Los Angeles Rams

Rookie Face Plants

Rookie / By /

Death, taxes, and analysts propping up rookie face plants. These second-year receivers are likely presented as premium buy-low players. Players that are still young and have perceived upside. But does buying rookie face plants work? Is it a viable strategy? We must first define what a face plant is. For this study, we will consider 7.5 PPR (per game) or less a face plant. This leaves us with a sample size of 229 receivers (all data of drafted wide receivers since 2010).  Of those 229, only 13 went on to achieve at least a top 24 positional finish and only nine were able to achieve more than one. That’s a staggering 5.7% achieving at least a top 24 positional finish and 3.9% achieving more than one. Not exactly odds that we would want to bet on, let alone trade away rookie draft capital to acquire.

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DFF Draft Coverage: Tutu Atwell to the Rams

Dynasty, Rookie / By /

At his Louisville Pro Day, Tutu Atwell measured in at 5’9” and 155 lbs. Which equates to a BMI of 22.9. His 40-yard dash time was 4.44-seconds, his burst score was 114.6, and his agility score was 10.96. All of these metrics are pretty average for his size, but they are not awful which is all that matters for a WR. Tutu’s only red flag here would be his BMI, and his BMI being so low is a little scary. I do not feel BMI and size are too predictive for NFL success, but we just haven’t seen anyone this small before so it is hard to say for sure.

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JT Daniels: 2021 Devy Profile

Devy / By /

JT Daniels burst on the scene at USC starting as a true freshman, and, while not a stud, looked to be a solid enough player. Obviously, his accuracy was less than stellar and the offense struggled from time to time, but these growing pains aren’t unheard of from true freshman quarterbacks. Entering his second season at USC, there was hope that Daniels was ready to take the next step behind center and elevate his level of play. Halfway through the first game in 2019, USC found themselves scrambling for a replacement as Daniels went down with a torn ACL.

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Super Wild Card Weekend Storylines: Saturday

Dynasty / By /

I love writing these storyline pieces. Now that we’ve hit the playoffs, I want to cover all the games, bringing you at least something to think about when you watch the playoffs. Even though playoffs don’t count for our fantasy teams, playoff performances can have massive effects on future dynasty value. This piece will give you something specific to look for in each contest, which I hope helps you enjoy the games even more. We all play fantasy football to enhance our enjoyment of football, and I’m trying to add to that sense of happiness here. Fun is the most essential part of this hobby for all of us, including me. I’ve listed the home team first for each game to keep things organized. For this week, I’ll cover the Saturday games in one article and the Sunday games in another. I won’t waste any more time, so let’s jump straight in!

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NFC West: Divisional Nuggets

Dynasty / By /

At this point, I’ve turned on Russell Wilson as a dynasty asset. He completed 20/32 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown, although he saved his day with a rushing touchdown. However, Wilson is already 32 years old, so fantasy owners cannot rely on high rushing production forever. Wilson hasn’t thrown for more than 300 yards since Week 9, and he has only 10 touchdowns in those seven games.

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Rookie Stock Market: Week 15

Dynasty / By /

Congratulations! I hope this applies to a lot of y’all, as I believe my readers are educated and smart fantasy players who have made it to the finals of their leagues. My overall percentage of teams in the playoffs is down compared to normal, but 2020 has been nothing but normal right? Like last week, we had several big-time rookie performances in Week 15. Jalen Hurts was the top-scoring player across all positions, and Justin Herbert was QB6. D’Andre Swift was RB10, Jonathan Taylor was RB15, Brandon Aiyuk was WR6, CeeDee Lamb WR11, and Justin Jefferson WR16. So if you rostered and played these rookies, you’re happy you did! Like the past two weeks, in addition to the normal stuff I cover here, I will be adding a Week 16 Playoff Spin for each rookie I touch on today. Let’s get into it!

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Rookie Stock Market: Week 14

Dynasty / By /

The first week of the fantasy football playoffs is now behind, and I hope you still have a horse in the race. There were lots of rookies in Week 14 that performed well and could have really helped your teams. One top-five QB in Tua, two top 10 WRs in KJ Hamler and Brandon Aiyuk, two top 10 RBs in Jonathan Taylor and Cam Akers, and plenty of others like Lynn Bowden, and J.K. Dobbins who could have been worthy Flex plays. I will not dive into all of these players, but like last week I will be giving you a quick Week 15 playoff spin on the players I do touch on this week. 3,2,1… it’s go time!

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Rookie Stock Market: Week 13

Dynasty / By /

This marks two weeks in a row that Cam Akers has made it into the risers. That’s a good look, especially for a rookie that had a relatively rocky start to the season. Week 13 brought Akers a season-high in total yardage, touches, and snap %. In addition to the increased workload, Week 13 marks the third week in a row that Akers has found his way into the end zone. The increase in usage could be attributed to Darrell Henderson Jr. briefly leaving the game with a knee injury, but nonetheless, it is great to see the second-round pick finally get a real workload and look good doing so. I think what is most noteworthy from Week 13 is the usage of Malcolm Brown. Despite Henderson going down with a knee injury, Malcolm Brown saw a season-low in snap rate with just 16%. Does this mark the end of an era? Has Sean McVay finally realized Brown has no juice? Did he finally take a look at box scores and see Malcolm Brown’s longest run on the year is for 19 yards? I think the past few weeks, Akers has proven his worth, and McVay and company are ready to truly get him involved in the offense.

