Beyond perennial stud and workhorse,
Steven Jackson, there is not much fantasy depth in
St. Louis. Jackson himself is landing in the middle to late 1st round in most drafts. With the exception of Chris Johnson, there isn't a single offense in the NFL as one-man-reliant as St. Louis. Game in and game out, the Rams put the weight of the team on Jackson's shoulders. He is sure to get 25-30 carries per game with multiple receptions/targets as well. In single-season leagues, Jackson is a stud and should be drafted anywhere between picks 4 and 8. In keeper formats, it would be wise to stay clear. He'll likely wind up getting drafted higher than his value indicates. Comparing the production and carries to other high quality workhorse backs over the years, Steven Jackson is on par for his last productive season.
- Expect 1,200 Rushing Yards, 4-8 Rushing TDs, 50 Receptions, 400 Receiving Yards, with 1-2 Receiving TDs.
Their next best fantasy option is wide receiver
Laurent Robinson. This is a guy you should be able to snag in the latest rounds of your draft. He has a solid skillset and large enough size to be effective in the redzone. In the first two games of the season last year, he pulled in 11 receptions for 151 yds and 1 TD. He was injured in the third game of the season after hauling in 2 receptions in that game. If Sam Bradford has success this season, Laurent Robinson will surely be a key part of it.
- Expect 58 Receptions, 800 Receiving Yards, 5-7 TDs
Donnie Avery will probably have a similar season to that of last year. Quarterback play will still be shaky while Bradford is learning the offense, so anticipate the same respectable numbers as the year prior. Should be able to get him fairly late and he is safe to put up respectable, albeit unimpressive numbers.
- Expect 47 Receptions, 670 Receiving Yards, 3-5 TDs
The last player of fantasy relevance is
Sam Bradford. Shortly put, don't draft him unless you are doing so in a deep keeper format. Bradford likely won't be giving any fantasy related dividends at the quarterback position for two or three years. That being said, the man does have potential to be a star in this league, but there are still better options out there.
- Expect 2,500 Passing Yards, 16 TDs, 21 INTs
Love the Steven Jackson analysis, hes not a bad back in single-season leagues because, barring injuries you know what your going to get out of him. I think his TDs will be right around 6 or 7 given the offense could be somewhat better next season than the last
ReplyDeleteLaurent Robinson expectations could be a little high. I just don't trust a guy with one good season and 9 games total in the last 2 years. Has some potential but could be an underachiver, needs to stay on the field.
Donnie Avery has quietly posted decent fantasy numbers, not eye popping and he is extremely inconsistent. If Bradford somehow has a good year his totals could go up a bit but I think they should hover right around your predictions.
As far as Bradford goes would only take him in deep keeper leagues because he is transitioning from a spread offense, coming off an injury, and is on a horrendous team. It remains to be seen what he can do and any decision on a buy and hold should be made from camp and preseason, maybe even the first few weeks.
One player you may have left out is Mardy Gilyard. He is a burner who could prove to be a good slot guy for them. Time at Cincy was spent in the spread so might help if he stays in the slot. Once again depends on the QB play in St. Louis but could put up some good numbers.
I like Laurent Robinson for his risk/reward. This guy is going undrafted in most leagues and could wind up giving your team a quality player without having to reach for him.
ReplyDeleteI agree Mardy Gilyard has potential, but there is only so far I'm willing to leap for a rookie wide receiver on such a bad team. Typically, wide receivers aren't successful until their sophomore season.
I hear ya on Gilyard but just throwin it out there...maybe he does well, maybe not...
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