The Los Angeles Rams started the 2024 year off with an improved offense through the draft and revamped the defense after Aaron Donald retired. A lot of the books had the win total for the Rams at over 7.5 wins, which was an easy hit since players like Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams had a breakout season. This year, the books have the Rams at over 8.5 wins right now, with the odds being -144 at the time of this article. That means everyone expects the Rams to have a great season and being a fan myself, I’m ready to bring the horns in any league with these players below. Horns up! Let’s get ready to smash our drafts and bring the pain to the competition.
Matt Stafford had a good year in 2023, throwing for 3,965 yards, 24 TDs, and 11 INTs. Many fantasy players won’t target him early, so if you’re able to pull either of his wide receivers, you might want to consider drafting Stafford. The Rams look great this year on offense, so if Stafford stays healthy, we could see him exceed those stats and exceed his draft value.
Kyren Williams is a risk-and-reward type of fantasy player. He’ll be there for you most of the way, but he has been injured often, which led to missing games last year. However, he performed amazingly from week 12 through week 17, which would be most fantasy football champions. He’s not a first-rounder for me, but if he falls to you in the third in a snake draft, you have to take a chance on Williams.
Blake Corum is one of those new weapons the Rams will feature in hopes that he can be their De’Von Achane. Explosive out of the backfield, Corum amassed 1,245 rushing yards on 258 rushing attempts with a 4.8 average and 28 total touchdowns in 2023 for Michigan. He is an excellent stash in any dynasty league and could take over for Williams if the Rams choose to part ways with him in the future.
Super Cooper Kupp showed that when the Rams can exploit a team’s defense with his skill set, he simply dominates. However, with the emergence of Puka Nacua, he just fit nicely into his role, which didn’t add up to much, especially if you drafted him in the first or second round. From the videos I have seen of him this year from training camp, he looks like he’s going to turn his back on the past, which will lead to a great future for your fantasy team if you can get him as a third or fourth wide receiver.
Puka Nacua set the DFS and seasonal world on fire, being highly targeted 52 times in the first four weeks. After that, there were games in which it looked like Stafford felt more comfortable with Nacua over Kupp. That’s a bold statement for sure, but Nacua still saw 112 targets when playing with Kupp the rest of the year. That is why some people are jumping on the Pacua SS and drafting Nacua early in the second round, if not the first.
I stand by my statement that linebackers are more important than tight ends in IDP leagues. Thus why I would rather write about Ernest Jones rather than Tyler Higbee. In 2023, Jones finished with 145 tackles and 4.5 sacks, which he should easily be able to duplicate this year with better talent around him other than Donald.
Jared Verse comes in as a rookie, and he’s playing his natural position at defensive end, which has led to a small exploit in some leagues. The Rams will be running Chris Shula’s 3-4 defense, in which Verse will be lined up as a linebacker most of the time. That will lead to extra tackles and a late steal in any IDP league you’re in.
The Rams may not be the best team in the league and could see their defense go through some growing pains. That will lead to more opportunities for the offense and IDP players. That will lead to a lot of targets for their wide receivers and running backs if they’re playing from behind. However, that might not happen often, given how explosive this offense can be. I can see the Rams finishing with 10 wins or more, which could give them a shot at a division title. The best part about it is that many of these players won’t be the top option for many players, which could give you multiple steals in any draft.
Final record: 11-6
