This is a make or break year for St. Louis Rams QB Sam Bradford – Part Deux. Photo: Icon Sportswire
| Player | Tier · Rank | Passing | Rushing | Receiving | FPts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
QB S. Bradford
|
5 · 22nd |
335-550-3,800 21 TD 14 INT
|
40-126 1 TD
|
– |
292.6
|
|
RB Z. Stacy
|
3 · 18th | – |
260-1,200 6 TD
|
30-185 1 TD
|
180.5
|
|
RB T. Mason
|
7 · 48th | – |
100-400 2 TD
|
35-205 1 TD
|
78.5
|
|
RB B. Cunningham
|
NR | – |
30-135 1 TD
|
3-00 0 TD
|
19.5
|
|
WR T. Austin
|
8 · 49th | – | – |
65-850 6 TD
|
121.0
|
|
WR K. Britt
|
9 · 57th | – | – |
35-375 2 TD
|
49.5
|
|
WR A. Pettis
|
NR | – | – |
10-110 0 TD
|
11.0
|
|
WR B. Quick
|
NR | – | – |
16-215 2 TD
|
33.5
|
|
WR C. Givens
|
NR | – | – |
35-525 2 TD
|
64.5
|
|
WR S. Bailey
|
NR | – | – |
30-390 2 TD
|
51.0
|
|
TE J. Cook
|
5 · 22nd | – | – |
50-625 4 TD
|
86.5
|
|
TE L. Kendricks
|
NR | – | – |
30-300 2 TD
|
42.0
|
QB Sam Bradford
Tell us if you’ve heard this before – this is a make or break year for St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford. Entering last season, we said the same thing about Bradford, only to watch him suffer a torn ACL in a Week 7 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Prior to the injury, Bradford posted solid production with 1,687 passing yards and 14 touchdowns with just four interceptions. However, a closer look reveals that he struggled to play well in two of his seven starts with the Rams accumulating just 18 total points in Week 3 and 4 losses to the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers. After four years, the book on Bradford is that he is an injury prone player (16 missed games) who fails to deliver big plays when his team needs him. Looking forward to 2014, the Rams have put together their best offensive line of Bradford’s career and surrounded him with a talented, if not entirely proven group of skill position players. St. Louis needs Bradford to step up his game and for offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to put him in a solid position to succeed. The good news is that fantasy owners won’t be reaching for Bradford as anything more than a low end QB2. If you want him, he rates as a low risk, moderate upside option at quarterback.
RB Zac Stacy
Taken in the 5th round of the 2013 NFL Draft, Stacy suffered through an awful preseason but, after barely playing in the Rams first four games, emerged as the Rams top running back in Week 5. Built low and powerful, Stacy effectively used his 5’8”, 224 pound frame to move the pile and churn out yards, finishing the season with 973 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 250 carries. He was passable as a receiver, gaining just 141 yards and a touchdown on 26 receptions as he played extensively due to the lack of solid options on the depth chart. With the Rams having added Tre Mason in the 3rd round of this year’s draft, we don’t foresee Stacy averaging the close to 23 touches per game he averaged in games he led the St. Louis rushing attack in 2013. Look for Mason to take over as the team’s leading receiving option out of the backfield and earn at least 6-8 rushes per game. However, Stacy will own the short yardage role and could emerge as a low end RB1 provided quarterback Sam Bradford can remain healthy and the Rams rebuilt offensive line lives up to its preseason billing.
RB Tre Mason
With former undrafted free agent Benny Cuningham, disappointing Isaiah Pead and injury prone Daryl Richardson (since released) behind Zac Stacy on the depth chart, the Rams used a 3rd round pick to acquire Auburn running back Tre Mason. While Mason lacks ideal size at just 5’9” and 205 pounds, he was a physical runner in college whose running style and size compare to Ray Rice. However, the Rams offense was at its best in 2013 with Stacy grinding out first downs and wearing down opposing defenses, and Stacy’s running style is more in line with what head coach Jeff Fisher prefers in the rushing game. Look for Mason to emerge as the Rams top backup and for offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to work him into the game plan as a change of pace and receiving option on 3rd down. He is a mid-tier dynasty prospect.
RB Benny Cunningham
Cunningham emerged as the Rams top backup running back last season almost by default. With former 2nd round pick Isaiah Pead in the doghouse and Daryl Richardson on the shelf due to a thigh injury, Cunningham was used extensively in two games and was solid in each, gaining 199 yards and a touchdown on 21 touches in Weeks 10 and 12. Unfortunately, talent wins out and it was pretty clear that the undrafted free agent out of Middle Tennessee State lacked upside, leading the Rams to use a 3rd round pick this season on Tre Mason.
