2025 Los Angeles Rams Fantasy Preview
2025 Los Angeles Rams Fantasy Preview 2024 was projected to be a rebuilding year for the Rams. Instead, they went 10-7 for the second consecutive year and captured the NFC West crown. L.A. regressed on offense, falling from 8th in 2023 to 20th in scoring. The defense also slipped to 26th, but Sean McVay overcame obstacles and seized a weak division. Armed with a full allotment of draft picks for a change, McVay and GM Les Snead focused on reinforcing the offense to take advantage of QB Matthew Stafford’s closing window. Speaking of Stafford, his days as a quality fantasy option appear behind him. Stafford struggled under pressure and no longer has the mobility to help his own cause. Stafford ranked middle-of-the-pack in most analytics measures. His 47.3 percent red-zone completion rate ranked 25th and played a big part in the touchdown regression. At this stage in his career, Stafford is much more valuable in the NFL than in fantasy. He should be viewed as a middling QB2 who may have a handful of usable games to stream. The fantasy metrics crowd sure wants to get rid of Kyren Williams. However, Sean McVay feels differently. Williams was a tremendous value last season, as many fantasy analysts projected a breakout for Blake Corum. Corum barely played, and Williams led all running backs with an 88.4 percent snap share, ranked 3rd in carries, and produced 16 more touchdowns. Fourth-round Auburn RB Jarquez Hunter is this year’s Corum. But we will stick with what works, and that’s Kyren Williams as a workhorse RB1. Davante Adams, acquired to replace Cooper Kupp, brings elite production to McVay’s passing attack. In 2024, he posted 85 catches, 1,063 yards, and 8 TDs in a bad spot. His 2.6 yards per route run and 22 percent target share fit McVay’s motion-heavy scheme. And his red-zone prowess should be a big help for Stafford, who struggled in that area. Puka Nacua remains a co-WR1. Nacua’s 43.6 percent target rate and 4.07 yards per route run led all wideouts. The Rams boast two fantasy WR1s but have little depth. Tutu Atwell projects as the WR3 but is well off the fantasy radar. TE Tyler Higbee missed the first 15 games recovering from a knee injury but made an impact late. However, Higbee, 32, is nearing the end, which necessitated the Rams using their first pick (Round 2 after trading down) on standout Oregon TE Terrance Ferguson. Ferguson (6-5, 247) is uber-athletic with a 90th percentile catch radius and 94th percentile Speed Score. He’s a deep sleeper with breakout potential. Fantasy Grade: B- QB Stafford, Matthew, LAR [QB1] Entering his age-37 season, Matthew Stafford remains a quality fit in Sean McVay’s offense. But Stafford has become a middle-of-the-road fantasy starter who no longer adds rushing production. Stafford hasn’t posted QB1 numbers since 2021 and has settled in as a mid-range QB2. He only produced four top-10 weekly performances last season, making him a poor best as a streamer and in Best Ball. Perhaps the addition of Davante Adams, who replaces Cooper Kupp, will help resurrect Stafford’s wanining red-zone efficiency (31st in accuracy inside the 20). ADVICE: Aging veteran in a decent offense, but his days as a QB1 are over. RB Williams, Kyren, LAR [RB1] Last year, Blake Corum was going to eat into Kyren Williams’s touches. This year, sixth-rounder Jarquez Hunter is being anointed as the threat. While Hunter projects to be a solid fit in Sean McVay’s scheme, we’re still in on Williams as a solid value. He led all running backs with an 88.2 percent snap share and handled a league-high 77 red-zone touches. Williams has found pay dirt 31 times in the last two seasons, tied with Jahmyr Gibbs for most in football. McVay prefers to lean on one featured runner, and Williams has performed extraordinarily well in that role. ADVICE: Once again being overlooked as a strong RB1. RB Hunter, Jarquez, LAR [RB2] ADVICE: Hunter blazed a 4.44 and has a lot of burst paired with plus pass-catching skills. He’s a popular sleeper target, but as long as Kyren Williams is commanding a league-leading 88.2 percent snap share, Hunter will struggle to earn touches. RB Corum, Blake, LAR [RB3] Not us, but other places were advocating Corum as a potential league-winning sleeper last year. Instead, he barely played and wasn’t