2025 Team Previews: Los Angeles Rams

** = target in drafts at this ADP

Relevant Players

Relevant Players

Puka Nacua, WR (ADP: 11, WR5): Nacua showed us he was special immediately in Week 1 of his rookie year when he drew 15 targets. He hasn’t looked back since. He put forth a league-winning rookie season, and when we entered 2024 wondering whether he or Cooper Kupp would be the WR1 for this laser-focused offense he pretty much Tombstoned that discussion. Nacua’s final numbers aren’t the stuff of legend – 79 receptions, 990 yards, four total touchdowns – but he did that in only 11 games due to injuries. Per game, his 7.2 receptions were third-most in the league, his 90 yards were third behind only Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, and he graded out as PFF’s WR1 on the season.

Puka is now a full on force, backed by all the power of Matthew Stafford’s hypertargeting ways, and he is a fully formed WR1 in ways Kupp never has been. That’s a scary thought. Defenses had no answer for him, as he tore up zone (85.1%, 91st percentile), tore up man (76.1%, 85th percentile), and absolutely clobbered defenses that tried to press (80.5%, 92nd percentile). Nacua’s most frequently run routes were slants, digs and outs, all of which he was winning at rates above 80%. He was at a stunning 87.2% on his outs, which were run 16.5% of the time. The only areas he somewhat struggles are nines and corners, because he does lack the elite level speed of other receivers in his stratosphere, but the Rams also don’t make him run them all that much. McVay is sure to utilize his ruggedness, taking full advantage of his run after the catch prowess by feeding flats and screens along with 20.3% of his routes being slants.

Nacua is a devastating weapon, and he’s in a perfect environment. His QB hypertargets his top guys, the offensive coaching staff is always scheming clever ways to maximize him, and the defense isn’t so dominant that it discourages shootouts. This ADP is sky high, and I am here for it.

**Kyren Williams, RB (ADP: 25, RB12): Us fantasy managers love offenses with clear roles that force big touches to the key players. The Rams are exactly that kind of outfit, and Kyren Williams is a big time asset. We have seen Kyren get major opportunities for two seasons in a row, and totally deliver on them. After breakout out with 1,350 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023 in 12 games, Williams surpassed the raw numbers – 1,481 total yards and 16 total touchdowns while also blowing past the 300-carry threshold.

Now, was 2023 better per game and per touch? Sure. But if you’re not happy with what he delivered last season then get your head examined. Williams is a proven workhorse at this point, despite having quality backs behind him. He catches the rock, therefore ensuring he’s on the field for passing downs, and he is particularly adept at scoring in short yardage. This ADP isn’t low by any means, but based on how reliable he is, and how much raw production you get, it’s still a value.

Davante Adams, WR (ADP: 42, WR17): Adams is no spring chicken, and while his ADP is no longer as lofty as it used to be, it’s still damn high for a WR who will turn 33 this season and is now on his fourth team. We know that he’s no longer in that elite fantasy tier with Chase or Jefferson, but has Father Time lowered him into the WR2/WR3 range, or can he still be a back-end WR1?

He finished 2024 with 85 catches, 1,063 yards and eight touchdowns between the Raiders and Jets, and played in just 14 games. The end was ugly in Las Vegas. He was unhappy, the QBs were abysmal, and then he got hurt and stayed that way until they sent him packing. With the Jets, it started a bit slow, but he found his rhythm and had some monstrous games with his boy Aaron Rodgers. He won’t have that psychic rapport with Stafford, but he still has to be open to draw as many targets as he did. Adams remained a baller.

Adams is going to be a killer fit in Los Angeles. He still is a master route runner, smoking man at a 74.6% clip, an 80th percentile mark. And you can’t press him, because he was at 79.2% vs. press (89th percentile). The slippage is against zone coverage, where he dipped to the 37th percentile, but this is still putting him on par with guys like Tee Higgins and George Pickens, otherwise known as elite X receivers. Adams is likely to continue serving as a traditional, dominant X receiver whose decline vs. zone simply drops him from the peak of the mountain to very high up. This ADP may seem a wee bit high for an older player, but it’s the right range given his touchdown upside wit Stafford.

Interesting Sleeper(s)

Jordan Whittington, WR (ADP: 323, WR107): Whittington had some buzz last year as a Puka clone, and that didn’t come close to bearing fruit. We did not see enough from him to make any concrete decisions, but his skill set coming into his rookie year was reminiscent of Puka, and Kupp, mostly in terms of ruggedness. We have alluded to the Rams penchant for funneling the offense through their top players, so Whittington needs an injury to be relevant, but Adams’s age and Nacua’s physical play style sure do make that a reasonable possibility. If there’s a significant injury to either player, I’d expect Whittington to be the next man up.

Notable Players

Matthew Stafford, QB (ADP: 164, QB23): At age 37, we know what Stafford is. He’ll clear 4,000 yards if he makes it through the whole season, and the likely outcome is high-20s TDs or low 30s. Now, we saw him throw 41 touchdowns in his first season with the Rams, and he can spike again with Nacua and Adams in the mix. But betting on it to happen is foolish; Stafford is a wonderful streamer, but a really uninspired choice as a season-long play in single-QB leauges.

Terrance Ferguson, TE (ADP: 262, TE32): Ferguson has a lot of hype behind him, and we’ve seen Tyler Higbee in the past have some nice runs. We like to think that Stafford’s TE is a valuable piece, but the reality is he’s had some really talented ones flop, and we’ve seen Higbee flash but mostly be inconsistent. I’ll need to see it to believe it with Ferguson, especially since Kyren, Puka and Adams are all gonna eat good.

Tyler Higbee, TE (ADP: 299, TE37): Higbee is also still around, so Ferguson doesn’t just have Higbee’s old role. We should all be well past thinking Higbee has fantasy value, but he could undercut Ferguson’s potential in Year 1.

Handcuffs

Blake Corum, RB (ADP: 190, RB58): Corum is a really good player who is unfortunately just playing behind another really good player, and for a coach who believes in bell cows. Corum can thrive and put up Kyren-esque numbers if given the chance, but he’ll need an injury to get it.

Jarquez Hunter, RB (ADP: 227, RB64): Hunter is a player in the same vein as Corum, who has a solid chance at being Kyren’s primary handcuff. This rookie out of Auburn totaled 1,356 yards and nine touchdowns last season in a down year for the program. Hunter might be a hot name among handcuffs, and I love the talent myself, but I refuse to just discard Corum simply because he wasn’t given chances in 2024. These are both good players, and it’s unclear who would be next up, so I don’t recommend handcuffing Kyren.