Robert Woods has been one of the more consistent fantasy players these last few years. Yet, even with his steady production, it appears he always flies under the radar, and down the draft board. For whatever the reason may be, Woods has been vastly underrated by the fantasy community after proving year in and year out that he can put up solid numbers and boost a starting lineup. This article will dive into the numbers and look at the situation surrounding Woods, making the case for him to be a WR1 this season.
Consistency
If there is one thing we know, it’s that Woods has been the model of consistency. Since breaking out in 2018, Woods has finished as the WR10, the WR14, and the WR13. In 2018, he caught 86 passes for 1,219 yards and six touchdowns on 130 targets. He also added 19 carries for 157 yards and one touchdown. In 2019, he caught 90 passes for 1,134 yards and two touchdowns on 139 targets, while adding 17 carries for 115 yards and one touchdown. In 2020, he caught 90 passes for 936 yards and six touchdowns on 129 targets. He also carried the ball 24 times for 155 yards and two touchdowns. During these three years, Woods was on the field for 95%, 89%, and 89% of the offensive plays, respectively. Going solely off 2020 where his average snap percentage was 89, this was good for the eighth-best in the league, ahead of guys like Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams. The numbers don’t lie. Woods has shown that he can reliably put up numbers, and I don’t expect this to change.Â
Quarterback Upgrade
In the offseason, the Los Angeles Rams parted ways with quarterback Jared Goff and brought in veteran quarterback and gunslinger, Matthew Stafford. This is a major upgrade. Since entering the league in 2016, Goff has completed 1,536 passes for 18,171 yards and 107 touchdowns. This was done on 2,421 pass attempts in 69 games. Over this same span, and in just three more games, Stafford completed 1,652 passes on 2,533 attempts, for 19,133 yards and 119 touchdowns. While these numbers are not too far apart, they were done in completely different systems. Sean McVay, Stafford’s new head coach, is an offensive mastermind. He took what was a very mediocre quarterback in Goff and made him look above average, even great at times. Now, we have a partnership of a legitimately solid quarterback and a great head coach. This is a recipe for this offense to flourish, which, undoubtedly, will benefit Woods.Â
Situation
Briefly mentioned before, the situation is much different for Woods entering the 2021 season. While he will still be playing his usual role, the addition of Matthew Stafford will open the offense up. McVay used Goff conservatively in this offense, trying to minimize the mistakes. This is backed up by Goff’s 6.2 intended air yards per pass attempt. Compare this to Stafford’s 8.7, and we can clearly see that Woods will have an even better chance of racking up the yards. Couple this with the fact the Rams just lost star running back, Cam Akers for the season, McVay and the offense will rely on the arm of Stafford even more. We also know Woods provides a bit of a floor due to his rushing attempts, but now, we may see even more attempts given the loss of Akers.
Conclusion
Everything is pointing in the right direction for Woods. Consistent play, a quarterback upgrade, and an offense that may need to lean on the pass even more, paves the way for Woods to have a WR1 type season. He’s done it before, and he came close the following two years. Make no mistake about Woods, he is a talented wide receiver who constantly makes plays. Draft him confidently and watch him finish as a top-12 fantasy receiver.
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