corum to thrive in fantasy football outside of a handcuff role with the Rams. I am also unconvinced that Corum would thrive in that role, either. He generated zero explosive runs and a paltry 3.6 yards per rush attempt last season, meaning he isn’t going to dominate the RB1 role, even in the event of a Kyren Williams injury. The Rams agree, as they acquired Auburn Running Back Jarquez Hunter in the draft. Hunter has much more juice than Corum and is more likely to win a competition in the event of a Kyren Williams injury.
Sleeper:
Tyler Higbee, Tight End (TE33, 239 Overall)
My Ranking: TE19
While I am extremely remiss in recommending “Hate Crime” by Higbee as a sleeper, I must, unfortunately, do so. Higbee missed most of the season recovering from a leg injury, but played in five games last year (playoffs included). In those games, Higbee averaged 5.2 targets, 4 receptions, and 35.6 yards per game. He finished strong, getting 22 targets, 17 receptions, 158 yards, and two touchdowns in his final three games last year.
Higbee has been a key part of the Rams’ offense in the last four seasons, averaging 90 targets, 64 receptions, 637 yards, and 4 touchdowns per 17 games played. That would have put him top-ten in targets and receptions, and thirteenth in yards and touchdowns. Higbee has TE1 upside in a narrow passing game that averages 34 pass attempts a game. He’s third-fiddle behind Adams and Nacua, but there’s no fourth fiddle in this passing game.
