St. Louis Rams Fantasy Football Analysis – Week 2

Week 2 – @ Washington – L 10-24

QB: Got dominated in TOP.  Foles a bad game and was pretty awful here.  Did suffer some dropped passes so not completely his fault.

RB: Mason returned and looked good when given the chance but not enough touches.  Cunningham got the receptions but also not enough touches.  Can’t expect much when they play from behind.

WR: Britt a long TD catch but nothing else.  Still a big gamble to use him.  Austin more rushing yards than receiving.  Just can’t be trusted unless he’s getting at least 9-10 touches per game consistently.

TE: Cook an okay game and looks good when he plays like this.  Just baffling as to his inconsistency.

OL: Couldn’t do much against good run D.  Pass protection wasn’t bad.  Not their fault for this game’s outcome.

Def: D line was held in check.  Couldn’t stop the run at all.  Very little pass pressure.  The run D might be a big concern if they keep losing TOP battle this badly.  Gave up monster game to RB and good games to TE and #1 WR.

Grading My Week 1 Last Minute Fantasy Football Pickups

Nailed a few of these in the difficult-to-judge first week of the NFL fantasy season.  Not a bad start at all.  As with last season, I’ll be using the standard projections and scoring found at espn.com for these ratings.  Let’s see how I did!

20-50% owned tier

Pickup of the Week – QB Marcus Mariota – Projected: 16th among QB – Finished: 3rd – Grade: A++

Didn’t need many throws to put up monster numbers against the terrible Bucs D.  Not completely sold on him yet since this came against Tampa and a lot of work was done after the catch for him.  But there’s no doubt about his accuracy and his arm.  He looks great and I get the feeling he will be able to play well against tougher match ups.

Honorable Mentions

WR Marvin Jones – Projected 72nd among WR – Finished: T64th – Grade: D

Close but not quite on him.  He had a TD catch but the D made a great play and knocked it out of his hands.  He still made good runs after the catch on his receptions and I’m a big believer in Jones.  He’ll be on this list again almost assuredly.

TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins – Projected 22nd among TE – Finished: 2nd – Grade: A++

Wow!  This guy looked legit.  Granted, it came against one of the weaker defenses from last season but he still made some great plays in this one.  Deserves to be owned on all leagues and should be on his way to a top 10 TE season.

Minnesota Vikings Defense – Projected: 12th among Def – Finished: 17th – Grade: F

Well, Carlos Hyde is an absurdly good football player and now the world knows it.  Minnesota’s O did the D no favors but, when you can’t stop the run, you’re going to have a pretty bad fantasy game.  They did come close to returning the blocked FG for a TD that would have saved their fantasy stats.  But this team laid an egg and I would expect better things in the coming weeks.

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20% or less tier

Pickup of the Week – WR Corey Brown – Projected 75th among WR – Finished: T64th – Grade: D

Never got the deep throw I expected.  Did get one target around the end zone but was well covered and was overthrown.  He’s going to hit some deep plays but it will be a gamble when it happens.

Honorable Mentions

RB Benny Cunningham – Projected: 18th among RB – Finished: 19th – Grade: B+

Surprised at the projection by ESPN considering the match up but Cunningham looked great all-around in this one.  Was a really nice grab in PPR.  Such a talented player and hard to believe he’s a third stringer when everyone is healthy.

RB Khiry Robinson – Projected: 52nd among RB – Finished: 26th – Grade: A

Continues to look great when he gets touches and is making a lot of people wonder where Spiller will fit in this offense once he returns.  It will be a committee in New Orleans until someone else gets injured so enjoy these match ups when you get them.

WR Allen Hurns – Projected: 58th among WR – Finished: 41st – Grade: C+

Looked good even though the numbers weren’t great.  Came about a foot away from a TD but couldn’t stay in bounds after the catch.  If he gets that, he’d have been a top 20 play.  Close does not count for much in fantasy football…

St. Louis Rams Fantasy Football Analysis – Week 1

Week 1 – vs Seattle – W 34-31

QB: Foles a good game against tough D.  Made good decisions and passes were pretty on target.  Looked really solid and usable in a pinch.

RB: Cunningham a good game doing most of his damage as a receiver.  Did run really well when holes were there.  Hard to fathom he is the third stringer on this team with how good he can be.

WR: Quick a healthy scratch.  Austin a great game as the team decided to use him a little in this one any way they could.  Paid off nicely and he should get this kind of work every week plus some.  Britt and Bailey okay but hard to guess which will get the most work each week.

TE: Cook a good game and might have better chemistry with new QB.  If so, he could be a potential top 10 TE by season’s end.  Worth keeping a very close eye on.

