Aloooooooooooha! The Rams recently completed mini-camp on the island of Maui as the franchise continues to support those affected by the devastating Lahaina fire. Los Angeles suffered its own catastrophic fire and the Rams organization has done a wonderful job supporting that community as well. The Rams front offices along with the team know the important things in life that go way beyond the football field. It is this type of compassion that makes the Rams winners before the opening game. It has been a productive off-season for Los Angeles so let’s take a look at current Fantasy positions as the team takes a break before returning for training camp.

QUARTERBACK: QB Matthew Stafford is the franchise quarterback and leader of this team. He is healthy and poised for a successful season. QB Jimmy Garoppolo is in his second season as the backup and unlike last year, Jimmy should be available for the entire season. QB Stetson Bennett enters this third season and needs to show the team he has the potential to be a future starter or he could be in danger of being left off the 53-man roster. Stafford could be a great sleeper in Fantasy drafts as border line QB1 and high quality QB2.

RUNNING BACK: RB Kyren Williams is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is negotiating an extension. Both sides want to get an extension done as soon as possible; however, Los Angeles has been reluctant to spend big money on running backs ever since the Todd Gurley contract. Second year RB Blake Corum had a disappointing rookie season and needs to improve or he could lose reps to rookie RB Jarquez Hunter, who is about the same size as Williams and Corum, but is faster and more explosive. Veteran RB Ronnie Rivers could be the odd man out, especially since he does not contribute much on special teams. If Williams gets his extension, he should be the bell cow again with Corum and Hunter competing for snaps. If Williams does not get an extension, it will be interesting to see who emerges as the top dog. Williams is the safest bet but Hunter is the true wild card.

WIDE RECEIVER: WR Puka Nacua is the new WR1 with Cooper Kupp in Seattle. WR Davante Adams will take Kupp’s spot and brings a new dimension to this offense that could pay big dividends. WR Tutu Atwell signed a nice one year contract and should see more action as WR3. I am interested in seeing the growth of second year WR Jordan Whittington, who played well when healthy last year. The unit is solid with Nacua and Adams the unquestioned leaders. Puka is a true WR1 in all Fantasy formats and Davante could be a nice WR2.

TIGHT END: TE Tyler Higbee is healthy and will have support from second round rookie TE Terrance Ferguson. The Rams dropped out of the first round and were still able to pick their primary draft target. T-Ferg will compete with TE Davis Allen and TE Colby Parkinson for playing time. Unfortunately, no tight end during the Sean McVay era has produced significant Fantasy numbers.

KICKER: PK Joshua Karty enters his second season with a lot of confidence after finishing his rookie season strongly. The combination of a high powered offense and strong legged accurate kicker is great for the Rams and your Fantasy team.

DEFENSE: This unit had growing pains last year after future Hall Of Fame DL Aaron Donald retired, but they developed nicely and was playing well at the end of the year. The defensive line and edge rushers will be the key to the defensive success and it starts with 2024 Defensive ROY DE Jared Verse. Verse and ED Byron Young give Los Angeles two young and talented edge rushers who work well with young studs DT Braden Fiske and DT Kobie Turner. The Rams added free agent DL Poona Ford who should help with the run defense. The linebackers and defensive backs may not have any stars or perennial Pro Bowlers, but they held their own when needed last season and the safety group especially has potential to shine with DB Kamren Curl, DB Quinten Lake, and DB Kamren Kinchens all making impact plays last year. This squad has potential be dominant this season.

Los Angeles has had a very productive and successful off season, with the only negative being blood clots in OL Aleric Jackson’s legs. It is good that the team diagnosed it early and the hope is he makes a full recovery. Optimism is high for this team and Super Bowl aspirations are not far-fetched. The team is on a break before returning in July for training camp so look forward to seeing you then. Miss you Pops and Scratch, God Bless always!

End.