The LA Rams Receiving Corps. A heady title that is defined by eras of Hall of Fame and perennial All-Pro players as the standard-bearers. Crazy Legs Hirsch, Henry Ellard, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce. No, those were not in any particular order. 🙂 The reason I bring this up is the LA Rams have a history of high-flying production from the group and with their struggles in recent seasons, it’s time to take stock and assess where we are as we get set up for the 2021 NFL Season.
LA Rams Receiving Corps
Overview
This season could be epic. WR’s Woods and Kupp are in their prime. WR3 DeSean Jackson might not be able to bring it every play nowadays but a defender better not blink or he will quickly find out which play he is feeling his oats on. TE Higbee is sneaky-good with his arrow solidly pointing up. Rookie WR Tutu Atwell and TE Jacob Harris bring mismatches HC Sean McVay loves. QB Matthew Stafford steps into the captain’s chair bringing a long-ball game that has been long-time-missing from the LA Rams arsenal. He has also seen more than a few defenses in his day and has a fierce drive to win on game day.
WR Cooper Kupp
Kupp had a nice 2020 with 974 yards, 3 TD, and 0 fumbles on 124 targets and 92 receptions. A 10.6 average means you get the ball to Kupp and you generally get a first down out of it. Kupp has never had a QB of Stafford’s quality throwing to him in the NFL. This should be fun.
WR Robert Woods
Woods also had a nice 2020 with 936 yards, 6 TD, and 2 fumbles on 129 targets and 90 receptions. A 10.4 average means you should get a 1st if you get this guy the ball. In his prime and showing no signs of slowing down can’t wait to see him and Stafford hooking up. Woods with Stafford getting him the ball? Oh, yea.
WR DeSean Jackson
QB Mathew Stafford is a long-ball QB. WR DeSean Jackson is a long-ball WR. The LA Rams front office gets a major Kudo for this matchup. Signing Jackson to anchor your WR Corps would be a huge mistake. Signing him to be a WR3 that can break a game wide open is spot-on. I love this signing. If you are an LA Rams fan, you should too!
WR Tutu Atwell
4.32 40 yard dash. That’s all you need to know. Sean McVay will find a way to get this kid on the field AND get the ball in his hands moving north south. Look for Atwell to find the feild first via special teams but his skill set crys out for him to be used on jet-sweeps, and anytime you want to run a 9 route.
TE Tyler Higbee
Higbee’s arrow is pointing up. His targets dropped from 89 in 2019 to 60 in 2020. He still managed to tab 521 yards, 5 TD and 0 fumbles. He is capable of more but faces a real challenge if rookie TE Jacob Harris (below) catches fire. Competition is good for the soul.
TE Jacob Harris
Another blazing fast rookie BUT this guy is 6’5″ and clocks a 4.39 40. Yep, take a moment and read that again. A mismatch for almost every back-7 defender in the league. Just like with Atwell you have to figure McVay will find a way to deply this kid on game day. Special teams is a given.
LA Rams QB Matthew Stafford
Stafford has to be like a kid in a candy store. Sure he had Megatron in Detroit, but he never had a complete toolbox to play with. He does now. The LA Rams have needed a long-ball QB for years now. They have one and they matched him with some long-ball talent at WR and rookie speed that can also take the top off. Sean McVay is showing all signs of wanting to seriously stretch the field and has the running game and offensive line to keep the defnese honest while he does it. It all depends on how fast Stafford can absorb a new offense, BUT unlike Tom Brady he hasn’t had the same offense for his entire carrer. To the contrary Stafford has had to learn new-terminology and concepts every few season. Don’t look for the learning curve to be long. Draft Stafford high in fantasy, sit back and enjoy the ride.
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on Twitter: Steven Van Over
