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The Los Angeles Rams made quite a splash this preseason when they acquired wide receiver Sammy Watkins from the Buffalo Bills. The receiving corps went from being a group of talented players without a real No. 1 option to potentially a force to be reckoned with. As any acquisition does, the Watkins trade has serious fantasy implications on plenty of Rams. Let’s break down which players have seen their stocks rise and fall so far this preseason.
Jared Goff – RISE: Goff looked better in last week’s preseason game against the Oakland Raiders than we’ve ever seen him in a Rams uniform. Goff went 16 for 20 for 160 yards and a touchdown. All signs have been pointing to Goff’s improvement, but we can’t be certain that he’ll become a solid NFL quarterback this season until we see him do it in a meaningful game.
Still, Goff’s stock rises because of the addition of Watkins and how good the receiving corps has looked this preseason, and his solid play certainly doesn’t hurt. I’d say he warrants a late round pick as a low end QB2 with starting upside in head coach Sean McVay’s system.
Todd Gurley – STAY: Goff leading a revolutionized offense is great news for Gurley. He saw more openings against the Raiders and took advantage, running for 38 yards and a touchdown on 8 touches. As high as I am on Gurley, his stock still hasn’t really changed this preseason. Gurley usually finds himself near the bottom of the top 10 running backs and has a mid-to-late second round ADP depending on league size. I believe Gurley is a great pick at his current ADP, but I wouldn’t say he should be climbing any higher on draft boards just yet.
Cooper Kupp – RISE: Cooper Kupp has been lighting it up this preseason. He’s led the Rams in receiving in each game thus far and has scored in both. He’s been seeing most of his reps out of the slot and is poised to find himself starting out of that position to begin the season. Last season, Jamison Crowder emerged as a solid fantasy option out of the slot for McVay in Washington. I wouldn’t count on Kupp to put up Crowder level numbers, but he could become a low end FLEX option if all goes well. Keep Kupp on your radar in the later rounds of the draft.
Robert Woods – FALL: Robert Woods hasn’t done anything himself to diminish his value, but the Sammy Watkins trade limits his ceiling significantly. An early favorite to lead the Rams in receiving this year, Watkins arriving seemingly makes this impossible if he’s healthy. But don’t forget that McVay put three receivers over 800 yards and two of them over 1,000 last season. Woods could be a FLEX option as well should the Rams really light it up through the air, but I still wouldn’t count on him as a reliable fantasy option at the moment. Keep him on your waiver watchlist.
Tavon Austin – FALL: Watkins arriving and Kupp emerging are detrimental to Austin’s fantasy ceiling in the offense. Kupp seems to have a lock on the starting slot position, so Austin may find himself fourth on the depth chart and only being targeted on gadget plays. It’s hard to really predict what Austin’s role in the offense will be until he’s healthy and rejoins the team, but his fantasy outlook is bleak. Avoid drafting Austin and consider him a boom or bust WR4, which he’s been for the past few seasons.
Sammy Watkins – STAY: There are plenty of pros and cons for Watkins switching coasts, but the most important aspect of Watkins’ fantasy value is his health. He was banged up in 2015 and a nagging injury kept him out for half the season last year. Watkins is a dominant receiver when he’s healthy, but his injury history is a major red flag.
The verdict on Sammy Watkins is this: if you were planning on drafting him while he was in Buffalo, you should still plan on drafting him, and you should be pleased by the move. His ceiling is a bit higher with the Rams thanks to the potential of Sean McVay’s passing attack, and his ADP is likely to drop thanks to the negative stigma surrounding the Rams offense. Anyone reading this is likely to know how much upside and potential the Rams will have on offense this year. If you think Watkins can be healthy for 16 games, you should be ecstatic to draft him in the fourth or fifth round.
Steve Rebeiro is a staff writer and podcast host for Rams Talk. He graduated from Marquette University in 2016. For more of his opinions, follow him on Twitter here.
