Fantasy football impact: Will the Rams offer any fantasy relevance in 2014?

Here I will reprint the top part of that chart, just for reference:

So there might not be any numbers to back it up, but I’ve got to think the 2013 St. Louis Rams were the most boring team in the history of creation, yeah? At least as far as fantasy is concerned?

The Rams had a quarterback who finished 30^th at the position in 2013 in Sam Bradford. Now four years into the league, Bradford is no longer in the hype category, nor is he really considered a post-hype sleeper. He’s just a guy, and last year he was a guy who only managed to play in seven games because of injury.

One way or another, success or failure, Stacy will qualify as “interesting” in 2014. The Rams have that bullet chambered. Beyond that, the question is whether Bradford can finally develop into someone fantasy owners need to consider, whether the wide-receiver triumvirate will develop.

So can the Rams achieve interestingness in 2014? Let’s see:

Sure, it doesn’t work exactly that way. But Bradford sat at a career-best 90.9 passer rating when he went down and was on pace for career highs in passing yards (pace of 3,856) and touchdowns (pace of 32, blowing his previous best out of the water), and a full-season low of nine interceptions.

That’s why the grouping of Austin, Pettis, and Givens (plus the addition of Britt) at least has potential and could lead to Bradford putting up superior numbers in 2014. It’s the backhandedest of possible compliments, but the weapons Bradford will have entering the season will easily be the best of his career.

Still, this is Sam Bradford we’re discussing here. I can envision a scenario in which he finishes, say, 15^th or 16^th at the position in fantasy scoring. I can’t envision a scenario much better than that. His floor, between injury and ineffectiveness, is as low as just about any starter in the league. If I’m drafting Bradford in fantasy, it’s a deep two-quarterback league. Basically, he’s 25^th or so at the position, and not worth any consideration in any but the deepest of leagues.

As noted above, Zac Stacy was something of a revelation for the Rams’ offense in 2013. Even in the game he left with injury -- Week 12 against Chicago -- he amassed 15 fantasy points in only one half of play before getting hurt. That came after being drafted in the fifth round of the 2013 draft and then struggling through the team’s summer workouts.

Stacy averaged more than 20 carries a game once he took over the team’s No. 1 role, with four different hundred-yard rushing games. He also caught 26 passes.

Behind him the team still has Cunningham and Pead, as Richardson has moved on to the New York Jets. The likely backup will be the team’s third-round draft pick, running back Tre Mason out of Auburn. Mason is a more spry back than the bowl-them-over Stacy and will likely be used to ease Stacy’s workload, as the starter is a bruiser-type whose carry totals in 2013 had to be a bit of a worry.

At worst, Stacy should be taken as a mid-level RB2 in fantasy drafts, and he could easily be argued all the way into RB1 territory. Personally, I’d draft him right at 10^th or so at the position, and in the late second round overall; there’s not much reason to think he was a fluke in 2013, and the job will still be his. As for Mason, he’s the best bet for a Stacy handcuff, but otherwise he appears unlikely to get enough play to really make a 2014 impact. If I own Stacy, I’ll take Mason in a later round as insurance, but otherwise there are other running backs I’d prefer.

And no, Cunningham and Pead aren’t relevant and won’t be without significant changes.

They each took different routes to get to the same general place, but overall, they were a smorgasbord of underwhelmingness.

Meanwhile, Givens is entering his third season, and Pettis is entering his fourth. They have both had more time to show what worth they have (if any) and they have been underwhelming so far. Pettis has yet to get to 1,000 receiving yards in 42 career games. Givens, meanwhile, has more than 1,200 receiving yards in his two seasons but has only scored three touchdowns and didn’t find the end zone even once last year.

There isn’t a wide receiver on the Rams who should be starting in fantasy as 2014 kicks off. There are just too many question marks about all of them, and too few sure things. The only one of the group I’d be likely to draft at all would be Austin, who does have a higher ceiling than his compatriots. I’d take Austin in the mid-to-late 40s among wide receivers, in the 13^th round or so of drafts. He’s the kind of lottery ticket those picks are made for; you aren’t starting him, but if he pops you love having him on your roster.

Behind Austin, I find it hard to envision a scenario in which I’d take any of the other Rams’ receivers. Givens gets a handful of yards but not nearly enough to outweigh his lack of scores, while Pettis doesn’t accumulate or score enough to be worthwhile in fantasy. And Britt is a list of question marks all his own. I would rank them Pettis-Givens-Britt for 2014, but all three are far below the standards you want in a fantasy wide receiver.

Basically, Cook burst onto 2013, got people excited, then spent the rest of the season absolutely disappointing anyone who had bought in on that excitement. His best game after than outing was 80 yards and a touchdown; his second-best was 36 yards and a score. Those aren’t fun numbers.

Lance Kendricks, the team’s other primary tight end, has been even less impressive from a fantasy perspective across his three seasons. He’s averaged less than 400 yards and 2.7 touchdowns a year, and he saw career-lows in targets and yards in 2013 with Cook in the fold.

Even moreso than the team’s wide receivers, you don’t want a St. Louis tight end in 2014. Cook slots in the mid-20s at the position, one of those “I’m so desperate I just want a guy who gets playing time” plays. Kendricks doesn’t even get that much credit.