The Los Angeles Rams produced not one, but two league-winning type producers in fantasy football during the 2023 NFL season.
After the team lost their starting tight end due to injury in the NFC Wild Card Round and drafting a running back on Day of the 2024 NFL Draft, what can fantasy managers expect from the Rams’ offense this upcoming season?
Los Angeles Rams Fantasy Depth Chart
QB
Matthew Stafford, Stetson Bennett, Dresser Winn
RB
Kyren Williams, Blake Corum, Ronnie Rivers, Zach Evans
WR1
Puka Nacua, Tutu Atwell, Drake Stoops
WR2
Cooper Kupp, Ben Skowronek, Tyler Johnson
WR3
Demarcus Robinson, Jordan Whittington, Xavier Smith
TE
Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Dwayne Allen
Matthew Stafford’s Fantasy Outlook
In the day and age of dual-threat quarterbacks possessing elite fantasy upside, the old gunslinger under center can often be overlooked in fantasy football drafts.
This definitely feels like the case when Matthew Stafford’s name doesn’t come up when talking about quarterbacks who had an excellent 2023 NFL season.
He was among the league leaders in tight windows throws, getting the ball out of his hands quickly, and rarely put the ball in harm’s way with very few plays that could’ve resulted in a turnover when the ball was in his hands.
Ok Matthew Stafford, we see you.pic.twitter.com/r4EoIER6vH
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) January 15, 2024
His QB15 finish last year wasn’t elite, but he did miss two games and still threw for 3,965 yards and 24 TDs. Oddly enough, Stafford actually threw for over 260 yards in four straight games to start the season, but only threw three TD passes during that span. His lack of touchdown production while throwing the ball all over the yard definitely felt like a bit of an outlier.
On the flip side, Stafford finally started to find pay dirt through the air during the back half of the 2023 campaign, ranking as the QB6 overall from Weeks 12-17 with 1,705 yards and 15 TD (leading the NFL) passes over that timeframe.
Stafford’s age (36) and durability (missing seven games due to injury over the last two years) could be a bit of a concern moving forward, but ultimately his draft price mitigates much of the risk that comes with adding him to your fantasy team.
Stafford projects as a top 15-20 fantasy QB heading into the 2024 NFL season, but his upside should not be overlooked considering his nice collection of weapons on the perimeter. After all, Stafford did finish as the QB5 overall back in 2021 during his first year with the Rams.
Stafford may be entering the final act of his productive NFL career, but his quality level of play last year certainly suggests he should still be on your fantasy radar late in fantasy drafts.
Kyren Williams’ Fantasy Outlook
There is no way to sugarcoat this… Kyren Williams was nothing short of outstanding in 2023.
After a rookie campaign that was completely forgettable, Williams exploded with 1,144 rushing yards and 12 rushing TDs to go with an additional 206 yards and three more scores on 32 receptions in the passing game last season. His exceptional production helped him finish as the RB7 overall despite playing only 12 games in 2023.
To give you an idea of how great Williams was last year, he trailed only San Francisco 49ers’ RB Christian McCaffrey in fantasy points per game in full-PPR formats.
Speaking of McCaffrey, Williams was the only running back in the NFL with more total touches — carries and receptions — on a per-game basis than CMC. For some exact figures, Williams averaged 21.7 touches per game to McCaffrey’s 21.2.
#Rams RB Kyren Williams has a career-high 1,145 scrimmage yards this season. 🔥
Christian McCaffrey and James Cook are the only other RBs with 100+ scrimmage yards per game avg.
Will he do it again vs. the #Saints on #TNF? 👀#RamsHouse | #NFL
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) December 21, 2023
Pure volume was far from the only reason Williams was an elite fantasy producer in 2023. No player averaged more broken tackles per game than Williams last season.
So, when you combine that stat with Williams’ 791 rushing yards before contact in 2023– which trailed only McCaffrey — with his ability to make people miss consistently, you have the recipe for a fantasy star.
Williams topped the century mark on the ground, handled 20+ carries, and caught a minimum of three passes in half of his games last season. Those are elite usage metrics by any standard.
However, that usage hasn’t come at the expense of his efficiency. Williams averaged a staggering 5.02 yards per carry (YPC) in his second NFL season. McCaffrey was the only other running back with a 5+ YPC mark, with 200+ opportunities on the ground last year.
All of these per-game numbers and metrics are highly encouraging. The one thing that is not encouraging is the Rams’ decision to select a running back in the third round of this NFL Draft.