OL: Pretty good considering opponent.  Opened up a little more than expected on the ground and mostly kept QB clean.  Did enough for the win.  Can’t ask for more.

Def: Looked great and might have the best D line in the league.  Just phenomenal how much they were in the backfield and how fast.  Gave up good game to TE and decent games to #2 WR and RB.

Last Minute Fantasy Football Pickups of Week 1 – Mariota and Brown

Good to be back to fantasy football and making crazy picks again.  All ownership percentages will be taken from CBS Sports this season as they are typically the highest so if you play on another site, these guys should be more readily available.  Also, I’ll be doing two groups of four players each this season.  One group will be players owned in 20-50% of leagues.  The second group will be the same as last season with players that are owned in less than 20% of leagues.  Week 1 is tough for these picks but still some good ones to go after.  Let’s pick ’em!

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20-50% owned tier

Pickup of the Week – QB Marcus Mariota – Owned: 42%

Gambling with the rookie but the match up against the Bucs is too good to pass up.  Remember the 5 TDs in the first half by Flacco against them last season?  Yeah, their passing D isn’t great and, while Mariota is not Flacco at this point, you have to believe the opportunity is there for a big game.  And add in the potential rushing numbers Mariota might tack on and you could be looking at a top 10 finish for him this week.  The only question will be can his line protect him from the strong defensive front sported by the Bucs.  I think they’ll do enough for him to have a solid start to his promising career.  (Projection: 240-2, 45-1)

Honorable Mentions

WR Marvin Jones – Owned: 32% – Probably a little too much of a forgotten man at this point but shouldn’t be for long.  If he’s fully healthy, he’s got top 20 potential, easily, and should get off to a good start at Oakland as they might focus too much on stopping Hill and Green.  I have a feeling I won’t be able to put him on this list much longer.  (85-1)

TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins – Owned: 43% – Just loved the talent he showed in his very short time on the field last season.  Now, he gets a clean bill of health, another season wiser, an improvement at QB (hopefully), and a layup for a defense to play against in Week 1 in Tennessee.  Add in a banged up Mike Evans and Seferian-Jenkins looks primed for a visit to the end zone this week.  (65-1)

Minnesota Vikings Defense – Owned: 29% – A lot of young and hungry lions on this D and they get the team that, personnel-wise, went through the most disastrous off-season in recent memory in the 49ers.  Unless Kaepernick took a major step forward in his development since last year, the Vikings D could be feasting in week 1.  (12 points)

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20% or less tier

Pickup of the Week – WR Corey Brown – Owned: 7%

Swinging for the fences with this home run hitter in week 1.  I liked his ability to get downfield last season and I think he catches at least one bomb this week against the Jags.  I wouldn’t except him to get much more as Ginn and Olsen will likely get the volume.  But don’t be surprised to see a 50+ yard TD out of this guy as he’s very capable of that.  The Jags defense is scarier than most people give them credit for but more so against the run than the pass.  Newton should find Brown and start his fantasy season off with a bang. (4-80-1)

Honorable Mentions

RB Benny Cunningham – Owned: 19% – Tough match up against the Seahawks but I don’t mind Cunningham in PPR this week.  He’s compact and elusive and has really nice hands.  Probably won’t do a ton on the ground but should be good as a receiver and might sneak one in.  (90 total yards-1)

RB Khiry Robinson – Owned: 11% – Pretty much the same story as Cunningham except he’ll not get the carries with Ingram around.  And who knows?  Maybe Brees will look his way on a short one in the red zone as he tries to replace his favorite target in Jimmy Graham.  Not confident of that but it’s not impossible… (60 total yards-1)

WR Allen Hurns – Owned: 18% – I like the ability of Marquise Lee more but he’s doubtful so Hurns gets a chance to repeat his week 1 magic from last season against the Panthers.  Certainly not expecting the same numbers but I’m hoping Bortles proves he’s better than I think and gets plenty of throws to Hurns.  He has good size and I think the defense might focus a little more on Robinson when red zone time comes letting Hurns snag one.  (5-70-1)

St. Louis Rams Week 17 Fantasy Analysis

Week 17 – @ Seattle – L 6-20

QB: Hill a bad fantasy game but actually didn’t play that bad considering the match up.  Had 1 TD dropped and a second fumbled inside the 1 yard line.  Would have been nice game.

RB: Cunningham a good PPR game and continues to be a nice complimentary back.  Mason couldn’t get much against elite D and had average numbers.  Still looked good on his touches.

WR: Britt did a little bit but no one else got much.  Britt did look pretty good but just can’t be trusted and should not be drafted next season.

TE: Cook dropped a sure TD and did little else.  Has the tools but needs a good match up to use.

OL: Couldn’t open any holes for run game.  Handled pass rush well at times but still gave up some sacks.

