2021 NFL Betting and Fantasy Team Preview: Los Angeles Rams
Well, there has definitely been no shortage of Rams news this offseason.
For starters, they continued to go all in on the now when they sent a plethora of draft picks and Jared Goff to the Lions for Matthew Stafford.
Then, just a few days before camp started, Cam Akers tore his Achilles working out, setting him up to miss the entire 2021 season.
Heck, Sean McVay was even hosting a podcast!
The end result? The Rams are right there next to the 49ers as the favorites to win the NFC West, one of the toughest divisions in the NFL.
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Los Angeles Rams Team Betting Preview
Win Total (over):10.5 (125)
Games Favored:12
Games as a TD Favorite:6
Games as a TD Underdog:0
I have to be honest, the first thing that stood out when perusing that Rams schedule was the Week 7 date against the Lions. Cue up 500 yards and 5 TD’s for Matthew Stafford!
Turning off of Narrative Street though, it says a lot about the strength of this team that they are favored in 12 of their 17 games and are at least a touchdown favorite in six of them. And in the few games that they are underdogs, I don’t see a number higher than +3.
Clearly, the expectation here is that the addition of Stafford is going to catapult this offense to another level. In 2020, they ranked 11th in yards per game (377) but ultimately were only able to put up 23.3 points per game (tied for the 10th fewest). As you will see in the section below though, the Rams are projected to be a Top 5 offense this season.
Which leads me to my favorite Rams betting pick this season. In that section below, I see a team that projects to be a Top 5 offense that also just so happens to have the sixth best defense. Soooo am I the only one that thinks there is a lot of value on the Rams to win the Super Bowl at +1500 on FanDuel?
Look, I completely understand why teams like the Chiefs and the Bucs are the betting favorites. But in that next tier of teams (e.g. Bills, Packers, Ravens, 49ers, Rams, Browns, etc.), is there a better combination of top offense and top defense than the Rams? I know there is more to it than just that, but +1500 seems too good to pass up. Probably worth at least a little sprinkle, no?
PICK: Super Bowl LVI Winner – Los Angeles Rams (+1500)
Los Angeles Rams Team Projections Preview
Projected Offense Rank:5
Projected Rush Offense Rating: Average
Projected Pass Offense Rating: Very Strong
Projected Points Earned:447.5 (Rank 5)
Rushing Opponents:
Projected Difficult Rush Defenses Faced:6
Projected Soft Rush Defenses Faced:3
Passing Opponents:
Projected Difficult Pass Defenses Faced:5
Projected Soft Pass Defenses Faced:5
Team Defense Rank:6
Projected Rush Defense Rating:Very Strong
Projected Pass Defense Rating:Very Strong
Projected Points Allowed:374.25 (Rank 29)
I alluded to it a bit already, but the addition of Matthew Stafford has clearly raised the expectations for this Rams offense. For a team that scored the 10th fewest points per game in the league last season, projecting them as a Top 5 offense this season is quite the leap. Even though they lost Cam Akers for the season, they still have Darrell Henderson manning the backfield and Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods ready and willing to haul in all of Stafford’s darts. Throw in PFF’s 8th ranked offensive line, and there is clearly a lot to like on this side of the ball.
Oh, and it turns out that they are pretty good defensively too! Have you ever heard of this guy named Aaron Donald? The chances are strong to quite strong (shoutout to Gaylord Focker) that Donald might cause some mayhem in opponents’ backfields all…year…long. And with Jalen Ramsey and Darious William patrolling the secondary, it is no surprise that this defense should be one of the best in the league yet again this season.
Los Angeles Rams Fantasy Football Preview
Noteworthy Depth Chart
QB: Matthew Stafford – Underdog Rank: QB12 (ADP QB13)
RB: Darrell Henderson – Underdog Rank: RB19 (ADP RB24)
RB: Xavier Jones – Underdog Rank: RB46 (ADP RB54)
WR: Cooper Kupp – Underdog Rank: WR15 (ADP WR20)
WR: Robert Woods – Underdog Rank: WR16 (ADP WR15)
WR: Van Jefferson – Underdog Rank: WR81 (ADP WR84)
TE: Tyler Higbee – Underdog Rank: TE11 (ADP TE8)
What’s New?: Matthew Stafford
Now that he is teamed up with his buddy Sean McVay, expectations are sky-high for Stafford and this Rams offense. Stafford has two great wide receivers in Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods to go along with one of the better offensive lines in the league. His upside is a bit capped since he doesn’t use his legs like some of the elite fantasy QB’s, but it is still likely that he leads this Rams offense back to shades of their 2018 season.
What’s Uncertain?: Will they commit to throwing more with Stafford?
Even back in 2018 when they put up 32.9 points per game, the Rams still only threw the ball on 56% of their plays (24th most that season). That ticked up to 62% in 2019 (ranked 8th), and then dropped back down to 56% in 2020 (ranked 26th). Now that Stafford is the Rams QB—and they lost Akers to that Achilles injury—will McVay, Stafford, and the rest of the Rams turn into one of the more pass-heavy teams in the league? Or will they stick with their rushing ways since they have that elite defense to fall back on?
Top Fantasy Play(s): Matthew Stafford, Darrell Henderson, Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods
Image Credit: Imagn