Rams WR Tutu Atwell saw a season-low 5 targets in Sunday's loss to the Eagles, the first game with Cooper Kupp back from his hamstring injury. Atwell's 13.5% target share also marked a season low and a significant dip vs. the past two weeks. Atwell's target shares by week before Sunday went: 21%, 16.4%, 27.3%, and 22.5%. We'll see whether he can rebound going forward. But it'll be tough to feel good about starting him a week after Atwell trailed well behind both Kupp (12) and Puka Nacua (11) in targets.
Rams HC Sean McVay confirmed on Friday that WR Cooper Kupp (hamstring) will play vs. the Eagles this weekend. The team has seemingly played it safe with Kupp's return from his recurring hamstring injury, so we'd expect him to be at least close to 100%. It's still possible that he's on some type of snap count on Sunday, but Kupp would be tough to leave out of Week 5 fantasy lineups considering his dominance since 2021. His return is an obvious threat to WR Puka Nacua and WR Tutu Atwell's volume -- although Nacua would also be nearly impossible to bench. See where all those guys sit in the Week 5 WR Rankings.
Rams WR Puka Nacua is incredible. His 39 catches through the first four games of his NFL career are the most all-time, and the rookie closed out Week 4 with his first career TD vs. the Colts. He led the team in receiving with 9 catches on 10 targets for 163 receiving yards. TE Tyler Higbee also paid off for fantasy managers, logging 5 catches on 11 targets for 64 yards. While his final stat line was a bummer (5 catches, 24 yards), WR Tutu Atwell remained heavily involved and should be a good candidate to bounce back next week vs. the Eagles. This Rams’ passing attack is turning out to be among the best in fantasy.
Rams WR Puka Nacua came back down to earth on Monday night, recording 5 catches on 7 targets for 72 yards vs. the Bengals. Week 3 also saw a solid effort from TE Tyler Higbee. He caught all 5 of his targets for 71 yards in the loss. Not to bury the lead here, but WR Tutu Atwell was extremely impressive in this one. He had an excellent 22-yard rush that nearly resulted in a TD to go on top of his 4 catches for 50 yards and a receiving score on a team-leading 9 targets. While the Rams may have lost this game, fantasy managers who roster these pass-catchers came out as winners. Let’s see if they can keep this production rolling in Week 4 vs. the Colts.
Rams WR Puka Nacua snagged 15 catches for 147 yards in Sunday's loss to the 49ers. That gives the rookie 25 receptions through his first two games, a new NFL record. Nacua drew a whopping 20 targets in the game, doubling his nearest teammate and accounting for 36.4% of Matthew Stafford's 55 pass attempts. RB Kyren Williams ranked second, catching six of 10 targets for 48 yards and a TD. WR Tutu Atwell ranked third with 9 targets. He snagged 7 catches for 77 yards. Nacua now stands as a must-start at least until Cooper Kupp returns. We'll see how the WR corps changes at that point.
The Rams will place WR Cooper Kupp (hamstring) on IR, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That knocks Kupp out for at least the first four games of the season. Hopefully he's ready to go come Week 5 and the hamstring trouble doesn't resurface. Kupp is certainly worth stashing in all fantasy leagues. Van Jefferson figures to operate as Los Angeles' No. 1 WR with Kupp out. We'll see how the WR corps shakes out behind him. TE Tyler Higbee should also see a bunch of targets sans Kupp.
Rams Wire's Cameron DaSilva says "no one should sleep on [Demarcus] Robinson or [Tyler] Johnson as the Rams' No. 3 receiver." He adds that either has a chance to "leapfrog" Ben Skowronek, Tutu Atwell, and Puka Nacua in pursuit of that third spot, joining Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson. We wouldn't recommend investing heavily into any of those competitors -- and we're not even especially interested in Jefferson. But we'll be watching to see who emerges as that No. 3 wideout.
Rams beat writer Cameron DaSilva writes that “in all likelihood,” the team will use a rotation at WR3. Van Jefferson holds the WR2 role behind Cooper Kupp. But we’ll see training camp sort the depth chart beyond that, with Tutu Atwell, Ben Skowrenek, and Puka Nacua as leading contenders. Atwell brings big-play appeal, making him a late-round option in best ball leagues. Nacua, though, has drawn the most buzz this offseason. The real takeaway is that Kupp remains a strong candidate to lead the NFL in targets.
