The St. Louis Rams jumped out early to take a 14-0 lead over the San Francisco 49ers in the first quarter on Monday Night Football, but it was all downhill from there. They would not score again until Greg Zuerlein converted a 38-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
Rams fantasy football recap: Austin Davis, Brian Quick crash back to Earth
St. Louis started strong but finished weak in its loss to the San Francisco 49ers on “Monday Night Football.” We bring you the fantasy implications.
Young quarterback Austin Davis looked good early on but was mostly ineffective in the second half. After blowing a 14-point lead, the Rams lost to the 49ers, 31-17. The Rams are in the basement of the NFC West and have only one win on the season. The fantasy offerings were slim, with a new name adding a wrinkle to their backfield, so let's take a look.
Austin Davis
Despite his strong start, Davis finished 21 of 42 for 236 yards, with one touchdown and one interception returned for a touchdown. The Rams didn’t establish much of a run game and the inexperienced quarterback was forced to do too much. Davis has looked good at times, but it was a hard crash landing back to Earth under the bright lights of Monday Night Football.
The rookie out of Auburn led the Rams in rushing, but only carried the ball five times for 40 yards. The Rams ran the ball 24 times total, and split carries in the backfield. Benny Cunningham finished with the only rushing touchdown and had seven carries for 21 yards. Zac Stacy finished with eight carries for 17 yards. The platoon bears watching and right now it's difficult to trust any Rams running back as a solid fantasy start.
After starting out the year strong, Quick struggled with just one reception for 10 yards. The 49ers blanketed Quick, who was unable to get open and do any damage. Quick could bounce back, but with a young quarterback under center, his numbers should be watched. Davis looked for his best wide receiver four times but only connected the one time.
With Quick blanketed, Davis turned to his tight end to get something going in the passing game. Cook was targeted 11 times and finished with four receptions for 74 yards, though unfortunately lost a vulture touchdown to fellow tight end Lance Kendricks. Cook has upside but is still struggling to establish himself as a solid fantasy start.
