Rams WRs Outlook: Not Enough Targets?
If you are a Rams fan, you look at the wide receivers you have and see immense production and another year of explosive, high scoring offense. That is also something you look for in fantasy football, however the amount of talented players at a position can be a bad thing if they end up limiting the potential of each other. The Rams will be a prime example of this with three proven WRs who will all be looking for targets this season. Here is the breakdown we expect to see this season:
Brandin Cooks has received rave reviews from head coach Sean McVay ever since they traded a first round pick for him this offseason. In each of the last three seasons, Cooks has finished within the top 12 fantasy WRs. He also averaged just shy of 11 PPG over those seasons. After being traded last offseason, Cooks demonstrated that he can change teams and still produce at a high level. One concern would be how he will fair after going from HOF QBs in Drew Brees and Tom Brady to a young less proven QB in Jared Goff.
Robert Woods was a top 30 WR last season and was the most efficient WR as far as PPG averaging 8.9 while Kupp and Watkins were both below 8 PPG. 2017 was his first top 50 fantasy finish in his career which has been limited each year due to injuries. In fact, he has only played in all 16 regular season games once in his 5 year career and hasn’t eclipsed 100 targets since 2014. Woods stands to be the most vulnerable to regress and lose targets with the addition of Cooks since Kupp plays primarily out of the slot while Woods and Cooks are both outside receivers.
Cooper Kupp was the highest scoring rookie fantasy WR last season and one of our breakout sophomore candidates this season. He finished as the 23rd fantasy WR in 2017 and that could be reasonable expectation to repeat. Kupp was on the field for 71.2% of the offensive snaps last season and that number could grow even more with a full offseason under his belt. He also finished 3rd in the NFL in red zone receptions with 13 which should bode well for him being a beneficiary of the loss of Sammy Watkins this offseason.
Overall, the Rams were the highest scoring offense and the 10th highest passing yards per game in the NFL in 2017. Despite this, they did not have a single receiver get over 1000 yards receiving on the season. They invested a lot to get Cooks and he should be viewed as the #1 WR at this time. It is likely that he will be the most productive, but he will also cost the most given his current ADP of WR19. Expect a top 15 finish from Cooks this season with the potential for top 10. Kupp should be the next man up after leading the Rams in receiving yards last season. He is excellent value with an ADP of WR42 and he will easily put up top 30 numbers with potential for top 20 if either any other receiver misses time with injury. Robert Woods is currently being overvalued at WR39 given his inability to stay healthy for a full season and his expected drop in targets with Cooks now in the mix. Unless there is an injury to Cooks or Kupp, expect Woods to be the least productive of the trio.