Odell Beckham Jr. made his LA Rams’ debut on Monday night after he signed with the team last week. Most thought he would be an afterthought in one of the league’s top passing offenses that featured Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Van Jefferson, Tyler Higbee, and others. However, the Rams lost Woods, their consistent chain-mover, to an ACL tear. That injury forced Beckham into duty right away on the road against the 49ers.
Here’s how it shook out and what we should expect going forward:
Kupp is on another level and will not be impacted by the Woods loss or the Beckham signing. That’s it, that’s the message.
Kupp caught 11 of his 13 targets for 122 yards. The rest of the team, including Stafford, looked completely lost as the 49ers straight punked them on the football field.
Speaking of Stafford, he completed 26 of 41 passes for 243 yards with one TD and two picks. Stafford looked completely out of sync without Woods and his first drive interception (forced to Beckham) was borderline mind-blowing.
Did Odell Beckham break Matthew Stafford?!
pic.twitter.com/FNDhAsOiwJ— Roto Street Journal (@RotoStJournal) November 16, 2021
Van Jefferson wasn’t terrible while trying to fill in for Woods while Beckham was getting acclimated to the offense. Jefferson caught three of his seven targets for 54 yards. But, the spotlight shined on Beckham and how his presence appears to have impacted the Rams offense.
Beckham ran 11 routes and caught two of his three targets (27.3% targets/route run) for 18 yards.
Sean McVay and Stafford made it a point to target Beckham while he was on the field. The result: being drubbed by the struggling San Francisco 49ers 31-10.
Rams final WR snap count #LAvsSF
Cooper Kupp 55
Van Jefferson 52
Ben Skowronek 42
Odell Beckham Jr. 15Out of 55 plays
— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) November 16, 2021
IS THE RAMS’ OFFENSE ON THE DECLINE?
R-E-L-A-X, wolf pack. There are plenty of opportunities for the Rams to get right. The Rams enter a much-needed bye week to recover, re-tool, and reacclimate.
Kupp will continue to dominate. Outside of that, no other Rams receivers can confidently be used in fantasy until we see this receiving core get on the same page as Stafford. Plus, Tyler Higbee should still be a reliable option in the offense. With games against the Green Bay Packers and the Jacksonville Jaguars on the docket, the Rams have a potential shootout and a cakewalk matchup before taking on the Cardinals in Week 14.
The good news, the Rams play the Seahawks (13th against WRs), the Vikings (21st), and the Ravens (11th) for the fantasy playoff stretch. Those offer plenty of shootout opportunities against reeling teams trying to salvage their season.
Keep an eye on The Wolf’s Rest of Season Big Board to see where he slots the Rams’ playmakers.