effective when he did. The Rams also used a middle-round pick on Jarquez Hunter, which all but tells us they don’t believe in Corum. Neither should you. WR Nacua, Puka, LAR [WR1] Puka Nacua continued to build on his dominant rookie season with a record-setting 2024, leading the NFL with a 37.1 percent target rate, the highest ever recorded. He also led in yards per route run at 3.23. Puka injured his knee in Week 1 and missed the next 5 weeks, but dominated after he returned. WR Davante Adams has replaced Cooper Kupp as the veteran WR, but Stafford is a WR kingmaker who assures his top targets always eat. Even with Davante Adams joining the fold, Nacua remains the primary offensive weapon. ADVICE: Elite WR1 with proven volume; His ADP sits in the mid-first round. WR Adams, Davante, LAR [WR2] Even after splitting the 2024 season between the Raiders and Jets, Davante Adams secured his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard campaign and finished as the WR14 overall. He maintained elite efficiency with over 2.0 yards per route run and ranked top five in red-zone looks and target share (27 percent), proving he still plays at a high level at age 32. Now paired with WR kingmaker Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles, Adams joins an efficient passing attack led by Sean McVay. While Puka Nacua remains the top option, there are plenty of targets to sustain Adams’s fantasy relevance. With five top-10 weekly finishes in 2024, he remains a strong bet for high-end production. One of the best values on draft day. ADVICE: Veteran WR2 with weekly WR1 upside—great value in Round 4. WR Atwell, Tutu,
Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 15
Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 15 Last week’s NFC North showdown lived up to the hype, although the game wasn’t as high-scoring as we expected. FullTime Fantasy‘s Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 15 breaks down an NFC West rivalry with
Last week’s NFC North showdown lived up to the hype, although the game wasn’t as high-scoring as we expected. FullTime Fantasy‘s Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 15 breaks down an NFC West rivalry with even more at stake.
Staying alive in a tightly-packed division is at stake as the 6-7 San Francisco 49ers host the surging 7-6 Los Angeles Rams. The second-place Rams have won three of four since getting healthier. They also beat the Niners back in Week 3, 27-24.
Meanwhile, San Francisco has no margin for error. Kyle Shanahan’s squad is in must-win territory and views all their remaining games as playoff contests. For the reigning NFC champs to keep their postseason hopes alive, they must even the score with a Rams team that just put up 44 points on the Bills.
This game is about as close as one would expect. San Fran is favored by 2.5 points and the total of 49.5 invites plenty of fantasy action.
Matchup
| TEAM | OFFENSE | PASS | RUSH | YDS/PLAY | POINTS |
| Los Angeles Rams | 15 | 9 | 25 | 15 | 16 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 4 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 11 |
Sean McVay has done a masterful job rallying his troops. The Rams have been devastated by injuries on both sides of the ball. After starting the season 1-4, the Rams have won 6-of-8 to climb into second place in the wide-open NFC West.
After hovering near the bottom of the league, LA is now an average offense that has looked formidable over the last six weeks. Getting key players back has been paramount.
Speaking of injuries, San Francisco has had their share. The 49ers have been missing Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey for the majority of the year. And McCaffrey isn’t the only running back to go down. In fact, the team may be down to their fourth starting running back to open Week 15.
However, the team continues to overcome adversity on offense. The Niners are one of the most balanced attacks in the league that continues to create chunk plays and produce points.
The atmosphere for this contest will mimic a playoff game. And that includes the pressure and ramifications for the loser. This should be another intriguing watch.
Los Angeles Offense
After struggling through the first half of 2024, Matthew Stafford has…
How will Thursday’s Rams vs. 49ers game go?