Rams HC Sean McVay said he should have utilized WR Tutu Atwell more last season. Atwell — who McVay called “a real bright spot” this offseason -- finished 2022 with 35 targets. “You can see just the comfort in playing a lot of snaps last year, gaining some confidence and then being able to move around,” McVay said. “That’ll be really valuable.” The former Round 2 pick brings big-play ability, but he’s ultimately a fringe best ball flier. Atwell doesn’t crack the top 90 of our PPR WR rankings.
The Rams are finalizing a trade to send WR Allen Robinson to the Steelers, pending Robinson passing a physical. No word yet on the compensation, but the Rams probably aren't getting much. Robinson is set to count $18 million against the 2023 salary cap and has been one of the least efficient WRs in the NFL over the past two seasons. He ranked 86th out of 101 qualifying WRs in yards per route run in 2021 and 90th out of 96 last year. Robinson figures to slide in as Pittsburgh's #3 WR behind Diontae Johnson and George Pickens. He's not an exciting fantasy pick. The Rams, meanwhile, are left with Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell, and Ben Skowronek atop the WR depth chart. We'll see if they add to the position.
Update: Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Steelers are getting Robinson and the 251st overall pick of this year's draft in exchange for the 234th overall pick. The Rams are also paying $10.25 million of Robinson’s salary. The Steelers will pay the remaining $5 million. If you needed confirmation that Robinson's tank is empty, there you go.
Rams WR Ben Skowronek will miss the rest of the season with a calf injury, HC Sean McVay said Tuesday. Skowronek joins WRs Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson on the sideline, leaving the Rams with WRs Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell, Brandon Powell, Austin Trammell and Lance McCutcheon.
Rams WR Allen Robinson (foot) is "not likely" to play vs. the Chiefs today, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Robinson was set to serve as Los Angeles' de facto #1 WR with Cooper Kupp out. Los Angeles is now down to WRs Van Jefferson, Ben Skowronek, Brandon Powell, Tutu Atwell and Lance McCutcheon. TE Tyler Higbee is the favorite to lead the team in targets today -- but this is a passing game to try to avoid with QB Bryce Perkins likely making his 1st career start.
Rams TE Tyler Higbee drew a team-high 8 targets in the 1st game since WR Cooper Kupp landed on RB. He caught 4 for 45 yards. WRs Allen Robinson and Van Jefferson followed him with 5 targets apiece. Robinson and WR Tutu Atwell claimed the team's 2 offensive TDs. We'll see whether QB Matthew Stafford can make it back from his concussion for next Sunday's visit to the Chiefs (but we wouldn't bet on it).
Rams WR Van Jefferson (knee) is out for Thursday night's opener vs. the Bills. He didn't practice all week, so a Week 2 return doesn't look particularly likely. Jefferson's snaps are expected to be picked up by a committee of WRs Tutu Atwell, Ben Skowronek and Brandon Powell. None is a viable fantasy play outside of DFS showdown contests. WR Cooper Kupp, WR Allen Robinson and TE Tyler Higbee should be the clear focal points of the Rams' passing game against Buffalo.
Rams WR Van Jefferson (knee) did not practice on Monday. He's looking like a long shot for Thursday night's opener vs. the Bills after undergoing knee surgery at the beginning of August. Jefferson's absence will leave Tutu Atwell and Ben Skowronek at the Rams' #3 and #4 WRs -- and leave extra targets for WR Cooper Kupp, WR Allen Robinson and TE Tyler Higbee.
Rams WR Van Jefferson will have surgery on his left knee, HC Sean McVay announced to reporters Monday. The issue still doesn't sound major, though. Jefferson is only expected to miss "a few weeks," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapport. The young wideout is "TBD for Week 1." We'll see about Jefferson's status as Week 1 approaches. He remains in play as an end-of-draft option for deeper leagues, though there's obviously risk that the situation limits him into the season. Ben Skowronek and Tutu Atwell look like the top 2 candidates for the 3rd WR role if Jefferson misses regular-season games. We also could see more target share go to Cooper Krupp and/or Allen Robinson in that case.
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