Fans of football are itching to get back to indulging themselves in fantasy football like the Los Angeles Rams are itching to redeem themselves in 2019.
Last season for the Rams ended astonishingly as the assertive Rams offense laid an egg in Super Bowl 53. The New England Patriots' defense impeded the offense of the Rams, and Los Angeles could only muster up three points.
Hopefully, for fans, your fantasy football didn't end in heartbreak that is comparable to what the Rams experienced. Nonetheless, it's time for fans to do their research and get ready for their fantasy football drafts before the season begins.
Every year, people do their due diligence to find the under the radar—also known as sleepers—players that could carry them to a championship. Having bragging rights among your friends and family is of the utmost importance.
Last season, we saw guys like Phillip Lindsay, Derrick Henry, and Chris Carson return a ton of value in the later rounds. For some of them, they even went undrafted in fantasy drafts.
For the purpose of this article, we'll take a look at three players from the Rams who could be a pleasant surprise in fantasy football in 2019.
3. Josh Reynolds
In the final stretch of the 2018 regular season, the Rams suffered an injury to Cooper Kupp. Kupp tore his ACL and was sidelined for the last nine games of the season (including playoffs).
In Kupp's absence, the Rams began to incorporate a few guys into the offense more. Among those guys, none may have contributed more to the offense than Josh Reynolds.
After Week 10 (when Kupp went out), Reynolds had 22 receptions for 304 yards and three touchdowns in the final three games of the regular season. At 6-foot-3, Reynolds became a viable threat in the red zone for Los Angeles.
Of course, Reynolds should only be considered in deeper leagues that may have 12 or more people in it. With the Rams having Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods, and the return of Kupp, Reynolds will struggle to get consistent targets in the offense.
2. Gerald Everett
Everyone who engages in fantasy football knows that the tight end position is as thin as a toothpick. After the likes of Zach Ertz, George Kittle, Travis Kelce, and possibly Eric Ebron, there is a gap between the next tier of guys.
If you don't end up grabbing one of the elite options at tight end, it's best to wait until the later rounds to snatch up your tight end. There's no need to reach for a tight end this year as there aren't many reliable options to choose from.
In deeper leagues or if you're feeling excessively confident, Gerald Everett may become a sleeper pick in fantasy drafts. Besides Josh Reynolds, Everett was asked to step into a more significant role when Kupp went down.
While Kupp was in the offense, Sean McVay elected to run 11-personnel on basically every play. That limited the number of opportunities that the tight ends were able to get in the offense.
Although, when Kupp was sidelined, McVay began to use more two tight-end sets with Tyler Higbee and Everett. McVay drafted Everett to be his Jordan Reed-type player and this year he may flash that potential.
1. Darrell Henderson
The way people speak about Todd Gurley, you would think that he has two broken legs. People have concern surrounding Gurley—understandably so—but let's not get carried away.
Gurley is still a top-10 fantasy option at running back despite there being a cause for concern. The opinions on Gurley were escalated when the team chose to trade up to draft Darrell Henderson in the third round of this year's draft.
Henderson is a guy, who in college, averaged 8.2 yards per rush in his collegiate career at Memphis. Every time that Henderson touched the ball, there was a chance he was getting into the end zone.
Bringing in a weapon like that could benefit the Rams greatly. Don't be surprised when the Rams incorporate a few two running-back sets in the offense with Gurley and Henderson. McVay's offense will have a few new wrinkles in it in 2019.
In fantasy drafts, it's smart to take Henderson if you are a Gurley owner or as a stash option. There's a chance that Los Angeles chooses to utilize Malcolm Brown as well, which could complicate things for Henderson.
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