Showing posts with label Puka Nacua. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Puka Nacua. Show all posts

Monday, September 11, 2023

Fantasy Football Week 2 Waiver Wire

Every week, I list players to potentially target on your league's waiver wire that could help your fantasy team in the short and/or long term.

To maximize the potential that these players are available in your league(s), I only include those that are available in 50% or more of Yahoo! leagues.

Some of the players below more offer more short-term value, others may other more long-term value.

MORE: Fantasy Football Rest-of-Season (ROS) Rankings

Week 2 Fantasy Football RB Waiver-Wire Rankings

1. Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles (46% rostered in Yahoo! leagues): In what had the potential to be a four-way committee, Rashaad Penny was inactive in Week 1 and Gainwell ended up dominating RB touches (18, 81.8%). No other Eagles back had more than two touches, and Gainwell finished with 14 carries for 54 yards and added four receptions for 20 yards. While I wouldn't expect it to remain so lopsided, Gainwell is the clear lead back and should be rostered in all formats and league sizes.

2. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams (5%): At first glance at the boxscore, Cam Akers (22) had more touches than Williams (15). That said, Williams (53 snaps, 65%) played more than Akers (28 snaps, 35%), and it was tilted even more in Williams' favor when the game was close. Williams out-snapped Akers 26 to four in the first half, and half (11) of Akers' touches occurred over the final 9:09 of the game. Maybe it's too soon to say that it's Williams, not Akers, who operates as L.A.'s lead back, but it seems to be a committee, at worst.

3. Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens (20%): J.K. Dobbins suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, and handled the bulk of touches before sustaining the injury. Unlike Dobbins, however, Edwards and Hill will split the majority of touches and it could be close to a 50-50 split between the two. Edwards has been a non-factor as a receiver (18 career receptions), but he has averaged 5.1 YPC over his career and should handle a larger share of the early-down work compared to Hill.

Below are my running back waiver-wire rankings heading into Week 2:

Week 2 Fantasy Football WR Waiver-Wire Rankings

Below are my wide receiver waiver-wire rankings heading into Week 2:

1. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams (5%): Nacua generated some buzz this summer, but nobody could have expected his incredible debut (10/119 on 15 targets). He is tied with Tyreek Hill for the most targets this week, and only Zay Flowers had a larger target share than Nacua (40.54%). After such a strong Week 1, the fifth-round rookie is in the WR3 mix for as long as Cooper Kupp is sidelined, which is a minimum of three more games. When Kupp is healthy and back in the lineup, Nacua clearly won't command 40% weekly target shares, but it's possible that he ends up being the top-producing non-Cooper Kupp Rams wide receiver Week 5 on (or from when Kupp returns).

2. Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas Raiders (50%): Meyers is in concussion protocol, but he had nine catches for 81 yards and two scores on 10 targets in Week 1. Davante Adams will obviously command the majority of the attention from opposing secondaries, which could create extra opportunities for Meyers along the way. Only Adams (nine) and Josh Jacobs (three) had more than one target in Week 1.

3. Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars (30%): Going into the season, I was part of the herd buying Jacksonville's offense in general heading into Trevor Lawrence's third season. Calvin Ridley returned to (real) NFL action with a bang, but it was almost exclusively Jones, not Christian Kirk, that was opposite Ridley in two-WR sets. Jones, who had a career 82/823/5 season last year, finished Week 1 with five catches for 55 yards and a score on seven targets (21.9%).

Week 2 Fantasy Football QB Waiver-Wire Rankings

Below are my quarterback waiver-wire rankings heading into Week 2:

Week 2 Fantasy Football TE Waiver-Wire Rankings

Below are my tight end waiver-wire rankings heading into Week 2:

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Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Los Angeles Rams 2023 Fantasy Football Projections

Our Fantasy Football Projections will be viewable by both position and team.

Below you will find our 2023 fantasy football projections for the Los Angeles Rams.

MORE: Fantasy football projections for more NFL teams

QUARTERBACKS

PlayerAtt.Comp.YardsTDINTRushYardsTDPoints
Matthew Stafford547369.24020.525.9815.0437.994.81.14250.98
Stetson Bennett41.226.8286.31.671.078.4210.2119.35

Matthew Stafford: There were concerns with Stafford and his elbow heading into the 2022 season, and the veteran quarterback managed to appear in only nine games due to a spinal cord contusion. Stafford threw 10 touchdowns (3.3 TD%, his lowest since 2012) and eight interceptions and averaged 6.9 yards per attempt (lowest since 2018) with an 87.4 passer rating (lowest since 2014). If Stafford can stay healthy in 2023, how close will he be to the 2021 version who led the Rams to the Super Bowl?

RUNNING BACKS

PlayerAtt.YardsTDRec.YardsTDPoints
Cam Akers219.2931.66.0327.7206.71.2171.06
Kyren Williams60.1246.41.3529.7219.61.477.95
Ronnie Rivers42.2183.61.065.943.10.333.78
Zach Evans33.7144.90.84536.60.226.89

Cam Akers: Akers missed nearly all of 2021 with a torn Achilles, but his volume has fluctuated quite a bit when healthy. Much of his 2022 production came during the final six weeks of the season when he finished with 104 carries for 512 yards (4.92 YPC) and six touchdowns and 11 receptions for 99 yards on 12 targets. Only Christian McCaffrey (767) — and wide receiver A.J. Brown — had more YFS from Weeks 13-18 than Akers (611).

Kyren Williams: He may be small (5-9 and 194 pounds) and slow (4.65 40-yard dash) by NFL standards, but Williams profiles as a third-down back who also has a shot to lead the team's running backs in receptions.

