Cameron DaSilva
July 5, 2024 11:31 am PT
Fantasy football drafts are rapidly approaching for standard leagues, and many have already begun drafting in advance of training camp and the preseason. The Rams had several fantasy-relevant players last year, including Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams.
Looking ahead to the new season, they could have even more players helping fantasy owners win league championships. Nacua and Williams are unquestionably at the top of the list for the Rams, but Matthew Stafford and even Blake Corum could be difference-makers.
Pro Football Focus released its top-400 fantasy rankings for 2024 and 12 Rams made the list – including the defense/special teams. Here’s where they rank, according to PFF.
10. WR Puka Nacua
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Position ranking: WR7
Tier: 2
Nacua’s rise is amazing to see, and that applies to the fantasy football world, too. He went from relative unknown last summer to being a league-winner for owners who either drafted him late or picked him up off waivers after Week 1 –like yours truly. He’s now the No. 7 wide receiver in PFF’s rankings and the 10th overall player, a high bar set for the Rams stud.
13. RB Kyren Williams
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Position ranking: RB5
Tier: 2
Williams is PFF’s fifth-best running back in fantasy this year and the 13th overall player in the 2024 rankings. He was a touchdown machine last season and led the NFL in rushing yards per game, breaking out in a big way as a starter for the first time. The biggest concerns with Williams are his durability and the presence of Blake Corum.
50. WR Cooper Kupp
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Position ranking: WR24
Tier: 4
Kupp’s fantasy stock continues to decline since his historic 2021 season. He’s now only the 24th-best receiver in PFF’s rankings and is pegged as a fourth- or fifth-round pick after widely being ranked as a first-round selection in drafts a year ago. His durability is also a concern as he’s missed time in each of the last two seasons.
125. RB Blake Corum
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Position ranking: RB42
Tier: 7
With Williams’ injury history, Corum is a great handcuff for fantasy owners. That’s a big reason he’s ranked so high on PFF’s list, being viewed as a key backup to draft this year. In the event that Williams does get hurt, Corum will get the first chance to step in.
142. QB Matthew Stafford
Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports
Position ranking: QB20
Tier: 8
Fantasy rankings are vastly different than overall talent rankings, which is why Stafford is the No. 20 quarterback in fantasy; there obviously aren’t 19 quarterbacks better than him in the NFL right now. He hasn’t put up big touchdown numbers since 2021 and with the Rams’ focus on running the ball, he may not have eye-popping stats in 2024.
165. WR Demarcus Robinson
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Position ranking: WR70
Tier: 9
Robinson is a sleeper that people should target in fantasy drafts. He’s the No. 3 receiver in an offense that heavily utilizes 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR), so he’s going to play a large number of snaps. And if Kupp or Nacua were to get hurt, his stock would rise exponentially.
265. TE Tyler Higbee
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Position ranking: TE32
Tier: 10
Fantasy football schedules aren’t very long to begin with, with the final few weeks reserved for the playoffs, and Higbee isn’t certain to be available for the start of the season. If he lands on the PUP list and misses four-plus games, his value in fantasy will be minimal, especially if Colby Parkinson shines in his absence.
272. TE Colby Parkinson
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Position ranking: TE34
Tier: 10
Parkinson probably won’t get picked in a lot of drafts as the No. 34 tight end, but he’s someone to monitor in the first few weeks while Higbee recovers from his knee injury. No one’s saying he’ll break out like Nacua did last year, but he could warrant a look on the waiver wire in the first four weeks.
290. WR Tutu Atwell
(Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
Position ranking: WR106
Tier: 10
Atwell isn’t someone many people will draft this year because he appears to be buried on the depth chart behind Nacua, Kupp and Robinson. He does have good speed but as we saw last year, he’s not consistent enough to warrant a roster spot in re-draft leagues.
297. K Joshua Karty
Darren Yamash*ta-USA TODAY Sports
Position ranking: K19
Tier: 10
With how good the Rams offense could be, Karty has a high ceiling as a rookie, hence his K19 positional ranking. It’s always risky drafting a rookie kicker but Karty has a lot of upside.
351. RB Ronnie Rivers
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Position ranking: RB92
Tier: 10
Rivers may not even be the No. 3 running back on the Rams’ depth chart after the team signed Boston Scott, so don’t bother drafting him unless Williams and/or Corum gets hurt.
383. Rams DST
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Position ranking: DEF30
Tier: 10
There are only two defenses ranked lower than the Rams: the Commanders and Cardinals. That’s not completely unreasonable considering Aaron Donald isn’t there anymore and the Rams have lacked turnovers in recent years, but perhaps Ernest Jones, Byron Young, Kobie Turner and Darious Williams can change that.