If this makes you feel uneasy about Williams’ fantasy outlook this season, then I can understand your line of thinking. Yet, I don’t think Blake Corum does anything definitively better than what we just saw Williams do in the NFL last year.
MORE: Dynasty Rookie Rankings
Do I think Corum will be involved in some capacity? Yes, I do. Do I think he is a threat to steal this backfield away from Williams? No, I do not.
Williams is still a first-round pick for me in 2024 fantasy football drafts.
Puka Nacua’s Fantasy Outlook
Speaking of Rams players who had an outstanding season in 2023, no player sent bigger shockwaves through the fantasy football world than Puka Nacua last year.
Nacua’s dominant rookie season speaks for itself, setting NFL records for both receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486) in the history of the league. These numbers saw him come out of absolutely nowhere and finish the year as the WR4 overall in fantasy football.
On the surface, Nacua ranked inside the top 10 in almost every major receiving category, which includes targets (6th), receptions (8th), and yards (4th).
When you take a closer look at how he accomplished all of this, it becomes even more impressive.
#Rams WR Puka Nacua escapes a tackle and breaks off a HUGE gain! 💨#RamsHouse
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) December 31, 2023
He ranked fifth at the position with 632 yards after the catch, trailing only CeeDee Lamb, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Rashee Rice, and Tyreek Hill. He ranked fifth in yards per route run (YPPR) at 2.75. Lastly, he was easily one of the most productive receivers against zone coverage in his first year in the league.
All of this elite fantasy production came with him seeing fewer red-zone targets than his teammate Cooper Kupp despite him playing in five more games than his veteran teammate.
MORE: Dynasty Trade Calculator
Nacua was used all over the formation, lining up in the slot 30% of the time, but still having the ability to operate effectively outside speaks very favorably to his versatile skill set and should set him up for long-term success.
For those of you who are worried Kupp may take the top fantasy WR spot away from Nacua in 2024, it is worth mentioning that from Weeks 5-17 — which excludes the first four games of production where Kupp was in injured reserve (IR) — Nacua finished with seven more targets, three more receptions, and 207 more yards than Kupp in all of their games played last year.
Cooper Kupp’s Fantasy Outlook
Speaking of Weeks 5-17 last year, although Kupp was mostly considered a fantasy disappointment last year in relation to his first-round fantasy draft capital, he was still the WR19 with 59 receptions for 737 yards and five TDs when on the field last year.
One big reason fantasy managers felt let down by his production was his drop in target share year-over-year.
Team Target Share
2023: 25.6%
2022: 31.0%
2021: 31.7%
In addition to his target share dropping significantly last season with the addition of Nacua, Kupp’s YPPR has dropped in three straight years. These can also be chalked up to his lowest yards-after-catch per reception mark of his career at 5.3.
Yards Per Route Run
2023: 1.77
2022: 2.40
2021: 3.12
It doesn’t help matters that Kupp had his highest drop percentage (7.2%) since his rookie season.
Does this mean Kupp isn’t a valuable fantasy WR2 in 2024? No. However, could it signal that Kupp has lost half a step and isn’t going to be as effective or dynamic on a per-reception basis moving forward? That is certainly within the range of outcomes.
Rams Fantasy Sleepers
The tight end position could be a non-factor in the fantasy realm for the Rams in 2024, with starter Tyler Higbee recovering from a devastating knee injury during their loss to the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFC Wild Card Round.
If you are in a 2TE league, Colby Parkinson is likely worth a late-round look after catching 25 passes in each of his last two years with the Seattle Seahawks.
At wide receiver, I would certainly encourage you not to openly dismiss the production we got Demarcus Robinson over the final month of the season.
KEEP READING: Consensus Dynasty Rankings
From Week 13-17, Robinson was the WR12 overall with 21 receptions for 319 yards and four TDs. He registered five straight performances with 13+ fantasy points. The team signed him to a one-year deal in the offseason.
One last name to keep an eye on in this backfield is the aforementioned Corum, who was a bellcow, workhorse back last year for the National Champion Michigan Wolverines. He was a scoring machine last year, finding the end zone 27 times on the ground to lead all FCS backs. He has plus-level vision, plays physical with great leverage, and has zone versatility for both zone and gap schemes.
Yet, I’m not as concerned about Corum being a significant threat to Williams’ fantasy value in 2024 due to his projected lack of contributions to an NFL passing attack and lack of explosive runs in 2023.
Expect Corum to have nice handcuff value for Williams, but to have minimal stand-alone value in 2024.
