There was a great deal of intrigue surrounding the St. Louis Rams' running backs in the preseason. Zac Stacy entered camp as the incumbent starter, but Benny Cunningham got increased looks in preseason games. In Sunday's season opener, it was all moot as the two combined to offer very little.
Zac Stacy, Benny Cunningham disappoint Rams, fantasy owners
The two running backs combined to do very little in the St. Louis loss on Sunday. We break down the fantasy implications.
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Stacy carried the ball 11 times for 43 yards and caught a pass for eight more, while Cunningham contributed five carries for 21 yards and four receptions for 30. All told, the two combined for 104 yards from scrimmage as the Rams lost to the Vikings, 34-6.
Fantasy impact: Everything about Sunday's game was disappointing for the Rams, who benched replacement starting quarterback Shaun Hill and never scored a touchdown.
For Stacy and Cunningham, the team’s inability to get going meant (a) the Vikings could focus on stopping the running backs, and (b) the Rams had to turn to the pass to try to catch up. It was the perfect recipe for a bad game out for the running backs.
Going forward, things should get a little better, although the team's quarterback situation -- whether it is Shaun Hill, Austin Davis (who replaced Hill in Sunday's game) or Case Keenum (added earlier in the week) -- still fails to inspire confidence, so neither running back's stock is high. For now, Stacy is still a low-end fantasy starter, but the arrow points downward.
