The Los Angeles Rams passing game has been among the most productive units in the league over the last five games. While most fantasy managers are well aware of the top two options — Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua — in the passing game, a third option has emerged as a potential fantasy option heading into the championship round.
As a result, should WR Demarcus Robinson be a priority add off the fantasy football waiver wire heading into Week 17?
Should Demarcus Robinson Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 17?
Most fantasy managers might assume that Kupp and Nacua would be the driving force behind Matthew Stafford’s recent jump in production with 10 touchdown passes over the last four games.
Since Week 13, Nacua is the WR4, Kupp is the WR6, and Robinson is the WR10 in PPR formats with 15 receptions for 227 yards and four touchdowns. So not only has this offense been able to sustain the fantasy value of two different pass catchers, but clearly it can make three players fantasy relevant.
Just in case you were wondering if Robinson’s production came from one breakout game during this stretch to inflate his numbers, his best fantasy performance came last week against the New Orleans Saints where he hauled in six passes for 82 yards and a score.
Sure, it’s a very nice fantasy outing, but hardly a crazy outlier performance that would completely skew the numbers from his recent sample size.
Robinson has gone for 44+ yards and a score in four straight games, but has seen fewer than seven targets in three of them, which has made this recent four-game streak a bit hard to trust.
While it’s reasonable to be very skeptical about the Rams’ offense being able to sustain three reliable fantasy pass-catching options, this unit did make Kupp, Robert Woods, and Brandin Cooks all top-24 options at WR back in 2018 with all three players averaging five receptions and 70+ yards on a per-game basis.
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It’s worth noting that Robinson has established himself as the third option in the passing game with his offensive snap share percentage jumping above 85% for the last three games.
The real issue with trusting Robinson against the New York Giants in Week 17 is that he still feels like he could run the risk of being touchdown-dependent. Sure, that may be what some fantasy managers are looking for this week, but in PPR formats, it can make him a bit harder to trust.
Over this four-game stretch, Robinson still trails Nacua and Kupp in the targets department by a wide margin. Nacua has 35 targets, Kupp has 38, while Robinson has produced these numbers on only 24 targets.
Robinson is undoubtedly worth a waiver wire add if not at the very least to keep your opponent in the championship round from potentially using him against you if you have the bench space.
He has proven to be a reliable and productive third option in this red-hot Los Angeles passing game, which certainly puts him in Flex consideration, if not the WR2 conversation for Week 17.
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