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Week 13 Storylines

Dynasty / By /

I love writing these storyline pieces. I will go through some of the games and discuss one dynasty-relevant storyline per team that I’m excited to see. I won’t cover every game, as I don’t feel like there’s necessarily an exciting storyline to discuss for every team. However, I’ll bring you my best insights from the games I select each week.

This piece will give you something specific to look for in each contest, which I hope helps you enjoy the games even more. We all play fantasy football to enhance our enjoyment of football, and I’m trying to add to that sense of happiness here. Fun is the most essential part of this hobby for all of us, including me.

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NFC West: Divisional Nuggets

Dynasty / By /

Deebo Samuel was the only 49ers’ receiving weapon to perform in Week 12. He played the most snaps of any offensive skill player, tied with Richie James for 88% of snaps. On those snaps, Samuel caught 11 of 13 targets for a whopping 133 yards. I loved that the 49ers got Samuel so involved in his first game back from injury, and I now rank Samuel ahead of Aiyuk in dynasty formats. I hope this game is the start of a real breakout.

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Raiding the IDP Waiver Wire: Week 13

All Access / By /

Opportunities to spot emerging talent in time to fuel a playoff run has passed. Week 13 is the final week of the fantasy regular season in many leagues. Playoff berths and seedings are on the line. Fantasy gamers, it’s time to survive and advance. That means spotting production that’s repeatable from one week to the next. This column exists to provide you those leads. Earlier this season, your author committed to providing both proactive and reactive pick-ups in this weekly column. A proactive pick-up is a player with growing snaps counts and improving play that poises him for a break-out. A reactive pick-up is a player who suddenly posted big numbers due to an injury to or benching of a player ahead of him on the depth chart.

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Week 11 Buy/Sell

All Access / By /

Happy Thanksgiving! What an amazing holiday this is. All I’m thinking about is mashed potatoes. I always make the mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving, no matter how many people are attending (I wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving). I do this because I need the mashed potatoes to be perfect on Thanksgiving. The mashed potatoes are the glue that binds the perfect Thanksgiving bite together. You take some turkey (dark meat for me, please), some stuffing, some gravy and add it to your mashed potatoes and you get the ultimate culinary delight. Nothing better than that. 

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Rookie Stock Market: Week 10

Dynasty, Rookie / By /

Shooters shoot and I’ve taken my fair share, and today I will admit to an airball I took. Giving dynasty advice is essentially just making an educated guess, but we still need to admit when we’re wrong. I still like my process and trust my rookie evaluation process, but I’m ready to admit I have swung and missed. I’ll dive right into my miss and touch on some other rookies below.

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IDP Wrap Up: Week 10

All Access / By /

WHAT WE LEARNED THIS WEEK Vegas baby! After relinquishing an average of 32 points per game through their first six games, the Raiders’ defense has tightened up significantly over their last three showings. Since the start of November, Las Vegas has given up less than 15 points per game. On Sunday, the unit intercepted Drew

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Raiding the IDP Waiver Wire: Week 11

All Access / By /

The rate of injuries was yet again merciful to IDP fantasy gamers. Rams safety Taylor Rapp was one of very few players rostered in more than a third of IDP leagues on MyFantasyLeague.com who exited early. Rapp doesn’t belong on a redraft roster in 2020 anyway. Fantasy gamers browsing box scores, meanwhile, will have a tougher time discerning oasis from mirage on the waiver wire in Week 11. Seattle’s DJ Reed, for instance, piled up tackles and carries the position designation of “safety” on multiple platforms. Due to injuries, Reed has been pressed into service at cornerback, where he’s been an attractive target for opposing quarterbacks.

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Week 10 Streamers

All Access / By /

In this streaming article, I will provide you the best weekly options to stream quarterback, tight end, and D/ST. In each section, I’ll break down two streamers in detail, both of which will be under 50% owned, according to ESPN’s ownership percentage at the time of writing. Playing the matchups is a crucial feature of redraft fantasy football, and especially in a crazy 2020 season, active fantasy owners will have a massive advantage.

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NFC West: Divisional Nuggets

Dynasty / By /

The Seahawks came into this game with multiple injuries at the running back position. Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde missed the game, Rashaad Penny remained on the PUP list, and Travis Homer had a minor injury. While Homer managed to participate, the Seahawks leaned on rookie DeeJay Dallas in his place. However, the Seahawks still won over the 49ers, 37-27.

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Rookie Stock Market: Week 6

Dynasty, Rookie / By /

What is up, party people, and welcome back for the sixth edition of the “Rookie Stock Market”. It has been a crazy season thus far. The season has had its ups and downs, and so has this rookie class. Eb and flow are to be expected for rookies, but it has not stopped a few from being within the top 12 of their positional scoring. James Robinson (RB7), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB11), Justin Jefferson (WR7), and CeeDee Lamb (WR10) have all been great and contributors in your lineups as their dynasty values rise. Not all the rookies can be studs and some rookies appear to be studs when they really aren’t. Let’s dive in once again.

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