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Injury Report: Week 2
Injury Report: Week 2 Week 1 was full of highs and lows- mostly lows. Scoring was down and key injuries played a factor. Some of those will carry over into Week 2. Our Injury Report: Week 2 breaks down all the key fantasy-relevant injuries to monitor. Also, a great starting point for staying updated on the latest injuries is to bookmark our NFL Injury Report. Finally, FullTime Fantasy Members will get the latest NFL injury news and advice live each Sunday and Thursday in the FullTime Fantasy Discord. Click below to join us today! Christian McCaffrey (RB) San Francisco 49ers – Minutes before Monday Night Football word broke that McCaffrey would be inactive. Shortly after, a report indicated that McCaffrey could also miss Week 2. McCaffrey is dealing with a calf and Achilles issue that prevented him from practicing all summer. Reportedly, he had a setback ahead of Week 1. Subsequently, this is terrible news for fantasy managers who had the 1.01. However, Jordan Mason managers can rejoice. “it was always bothering him to some degree. Sometimes it goes away, sometimes it comes back. & today it was bothering him a little too much to where we didn’t feel good about it.” That doesn’t sound great for Christian McCaffrey. This may linger well into the season.. pic.twitter.com/FGv36BSY6k — Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) September 10, 2024 Puka Nacua (WR) Los Angeles Rams – Another devastating blow for an early 2024 fantasy target, Nacau aggravated the knee injury that hobbled him throughout the preseason. Unfortunately, Nacua has been placed on IR. That means he is destined to miss four-plus games. Cooper Kupp, Demarcus Robinson, and Tyler Johnson will see increased target shares. Jordan Love (QB) Green Bay Packers – Love was hurt in the waning moments of Green Bay’s Week 1 defeat. He hurt his MCL and is expected to miss 2-4 weeks. However, the good news is the Packers did not place Love on IR, so there is some optimism that he’ll return sooner than later. The absence of Love leaves Green Bay’s offense in Malik Willis’s hands. That’s a massive downgrade. De’Von Achane (RB) Miami Dolphins – Achane is dealing with an ankle injury. This injury isn’t considered serious. However, the Dolphins play on Thursday this week, which complicates Achane’s practice availability. We will update Discord when there is clarity. Raheem Mostert (RB) Miami Dolphins – Mostert is OUT with a chest injury. David Njoku (TE) Cleveland Browns – A high-ankle sprain is expected to hobble Njoku for multiple weeks. Jordan Akins will fill in for the Browns and is worth a modest waiver wire bid for desperate fantasy managers. Tee Higgins (WR) Cincinnati Bengals – Higgins missed Cincinnati’s opener with a hamstring injury. Adam Schefter already opined that he expects Downs to miss Week 2. We’ve lowered Higgins in our Week 2 projections. Rome Oduze (WR) Chicago Bears – Chicago’s rookie wideout is dealing with an MCL injury. Expect him to be sidelined for a week or two. UPDATE: He did not practice Wednesday. Bears WR Rome Odunze week-to-week with MCL sprain https://t.co/0QjpRNnmUa pic.twitter.com/PdrJz3GxL9 — Bears Wire (@TheBearsWire) September 10, 2024 Jake Ferguson (TE) Dallas Cowboys – Ferguson is dealing with a bone bruise and MCL ailment. The team said there is a chance Ferguson won’t miss any time. However, if he suits up, we imagine that Ferguson would be deployed in a decoy role. Luke Schoonmaker is the TE2 in Dallas. Russell Wilson (QB) Pittsburgh Steelers – Justin Fields did enough to garner another start. Meanwhile, Wilson is dealing with a calf injury. Our money is on Fields to retain the job. For now, at least. Jordan Addison (WR) Minnesota Vikings – Addison injured his other ankle in the opener. It isn’t a serious injury, but his status will need to be monitored ahead of this week’s game against San Francisco. Josh Downs (WR) Indianapolis Colts – Downs missed Indy’s opener with an ankle injury. We will update his practice participation throughout the week and update the FullTime Fantasy Discord channel. Jauan Jennings (WR) San Francisco 49ers – Jennings is day-to-day with an ankle injury. Audric Estime (RB) Denver Broncos – Placed on IR with an ankle injury. Will miss at least four weeks. Dalton Schultz (TE) Houston Texans – Did not practice Wednesday with an ankle injury. ENTER OUR WEEK 2 DRAFT CONTEST! How it Works: Firstly, draft your team using our On-Demand Simulator. Next, try to stack the team with players you think will do well this week. Finally, the highest Week 2 Score wins. (PLUS: You get to see the Thursday Night game and then draft!) Here’s our Week 2 Player Rankings to help. Firstly, it’s a best-ball contest, so no need to submit a lineup. We’ll optimize the best one. Secondly, you just sit back and watch your team climb the leaderboard. Weekly Prizes and a Grand Prize at the end of the season! Finally, the Grand Prize Winner (highest individual week of the season) gets to choose from the amazing prizes below. If you don’t know just how awesome and amazing the Panini Flawless Football briefcase is, make sure and watch the video starting at the 8-minute mark! Trading cards are back! MEMBER PERK! Fulltime Members get 5 Free On-Demand Drafts each month in our contest! DRAFT YOUR WEEK 2 TEAM and enter your REDEMPTION CODE you received by email.