RB Isaiah Pead
A 2nd round selection in the 2012 draft, Pead was pegged by many to be the eventual replacement for running back Steven Jackson. However, after two years, 17 carries, 14 receptions and a pile of time on the inactive list, Pead’s career with the Rams should mercifully come to an end at some point in August.
WR Tavon Austin
Entering his 2nd year in the league, Austin is a polarizing figure for fantasy purposes. Was he misused last season by Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, a coach often criticized for his lack of creativity? Would he have produced more had Sam Bradford been healthy for the entire season? With the Rams having their most success last season when they featured the running game, will Austin’s lack of blocking ability cause him to lose playing time in 2014? What is his role in the Rams deep, yet mostly unproven group of wide receivers? While Austin clearly has game breaking ability (as evidenced the 60.1 points he amassed in three games last season), he also struggled to separate himself from a group of receivers with much less talent and was wildly inconsistent, failing to top 40 receiving yards in ten of his 13 games. Since we don’t expect the Rams to give away their plans for Austin in the preseason, grabbing him as a WR3 seems foolhardy. If you like Austin’s potential, draft him as no more than a WR4 and hope the Rams have figured out how to maximize his tantalizing blend of speed and agility.
WR Chris Givens
After using his blazing speed to haul in 42 passes for 698 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie in 2012, the Rams expected Givens to continue to develop and become a key cog in the team’s passing attack in 2013. However, the Wake Forest product suffered an ankle injury that bothered him for much of the season and he failed to develop a rapport with backup quarterback Kellen Clemens after Sam Bradford was lost for the season in Week 7. By season’s end, Givens had accumulated just 34 receptions for 569 yards while failing to find the end zone. In 2014, Givens will compete for a role in the starting lineup with Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, Kenny Britt, Austin Pettis and Brian Quick. While that is hardly tough competition, it’s worth noting that Given has hauled in just 76 of his 163 targets during his first two years in the league. Largely a one trick pony as a deep threat, Givens will need to expand his game to have solid fantasy value.
WR Austin Pettis
Pettis enjoyed a career-year in 2013 with 38 receptions for 399 yards and four touchdowns. The 2011 3rd round pick out of Boise State has made his mark as a decent receiver in the red zone, as evidenced by his eight touchdowns over the past two years on just 68 receptions. That’s the good news. That bad news is that he has averaged just 9.6 yards per reception during his three year career. Given’s limited upside and lack of a defined role in the Rams offense entering 2014 equates to no fantasy value.
WR Stedman Bailey
Expected to spend his rookie season buried on the Rams depth chart at wide receiver, Bailey, the Rams 3rd round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, was surprisingly productive as the season wound down. The 5’10” and 195 pound West Virginia product hauled in 15 of his 22 targets for 195 yards and a pair of touchdowns over the final five games of the season when given an expanded role in the team’s offense. Possessing 4.4-40 speed, Bailey was a solid contender to exit the preseason with a role in the starting lineup until it was announced in May that he would be suspended for four games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. That news put a serious kink in his fantasy value and pretty much ensures he will go undrafted in all but the deepest fantasy leagues.
WR Brian Quick
Considered a raw prospect after being taken with the 1st pick in the second round of the 2012 draft, Quick followed up a disappointing rookie year with another subpar effort in 2013. He once again failed to emerge as a consistent contributor due to his inability to fully grasp the team’s playbook and his inconsistent hands. Unless Quick can quickly gain the trust of quarterback Sam Bradford and the team’s coaching staff, he is headed for bust status. While he has solid size at 6’5” and 220 pounds and better than average speed, Quick is in no danger of being taken in fantasy drafts this summer given the presence of Kenny Britt, a player with similar physical characteristics, on the Rams roster.
WR Kenny Britt
Should you drink the Britt Kool-Aid? Tough call. Sure, he’s talented. Sure, the Rams lack a true number one wide receiver. However, Britt is coming off the worst season of his five-year career having caught just 11 of his 35 targets for 96 yards in 2013. An incentive-laden one-year deal in St. Louis may help propel Britt back to respectability but even if he earns a job with the Rams (not a given by any stretch), it’s worth noting that he has never topped 800 receiving yards and he found the end zone just seven times over his final three seasons in Tennessee. He rates as a late round flier at best.
TE Jared Cook
At first glance, Cook enjoyed a fairly solid season during his first year in St. Louis, finishing as the 11th ranked fantasy tight end with 51 receptions for 671 yards and five touchdowns. However, a closer look reveals that the talented Cook was a major bust after his 7 reception, 141 yard, two touchdown performance in Week 1. From that point on, Cook hauled in just 44 of his 75 targets (a 58.9% completion rate) for 530 yards and three touchdowns, hitting double digit fantasy points just once. In fact, Cook had a whopping 12 games with five fantasy points or less. Unless offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer figures out a way to maximize his talents, Cook rates as nothing more than a low end TE2.
