Fantasy football: How 2021 draft class impacts Rams veterans
Although the Los Angeles Rams did add plenty of help on defense, a big story coming out of the 2021 NFL draft is that they spent four picks on offensive skill players – including their first selection at No. 57 overall. Jake Funk and Ben Skowronek don’t figure to contribute much on offense as rookies, and Jacob Harris probably won’t either.
However, Tutu Atwell is a speed demon who will get on the field and contribute in a variety of ways.
So how does the incoming draft class impact some of the Rams’ veterans? We break that down below, looking at Matthew Stafford, Cam Akers and others who figure to play key roles.
QB Matthew Stafford
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
One of the bigger winners of the draft was Stafford. The Rams gave him another playmaker by drafting Tutu Atwell in the second round, and then they used two more picks on pass-catchers: Jacob Harris in the fourth and Ben Skowronek in the seventh, both of whom are bigger targets. Harris and Skowronek probably won’t contribute much as rookies, but Sean McVay will absolutely find ways to get Atwell involved. Whether it’s on jet sweeps, deep shots, screens or quick passes where Atwell is on the move, he will get the ball in different ways. With DeSean Jackson also in the mix behind Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp – two of the top receivers in yards after the catch in recent years – Stafford is going to find a lot of easy yards in L.A.
RBs Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson Jr.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Akers wasn’t really impacted much by the Rams’ draft class. They did select a running back, but not until the seventh round when they took Jake Funk, primarily as a special teams contributor. Had they drafted a running back earlier, which would’ve come as a pretty big surprise, Akers’ stock might’ve been dinged a little bit. But despite Henderson's presence on offense, this is Akers’ backfield as the projected RB1 in Los Angeles. He’s going to get most of the touches as he did toward the end of the season, but the Rams might opt to limit his workload slightly to keep him fresh throughout the new 17-game season. Henderson isn't likely to be overtaken by Funk in 2021, even with the rookie's impressive speed and athleticism. Neither Akers nor Henderson had their fantasy stocks impacted much by the selection of Funk.
WRs Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp
(AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Van Jefferson can probably be looped into this group, too, but we’re focusing on Woods and Kupp – the top two targets in the Rams offense. Kupp had 124 passes thrown his way in 15 games last season, while Woods was targeted 129 times by Jared Goff. The addition of Atwell could lead to a decrease in opportunities for Kupp and Woods, but they should still be Stafford’s two favorite receivers. McVay is very intentional when it comes to playing time and he already plans to keep his receivers fresh with the excellent depth the Rams have. To be able to surround him with playmakers, keeping guys fresh,” he said after Day 2 of the draft. “We have some really important players at that receiver group that have played a significant amount of snaps, but I think it's important to be able to keep them fresh throughout the course of games and then also the season, playing 17 games and hopefully you give yourself an (opportunity) to compete afterwards.” Kupp and Woods should both still be quality WR2 options in fantasy, but the arrivals of Jackson and Atwell, as well as the rise of Jefferson could lower their value slightly. Someone has to lose snaps to get Atwell opportunities as a rookie.
WR DeSean Jackson
Jackson is in a different group than Woods and Kupp because he’ll play a different role on offense. As the No. 4 receiver right now, Jackson’s opportunities will already be somewhat limited. The Rams didn’t pay him $4.5 million to sit on the bench and catch only 20 passes, though. He’ll get chances to catch some deep passes and McVay will mix in different routes as he did when the two were together in Washington, but the coach told Peter Schrager of NFL Network that Atwell is “DeSean Jackson Jr.” They’re similar players and will compete for snaps, so the addition of Atwell can really only have a negative impact on Jackson’s fantasy stock, which is already on the lower side in a crowded receiver room.
TE Tyler Higbee
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Rams lost Gerald Everett in free agency, which was a boost to Higbee’s fantasy prospects. Brycen Hopkins was drafted last year to eventually replace Everett if he left, but it doesn’t seem the Rams are sold on the Purdue product. They took Jacob Harris in the fourth round, who’s a raw but extremely athletic tight end. He won’t do much as a rookie, however, because he’s only caught passes at any level of football for two years and transitioning from college to the pros as a tight end is already difficult. The Rams didn’t necessarily need a tight end with Hopkins and Mundt behind Higbee, but the selection of Harris is certainly something to watch throughout camp and into the early parts of the season.
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