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The Los Angeles Rams made quite a splash this preseason when they acquired wide receiver Sammy Watkins from the Buffalo Bills. The receiving corps went from being a group of talented players without a real No. 1 option to potentially a force to be reckoned with. As any acquisition does, the Watkins trade has serious fantasy implications on plenty of Rams. Let’s break down which players have seen their stocks rise and fall so far this preseason.
Jared Goff – RISE: Goff looked better in last week’s preseason game against the Oakland Raiders than we’ve ever seen him in a Rams uniform. Goff went 16 for 20 for 160 yards and a touchdown. All signs have been pointing to Goff’s improvement, but we can’t be certain that he’ll become a solid NFL quarterback this season until we see him do it in a meaningful game.
Still, Goff’s stock rises because of the addition of Watkins and how good the receiving corps has looked this preseason, and his solid play certainly doesn’t hurt. I’d say he warrants a late round pick as a low end QB2 with starting upside in head coach Sean McVay’s system.
Todd Gurley – STAY: Goff leading a revolutionized offense is great news for Gurley. He saw more openings against the Raiders and took advantage, running for 38 yards and a touchdown on 8 touches. As high as I am on Gurley, his stock still hasn’t really changed this preseason. Gurley usually finds himself near the bottom of the top 10 running backs and has a mid-to-late second round ADP depending on league size. I believe Gurley is a great pick at his current ADP, but I wouldn’t say he should be climbing any higher on draft boards just yet.
Cooper Kupp – RISE: Cooper Kupp has been lighting it up this preseason. He’s led the Rams in receiving in each game thus far and has scored in both. He’s been seeing most of his reps out of the slot and is poised to find himself starting out of that position to begin the season. Last season, Jamison Crowder emerged as a solid fantasy option out of the slot for McVay in Washington. I wouldn’t count on Kupp to put up Crowder level numbers, but he could become a low end FLEX option if all goes well. Keep Kupp on your radar in the later rounds of the draft.
Robert Woods – FALL: Robert Woods hasn’t done anything himself to diminish his value, but the Sammy Watkins trade limits his ceiling significantly. An early favorite to lead the Rams in receiving this year, Watkins arriving seemingly makes this impossible if he’s healthy. But don’t forget that McVay put three receivers over 800 yards and two of them over 1,000 last season. Woods could be a FLEX option as well should the Rams really light it up through the air, but I still wouldn’t count on him as a reliable fantasy option at the moment. Keep him on your waiver watchlist.
Tavon Austin – FALL: Watkins arriving and Kupp emerging are detrimental to Austin’s fantasy ceiling in the offense. Kupp seems to have a lock on the starting slot position, so Austin may find himself fourth on the depth chart and only being targeted on gadget plays. It’s hard to really predict what Austin’s role in the offense will be until he’s healthy and rejoins the team, but his fantasy outlook is bleak. Avoid drafting Austin and consider him a boom or bust WR4, which he’s been for the past few seasons.
Sammy Watkins – STAY: There are plenty of pros and cons for Watkins switching coasts, but the most important aspect of Watkins’ fantasy value is his health. He was banged up in 2015 and a nagging injury kept him out for half the season last year. Watkins is a dominant receiver when he’s healthy, but his injury history is a major red flag.
The verdict on Sammy Watkins is this: if you were planning on drafting him while he was in Buffalo, you should still plan on drafting him, and you should be pleased by the move. His ceiling is a bit higher with the Rams thanks to the potential of Sean McVay’s passing attack, and his ADP is likely to drop thanks to the negative stigma surrounding the Rams offense. Anyone reading this is likely to know how much upside and potential the Rams will have on offense this year. If you think Watkins can be healthy for 16 games, you should be ecstatic to draft him in the fourth or fifth round.
Steve Rebeiro is a staff writer and podcast host for Rams Talk. He graduated from Marquette University in 2016. For more of his opinions, follow him on Twitter here.
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