WIDE RECEIVERS

PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
Cooper Kupp112.91272.77.610.560.40.53238.54
Van Jefferson55.2725.74.5000127.17
Puka Nacua28.3325.22.200059.87
Tutu Atwell24.6279.91.98.437.80.558.47
Ben Skowronek19.2230.41.51.17.70.0642.77
Demarcus Robinson9.11120.800020.55

Cooper Kupp: Kupp pulled off the rare triple crown of receiving in 2021, finishing with 145 catches for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. While he missed roughly half of his follow-up season, the 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year had a better season than maybe most realized. Who led ALL receivers in half-PPR fantasy points scored in 2022 on a per-game basis? Yep, it was Kupp — not Justin Jefferson, or any other receiver. Of course, the problem is his hamstring and his uncertain status following his recent setback.

Van Jefferson: Making his season debut in Week 8 (and playing mostly when Kupp was out), Jefferson had only 24 catches for 369 yards and three touchdowns in nine games last season. Jefferson is an uninspiring WR5 in fantasy, but could move into the WR3 range if/when Kupp misses time.

TIGHT ENDS

PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
Tyler Higbee57.46184.3000116.3
Hunter Long9.1101.20.800019.47
Brycen Hopkins7.586.10.600015.96
Davis Allen4.449.50.40009.55

Tyler Higbee: Higbee set career highs in targets (108, fourth-most among TEs) and receptions (72, fifth) in 2022. While Cooper Kupp missed nearly half of the season, Higbee's per-game numbers were actually better with Kupp (4.9/43 on 7.2 targets) than without Kupp (3.5/29 on 5.4 targets). At a position where volume is inconsistent outside of the elite options, there is value in the consistency of Higbee's volume.

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Sunday, August 27, 2023

Los Angeles Rams 2023 Fantasy Football Projections

Our Fantasy Football Projections will be viewable by both position and team.

Below you will find our 2023 fantasy football projections for the Los Angeles Rams.

MORE: Fantasy football projections for more NFL teams

QUARTERBACKS

PlayerAtt.Comp.YardsTDINTRushYardsTDPoints
Matthew Stafford537.83633925.926.0814.7938.997.31.17248.53
Stetson Bennett40.526.3281.51.661.058.621.50.2219.27

Matthew Stafford: There were concerns with Stafford and his elbow heading into the 2022 season, and the veteran quarterback managed to appear in only nine games due to a spinal cord contusion. Stafford threw 10 touchdowns (3.3 TD%, his lowest since 2012) and eight interceptions and averaged 6.9 yards per attempt (lowest since 2018) with an 87.4 passer rating (lowest since 2014). If Stafford can stay healthy in 2023, how close will he be to the 2021 version who led the Rams to the Super Bowl and finished as a top-five fantasy quarterback?

RUNNING BACKS

PlayerAtt.YardsTDRec.YardsTDPoints
Cam Akers224.79556.1827.32021.2173.63
Kyren Williams61.6252.61.3929.2214.61.478.06
Ronnie Rivers43.2187.91.085.842.10.334.18
Zach Evans34.6148.80.874.935.80.227.33

Cam Akers: Akers missed nearly all of 2021 with a torn Achilles, but his volume has fluctuated quite a bit when healthy. Much of his 2022 production came during the final six weeks of the season when he finished with 104 carries for 512 yards (4.92 YPC) and six touchdowns and 11 receptions for 99 yards on 12 targets. Only Christian McCaffrey (767) — and wide receiver A.J. Brown — had more YFS from Weeks 13-18 than Akers (611).

Kyren Williams: He may be small (5-9 and 194 pounds) and slow (4.65 40-yard dash) by NFL standards, but Williams profiles as a third-down back who also has a shot to lead the team's running backs in receptions.

WIDE RECEIVERS

PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
Cooper Kupp118.71327.48.210.862.10.54250.74
Van Jefferson53.5696.34.4000122.78
Tutu Atwell20.6239.81.68.638.70.5250.87
Puka Nacua22.4256.71.800047.67
Ben Skowronek18.9225.11.51.17.70.0642.09
Demarcus Robinson9109.40.800026.04
Tyler Johnson1.923.10.20004.46

Cooper Kupp: Kupp pulled off the rare triple crown of receiving in 2021, finishing with 145 catches for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. While he missed roughly half of his follow-up season, the 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year had a better season than maybe most realized. Who led ALL receivers in half-PPR fantasy points scored in 2022 on a per-game basis? Yep, it was Kupp — not Justin Jefferson, or any other receiver. Kupp has been dealing with a hamstring injury, but he should be good to go for Week 1.

Van Jefferson: Making his season debut in Week 8 (and playing mostly when Kupp was out), Jefferson had only 24 catches for 369 yards and three touchdowns in nine games last season. Jefferson is an uninspiring WR5 in fantasy.

TIGHT ENDS

PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
Tyler Higbee56.4603.84.3000114.38
Hunter Long998.90.800019.19
Brycen Hopkins7.484.10.600015.71
Davis Allen4.348.40.40009.39

Tyler Higbee: Higbee set career highs in targets (108, fourth-most among TEs) and receptions (72, fifth) in 2022. While Cooper Kupp missed nearly half of the season, Higbee's per-game numbers were actually better with Kupp (4.9/43 on 7.2 targets) than without Kupp (3.5/29 on 5.4 targets). At a position where volume is inconsistent outside of the elite options, there is value in the consistency of Higbee's volume.

More Los Angeles Rams pages:

More of our content:

Check out our mock draft databases:

Keep track of our site's updates: (1) follow us on Twitter, (2) like us on Facebook and/or (3) subscribe to our newsletter.