2024 Los Angeles Rams Fantasy Preview
2024 Los Angeles Rams Fantasy Preview The 2023 Los Angeles Rams surprised many by winning 10 games and clinching a spot in the postseason after finishing the previous season with a disappointing 5-12 record. It didn’t hurt that the Ram’s
The 2023 Los Angeles Rams surprised many by winning 10 games and clinching a spot in the postseason after finishing the previous season with a disappointing 5-12 record. It didn’t hurt that the Ram’s offense finished in the top 12 in passing yards, rushing yards, and points per game.
One of the biggest reasons the Rams doubled their win total was Matthew Stafford’s health. Stafford (3,965/24/11) managed to play in 15 contests after playing in just nine the season before. Only Lamar Jackson completed more “Hero” throws among quarterbacks who attempt at least 275 passes.
Last year during the draft, the Rams selected Puka Nacua (105/1486/6) in the fifth round, and all he did was put together the most outstanding season a rookie wide receiver has ever had. Nacua accounted for a 32.9% air yards share and a target of 26.8% (11th-most) last season as Cooper Kupp missed five games. He also averaged 2.75 yards per route run in 2023, the ninth most among receivers. It’s hard to imagine Nacua repeating those numbers, especially with a healthy Kupp, but he is still worthy of being a WR1 this season.
Despite Kupp only playing in 12 contests, the former triple-crown winner still finished the 2023 fantasy season as the WR39 and was 25th in fantasy points per game in PPR formats. Father time remains undefeated; maybe it was the injuries, or perhaps it’s part of turning 30, but Kupp saw a career low in his yards per route run (1.77) last season, something worth monitoring.
If Puka Nacua was the biggest surprise for fantasy managers, what do we call Kyren Williams? Williams (228/1,144/12) finished as the RB5 in PPR formats with 255 fantasy points despite missing four games. Only Christian McCafferys 24.5 fantasy points per contest were more than Williams 21.3.
Williams was a bell-cow for the Rams, accounting for nearly 48% of all the touches in the run game. One reason for concern is that the club did draft Blake Corum, who had also proven to be a workhorse over his last two seasons at Michigan with more than 500 carries and 2,700 rushing yards.
Tyler Higbee (47/497/2) isn’t going to move the needle much in fantasy. Sure, he’ll give you some TE1-type weeks this season, but the volume is not going to be there to make him much more than a TE2 on your roster.
Quarterbacks
QB MATTHEW STAFFORD – QUALITY BACKUP
Now 36, Stafford has settled in as a reliable streaming option but is unlikely to revert back to his high-volume role from yesteryear. Last season, the Rams were top-10 in points and offense but Stafford was firmly outside the top-12 fantasy ranks. The emergence of WR Puka Nacua helped Stafford rebound from a down 2022 showing. Nacua and Cooper Kupp give the Rams a formidable duo and help ensure that Stafford’s floor remains safe. He offers nothing as a runner and tends to turn the ball over a tad much, but Stafford can be a reliable source of points as a bye-week fill-in or as a QB2 in Superflex leagues….
