What to Make of Kyren Williams, Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua and the Rams

The Rams don’t seem like a contender, but they simultaneously feel capable of beating any team on the right day. The core of a Super Bowl winner (Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald) has a few intriguing young supplemental pieces, and this team matters in both real and fantasy football after an anonymous 2022.

What should we make of their fantasy outlooks moving forward? It’s been hard to get a read with a changing cast of characters, as leading receivers and rushers have been out for extended periods. 

Everyone appears to be relatively healthy (Kupp may never be full-strength this season), so let’s dive into each Los Angeles Rams player of fantasy note and try to predict what to expect over the last six weeks of the season.

Quarterback – Matthew Stafford

Stafford has just one top-10 weekly performance this year, and it was last week against Arizona. He otherwise hasn’t been a fantasy starter despite a record start to the season for Puka Nacua and Kupp playing more than half the season.

That’s not going to change based on matchups. Five of the six remaining games for the Rams are against great-to-decent pass defenses, with teams like the Browns, Ravens, and 49ers on the schedule. Week 15 against the Commanders might be a must-start week for Stafford as a streamer, but he otherwise doesn’t seem to have many bright spots coming in 2023.

If you’re holding onto Stafford as a matchup-based part of a rotation, it’s safe to drop him unless you are eyeing that Week 15 game. If he’s just sitting on your bench taking up space, it’s a better idea to drop him and grab one of his skill players.

Running Back – Kyren Williams and Royce Freeman

Let’s get Williams out of the way; that part is easy. He was an RB1 the first six weeks of the season before missing four games on IR. Upon returning, Williams got right back to business, gaining 204 total yards and scoring twice on 22 touches. Get Williams in your lineup and forget about it.

Freeman’s status is less certain. He was splitting time with Darrell Henderson while Williams was out, but Freeman dominated the rushes in Week 11 before getting a lot of garbage time work in Week 12. Henderson was cut and signed to the practice squad.

Freeman is the clear second option in the LA backfield, and the question is what heights he can reach. In five games from Weeks 7-12, Freeman averaged 58.4 rushing yards per game and scored two touchdowns. That’s a player you can consider for your flex spot in the right matchups.

His receiving production is non-existent, though: Freeman has zero catches and just one target on the season. His one-dimensional game means he will only touch the ball when carrying it in relief of Williams, and that seriously caps Freeman’s ceiling.

Freeman should be rostered because the Rams like to run the ball and do it effectively. He would also be in line for juicy starting work if Williams were to suffer another injury. In the meantime, though, Freeman is probably best suited for your bench. The tough matchups with Baltimore, Cleveland and San Francisco loom, so there’s not much hope for garbage time runs to bleed the clock.

Consider Freeman for a flex spot if you’re really short, but you can probably find a better option unless Williams misses more time.

Wide Receiver

Puka Nacua

I wonder what he could have done if Kupp hadn’t come back. The numbers were staggering, and Nacua was breaking records each week for rookies in their first game, two games, three games, etc. 

Since Kupp returned, Nakua has games with 154, 71 and 70 yards. The other four games with Kupp active each saw Nacua with less than 50 receiving yards and five catches. He hit five catches and 70 yards in every game without Kupp.

In their first game together, Kupp had eight catches for 118 yards while Nacua had seven for 71. In the other two big games for Nacua with Kupp on the field, Weeks 7 and 11, Kupp had a combined three catches for 40 yards.

In Kupp’s other big game (Week 6, seven catches for 148 yards and a touchdown), Nacua had only four receptions for 26 yards. There is one game of evidence they can excel together but a lot more showing the fit hasn’t been great.

Nacua is a WR2 right now without a ton upside. He has only scored three touchdowns; touchdown luck can always change, but Nacua has consistently failed to find the end zone. He’s not on the elite level of receivers.

Cooper Kupp

Kupp looked like his old self in his first two games, totaling 266 yards and a touchdown on 15 receptions. In the four games following that start, Kupp hasn’t had more than four catches or 48 yards in any week.

Regardless of Nacua, Kupp is struggling to make an impact. Kupp had at least seven targets in each of his first five games, but he was thrown to just once in Week 11 and five times in Week 12. Did Kupp suddenly fall off a cliff?

Usually, I’d bet Kupp would start looking more like himself, but he’s dealing with an ankle injury, and he might not be 100% until next season. Nacua has been targeted at the same or higher rate than Kupp each week; I feel better about Nacua the rest of the season because of Kupp’s injury.

Kupp is a low-end WR2 at best right now, and he might be worth benching in Week 13 if you have a reasonable replacement. The injury situation is scary, and the Cleveland Browns shut down all receivers.

Tutu Atwell

Atwell was essentially made non-relevant in fantasy when Kupp returned. He had two touchdowns during that time, but he hadn’t topped 30 yards before Week 12 (three catches for 76 yards). Atwell isn’t the worst guy to have at the end of your bench in case Kupp misses time, but he can’t be relied on right now.

Tight End – Tyler Higbee

Higbee is the perfect embodiment of the streaming player. Close to half of his games have been among the top 16 tight ends in PPR, and the other half have been 29th or worse. This is a steady trend going back through at least 2020.

Always consider Higbee if you don’t have a set starter, but check the matchups and only deploy him when the situation makes sense. I’m only looking Higbee's way as a possibility in Week 15 against the Commanders and Week 16 against the Saints.

Rams Advice

Stafford and Higbee are only worth looking at during a few weeks over the rest of the season when the matchup dictates. Williams is a weekly starter to set and forget. Those circumstances are no different from early in the season. Freeman is only worth a bench spot unless you’re in dire straights (or Williams gets hurt).

The receivers are the tough ones to figure out in LA. Atwell doesn’t have a big enough role unless Kupp misses time, in which case he would bump up to a player under WR3 consideration. Start Nacua as your WR2/WR3/flex unless you have a stellar backup plan.

Keep an eye on Kupp the rest of the season if you own him. I see his situation as too risky to trust and would rather have a safer option. If you’re still able to trade, I’d send Kupp to an owner willing to value him like a high WR2; that would mean getting a player like Joe Mixon in return, at worst (maybe Travis Etienne at best?).