Def: Got run on for more than usual but tough match up.  Pressured QB really well.  Was covering better than usual.  Gave up good game to RB and decent game to #2 WR.

St. Louis Rams Week 14 Fantasy Analysis

Week 14 – @ Washington – W 24-0

QB: Hill a decent game despite getting rushed all game.  Team is going to run with the lead so his ceiling is low.

RB: Mason looked okay against tough run D.  No catches as Cunningham got all RB receptions.  Mason could be very good next season if team circumstances get a little better.

WR: Team had lead and didn’t throw much.  WRs suffered.  Britt and Bailey average receiving games and Austin decent with rushing.  Austin still most explosive player of these WRs.

TE: Cook a big game with 2 TDs as his play continues to be erratic.  Talent is there, consistency is not.

OL: Not great against tough D-line.  Wasn’t opening up a ton for RBs and got QB hit plenty.

Def: Front played great again.  Helped by bad QB.  Pass rush was excellent.  Shutout run game.  Gave up good game to #1 WR.  Held everything else to little.

St. Louis Rams Week 11 Fantasy Analysis

Week 11 – vs Denver – W 22-7

QB: Hill managed well and hit a big play for a TD.  Didn’t look great but got the upset win.  Wouldn’t trust for fantasy right now.

RB: Mason looked phenomenal.  Did a lot himself at times although blocking wasn’t bad.  Cunningham still the receiver right now.

WR: Britt a huge game grabbing a long TD.  The best receiver on the team right now and a decent play with the right match up.  Austin got a couple carries but did little.  Can’t be trusted.

TE: Cook did little in good match up.  Should have been better than this.

OL: Solid game but not great.  Run blocking was average as RB made them look better than they played.  Solid pass blocking.

Def: Front played extremely well again.  Was rushing QB well and stopped few runs that were tried.  TOP was won by a ton.  Gave up big games to receiving RB, WRs, and decent game to QB, even though he didn’t play great.

St. Louis Rams Week 10 Fantasy Analysis

Week 10 – @ Arizona – L 14-31

QB: Davis awful again and deserves to be benched.  Just can’t handle the pressure right now.

RB: Mason looked very good in this one but had TD vultured by Cunningham.  Good game receiving.  Would be worth the gamble if they ever had a good match up.

WR: Bad QB play killed again.  Austin had some good plays but they still aren’t getting him the ball.  Britt did little.  Have to hope QB change helps.

TE: Cook burned D on long TD catch and run.  Did little otherwise.  Hard to trust.

OL: Played fairly well but got run over on a few plays hurting running game in particular.  Got QB hit quite a bit but QB was to blame for the majority of it.

Def: Front played great again and is looking really tough, especially against the run.  Stopped good runner cold.  Got torched through the air.  Gave up big games to WRs and decent game to receiving RB.  Held bad TE to little.

St. Louis Rams Week 9 Fantasy Analysis

Week 9 – @ SF – W 13-10

QB: Davis was awful.  Probably should have been benched in this game.  Nothing positive.

RB: Mason got the most work but was only average against tough D.  Cunningham appears to be passing downs back.  Stacy zero touches.  Want to say he’s done but it’s too messy to even say that.

WR: QB play killed everybody here.  Britt caught a TD on a blown coverage.  Saved the group from a near shutout.  Austin didn’t get any carries when lining up at RB.  Might be fading again.

TE: Same as WRs.  All about bad QB.  Cook did little but it will happen when you aren’t getting competent throws.

OL: Struggled against tough D.  Run blocking was a little better than expected but bad pass blocking.  QB play made them look far worse.

Def: Front seven played incredibly good and dominated all game.  Held everything to little except a big game by #2 WR and his TD came on blown coverage.

St. Louis Rams Week 8 Fantasy Analysis

Week 8 – @ KC – L 7-34

QB: Davis was rushed and hit all game long as pass rush couldn’t be stopped.  Line was terrible and Davis couldn’t adjust to the pressure.

RB: A mess.  Mason, Cunningham, and Stacy all splitting carries and all look about equally good when blocking is there.  Stacy got the most catches.  Just a bad situation for fantasy until something changes.

WR: Quick hurt and done for the year.  No WR did much this game.  Britt had one longish catch and run but no TDs for anyone.  Austin continues to get a couple carries out of the backfield but not enough touches to matter yet.

TE: Cook and Kendricks 1 catch each but Kendricks did get the TD.  Awful game for these guys, just like the rest of the team.

OL: Terrible against a great D-line.  Couldn’t pass protect at all.  Run blocking was actually decent but deficit forced the pass.

Def: Did little to stop anything.  Gave up monster game to RBs combined.  Gave up decent games to #1 WR and TE.  Started okay but TOP killed.