2023 Lessons Learned & Bridges Burned
Year in Review: 2023 Lessons Learned & Bridges Burned Happy New Year! As we flip the calendar to 2024, now is a good time to look back upon the year that was. 2023 was a memorable one. In both good and bad ways. On the positive side, I’m very proud of the effort I and the FullTime Fantasy team put in. I had my best outcome in rankings in many years. However, that took a lot of effort. I had to refine my process and that meant spending an inordinate amount of time looking at snap counts, target share, matchups, histories, and many other factors. The results speak for themselves. Now that I won’t have to do that for eight months, it’s bittersweet. All that prep work made me a better analyst and gave me something to look forward to. Also, the FullTime Fantasy Discord was busier than ever. I did my best to always answer every question by staying true to my process. Whenever I made the wrong calls, it always bothered me. I also wanted to thank Commish Roy for his omnipresent presence and dedication in Discord and other Fantasy Football World Championship duties. Speaking of the FFWC, I had a Bestball team finish inside the top-5, which is a first. However, to accomplish that in a year like 2023, a little luck had to be involved. Mainly, by avoiding the injury bug that plagued the season. That’s just one of the many takeaways that I’m reflecting back on in my 2023 lessons learned & bridges burned. Lessons Learned In some ways, the process of building some of those winning rosters seems like so long ago. However, in other ways, it feels like only yesterday that we were publishing our 2023 rookie profiles and annual Preseason Pro features. Now is a good time to reflect and see where the process was right and what went wrong. Early QB Drafting is Dead For years, successful fantasy football managers have loaded up on skill position players and taken advantage of the depth at quarterback by value-shopping in the mid-to-late rounds. However, that started to change a couple of seasons ago and was notably different this summer. Elite quarterbacks who stay healthy and deliver 20-plus weekly points started to be drafted earlier and earlier. Guys like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Jalen Hurts started to go off many draft boards in the late-2nd, or early part of Round Three. While those three signal-callers stayed healthy, each of them had fewer fantasy points scored per week than in 2022. Mahomes, in particular, dropped off precipitously and was out-scored by a pair of QBs who went undrafted in most leagues. The QB position also seems as deep as ever, with exciting young players entering the fray. This summer, you won’t see me taking a quarterback before Round 6 in non-Superflex formats. Running Back Revival Another trend that grows in popularity each summer is the WR-heavy draft approach. However, with significant injuries to Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, and Cooper Kupp, many a #ZeroRB roster was decimated. Meanwhile, Christian McCaffrey led all payers with 24.7 PPR points scored per week. CMC stayed healthy and produced 13-plus fantasy points every week. But he wasn’t the only back who was a difference-maker. In fact, 13 running backs averaged 15-plus PPR points per game. This was up from just nine backs in 2022. Young rushers like Kyren Williams, De’Von Achane, Breece Hall, and Jahmyr Gibbs fortified the position and look like they’ll be significant fantasy contributors for years to come. On the other hand, 19 wideouts hit the same 15 PPR points per game mark. That was the same number as 2022 and one fewer than 2021. An unusual amount of injuries to first-round wide receivers played a big part in that stagnant growth. But, knowing what we went through, gives us reason for pause before we blindly give into group think next summer. Don’t Save FAAB I authored the weekly waiver wire piece. One of the key components of that series is to remind readers early on to think long-term and save plenty of FAAB budget flexibility for December. Unfortunately, in an injury-plagued year like 2023 that also had some amazing talents go undrafted, that sound and responsible advice backfired. Championship teams are littered with significant additions like Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua, Rashee Rice, and Trey McBride who largely were not drafted in July and August. When those players burst onto the scene I advocated caution. I certainly recommended “aggressive” bids of up to 25% of your remaining FAAB to acquire their services. However, that wasn’t near enough. The lesson learned, at least for this unusual year, was to get it while the gettin’ is good. If you blow your budget, you can always resort to trades. Even sacrificing a little in a forced deal is better than watching your league mate hoist the trophy after they seemingly “overbid” for that pair of young Rams’ contributors back in Week 2. Get. Your. Guys. Is there a worse feeling than trying to sneak one of your must-have sleepers by one more round only to watch them get selected two or three spots before it is your pick? That happens far too often and sometimes leads to me going on tilt and blowing an entire draft. While using ADP can be useful, never assume that the other people in your league aren’t reading the same material as you and doing their homework. Don’t be afraid to askew average draft position and take shots on your players. Better to go down with the players you cover than watch someone else score 20-plus points per game with a player that you coveted all summer. I plan on being far more aggressive this year and less concerned with appearances or justifying taking players well ahead of their established draft range. Bridges Burned Were you one of those aforementioned early-QB drafters? Or perhaps you had one of the top-3 picks and snagged