Being a wide receiver for Matthew Stafford is a significant ingredient in the recipe for success in fantasy football. As pointed out last week, the No. 1 Rams pick that could show real fantasy production if either Kupp or Nacua were out long-term would be Demarcus Robinson. We now head into week 3, realizing that Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua will be out long-term, so it is time to see who will be catching passes from Stafford and providing fantasy relevance for your team.
Although pass catcher Tutu Atwell is available in most leagues and has been on the team for multiple years, most experts see the actual conversation between rookie Jordan Whittington vs Tyler Johnson. The answer to “Who is the WR2 for the Rams?” may also be the answer to who you want to have in your flex for the foreseeable future while Kupp and Nacua fight to get healthy.
TYLER JOHNSON FANTASY OUTLOOK
This may be the last real opportunity Tyler Johnson has of NFL relevance. The 6′ 1″ fifth-year wide receiver has yet to be able to be a consistent starter in the NFL but now finds himself as the presumptive WR2 of the Los Angeles Rams.
In his first two seasons with the Buccaneers, he started in 14 and 17 games, respectively, but only played a limited role behind WRs like Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. In the past three years, he has started three games with 9 receptions for 107 yards.
However, the most significant glimmer of hope is in the Week 2 match-up against the Arizona Cardinals, where he found himself playing meaningful snaps with the dismissal of Cooper Kupp due to injury.
The hope for fantasy production comes from a mix of his Week 1 stat line and his Week 2 snap count. In Week 1, Johnson finished with five receptions for 79 yards, including this 63-yard scamper that made Sean McVay very happy.
With the Week 1 injury of Puka Nacua, Johnson became the presumptive WR3 for the Rams, which was supported by his snap count early in week 2. With the injury of Kupp in week 2, Johnson found himself having the second most WR snaps on the team, only three behind Demarcus Robinson.
According to RotoWire, Johnson lines up as an outside receiver most of the time, which supports his ability to be a “boom” receiver. If the Rams offensive line can give Stafford enough time to let routes develop downfield, Tyler Johnson may see the largest fantasy bump from the absence of Kupp and Nacua.
JORDAN WHITTINGTON FANTASY OUTLOOK
A mid-round rookie wide receiver filling a role due to injury on a Sean McVay offense led by Matthew Stafford? Where have we seen this before?
After Kupp went down in week 2, Jordan Whittington played the entire second half. A large chunk of his snaps came lined up in the Slot, where Stafford has had much success in previous years with Kupp. Against a fiery 49ers defensive line, look for Stafford to get rid of the ball early, often with passes over the middle to his slot receiver.
In the preseason, Whittington also showed a lot of promise. On 17 preseason targets, Whittington finished with 11 receptions for 126 yards and flashed as a great blocker, something Sean McVay always values.
McVay has already favored the rookie wide receiver, who scored on a nice end-around but was unfortunately called back for a hold.
SUMMARY: JORDAN WHITTINGTON VS TYLER JOHNSON
One of the most complex parts about making this decision is whether you want to go with the presumptive WR2 on the team that has shown production in the past or to go with the upside of a rookie WR with minimal tape.
The upside that Whittington gives you is the answer to your question about who the right player is to pick up. It is for that reason that I am picking Whittington over Johnson and feel comfortable starting him in my flex in deeper leagues this week and moving forward for most 12 team leagues.
Although Tyler Johnson may be able to get you consistent lines of 4-40 and the occasional touchdown, Jordan Whittington is the player who can fill in a weekly starter’s role on your fantasy team. Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford have already shown that they are willing to trust a rookie wide receiver as long as they put in the work, precisely what Cooper Kupp said Whittington was doing before the season began.
Tyler Johnson sits as WR66 for Wolf, while Jordan Whittington sits at WR69 (nice) on his Week 3 Rankings. In the Rest of Season Rankings, Wolf has Tyler Johnson as the WR76 and Jordan Whittington at WR80. To call my shot here, I can see Johnson staying at his current spot for both week 4 and ROS rankings while Whittington blooms up 40 or so spots for Week 4 and 30 spots in ROS rankings by Monday morning.
