2016 Fantasy Football Team Preview: Los Angeles Rams

 

2015 Fantasy Recap

2015 just wasn’t a great year to own many of these Rams players. Even Todd Gurley owners only received 13 games out of him on the year but he was well worth the wait, honestly. Overall, the quarterback situation last season was a complete disaster with guys such as Nick Foles and Case Keenum trying to keep the ship afloat. As a whole, this offensive unit in 2015 was awful, finishing dead last in total offensive plays ran. Rams fans and fantasy enthusiasts can only hope that 2016 is a much better year for these guys, so let’s get started with our preview.

Key Additions and Losses

Additions:

• Jared Goff, QB

Losses:

• Janoris Jenkins, CB
• Rodney McLeoud, S

QuarterBack Fantasy Outlook

Like I said earlier, the quarterback situation last season was an utter disappointment with this Rams squad. In 2016, not only will they be in a new city but will also have a young, crafty signal caller to mold as the future of the franchise. With the 1st overall pick in the 2016 draft, Los Angeles drafted Jared Goff from California University to be the cornerstone of this franchise for years to come. Over his college career, Goff completed 62.3 percent of his passing attempts for 12,195 yards, 96 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. Do I think that he will be the answer to Rams’ fans prayers this year? No, but he will without a doubt be a nice step in the right direction.

Second-year running back Todd Gurley has already made it clear that he is a big fan of Goff’s play, so that gives me hope that there will be chemistry for this young squad. Other than Goff, Los Angeles will have veteran quarterbacks in Case Keenum and Nick Foles on the depth chart. Neither of those guys could get the job done last year, so I see Goff becoming the go-to guy by the beginning of the regular season. As of right now, the coaching staff is claiming that it’s going to be Keenum’s job to lose but I honestly can’t believe that’s going to happen when it’s all said and done.

Grade: C-

 Running Back Fantasy Outlook

The one bright spot of this franchise is their beastly running back Todd Gurley. In just 12 games started during his rookie campaign, Gurley rushed the ball 229 times for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Rams. He also helped out a bit in the passing game, catching 21 passes for 188 yards. He won’t give you massive PPR upside but in standard leagues, he could be a Top-3 caliber style of player. In 2015, Gurley also rushed for an impressive 4.8 yards per carry, so that’s always a plus as well.

Last year, this Rams squad ranked 14th overall in rushing attempts and I’m expecting them to rush the ball even more in 2016. With a potential rookie quarterback taking the snaps for Los Angeles, you can expect Jeff Fisher to use a healthy dosage of the running game to help him out. One other intriguing player on this Rams’ depth chart at running back is Tre Mason. He more than likely won’t see a ton of time on the field but could be a great handcuff just in case Gurley suffers an injury.

Grade: A-

Wide Receiver Fantasy Outlook

Los Angeles just hasn’t really done much to improve their wide receivers group over the last few seasons. Obviously, Tavon Austin is your best fantasy option but he even he was hit or miss last season on any given Sunday. In 2015, Austin caught 52 balls on 87 targets for 473 yards and five touchdowns. He’s also a dual-threat receiver because he does just as much damage in the Rams rushing game as well. Last year, Austin rushed the ball 52 times for 434 yards and four scores. One other nice thing about him is the fact that he returns punts and kickoffs, making him an all around nice option.

Other than Austin, there isn’t one guy on this team that warrants even a second glance in your fantasy drafts. Guys such as Kenny Britt and Brian Quick are talented but just can’t seem to ever stay healthy enough to produce viable fantasy points. Overall, I do think that if Goff is the starter for Los Angeles this year the offense will improve somewhat but I’m still not confident enough to advocate drafting many of these wide outs.

Grade: C-

Tight End Fantasy Outlook

The tight end spot is by far the most disappointing position of them all for this young Rams franchise. Lance Kendricks will more than likely get the first crack at the starting gig but don’t get too excited about him. Last season, Kendricks caught just 25 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns for the Rams. He’s never amassed more than 520 yards and five touchdowns in any of his five seasons, so I won’t expect much more than that for 2016. There are at least 25 other tight ends out there that will be available in your upcoming fantasy drafts that will be a better option than anyone that this Los Angeles team can offer, so stay away in 2016.

Grade: D-

Defensive Fantasy Outlook

The Rams defense is always a mystery. You just never know what you’re going to get out of them from week to week. They do have a decent schedule this year and will get to face off against San Francisco twice, so that’s a plus. They have the potential to finish within the Top-15 this year in my opinion but that will all rely on the health of their players. Right now, most sites are ranking Los Angeles as the 14th best defense on the board, which fits right into where I see them finishing on the year.

They do have some young, talented players on the defensive side of the ball with guys such as Aaron Donald, Alec Ogletree and Mark Barron. I will say that the Rams defense could be a good one to draft for Week 1, facing off against the 49ers and will more than likely be a matchup-based squad all season long. So, with that said, don’t get your hopes up that you’ll be drafting a sleeper defense for 2016 because I feel like Los Angeles is at least another year away from being a legit defensive threat.

Grade: C+

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