In a stunning turn of events, the Los Angeles Rams managed to secure the coveted first pick in the Vintage Football League draft. Unfortunately, their draft grade of F suggests that they may have been better off letting the AI system make the picks. With a projected record of 0-15-0 and a projected finish in 14th place, it seems the Rams are destined for a season of disappointment. The team's projected points of 319 won't be enough to carry them through the grueling schedule, which is ranked as the 3rd toughest out of 14 teams. Adding insult to injury, one of their players is on a bye week during week 10, just to make sure they have no chance of salvaging a win that week.
While the Rams did manage to make one decent pick, selecting Cooper Kupp at 1st overall with an ADP of 8, it was quickly overshadowed by their worst pick of the draft. Somehow, they managed to snatch up Tyler Higbee at 29th overall, despite his ADP of 126. It's safe to say that the Rams' draft strategy left much to be desired. To make matters worse, they inexplicably drafted a whopping eight players from the same team. Maybe they were hoping for some sort of team synergy, but it's more likely that they just weren't paying attention. All in all, the Los Angeles Rams' draft performance has left fans and analysts scratching their heads, wondering if they were trying to set a record for the most disappointing draft in Vintage Football League history. With a projected finish in 14th place, it seems the Rams are living up to their name by charging headfirst into a season of mediocrity.
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ADP Analysis
Bars above zero indicate a pick was selected later than a player's ADP. Bars below zero show players that were taken earlier than their ADP.
Inside the Draft
Player Outlooks
- Round 1, Pick 1 - Bye 10
2023 Rank: 47 - 2022 Rank: 154
The Rams offense was a mess last year, largely due to offensive line issues as well as the lack of a rushing attack. Also, free agent addition Allen Robinson didn't work out for the team, and all they really had to lean on at that point was Kupp. From a production standpoint, he mostly picked up where he left off in 2021. He had at least nine targets in all but one game. He also had at least 122 yards in four of eight games. Kupp also had at least 79 yards in seven of the eight games he played. However, he suffered an ankle injury that cost him the last eight games of the season. Other than missing eight games in 2018 as well, he had a very healthy career to date. Even though Kupp's entering his age-30 season, there appeared to be no sign of decline last year. He still should be a very high floor and high ceiling fantasy option. and Kupp should be an obvious first-round draft pick in most leagues. But keep your eye on an in-practice hamstring injury that Kupp suffered in early August.
- Round 2, Pick 15 - Bye 13
2023 Rank: 87 - 2022 Rank: 113
Akers had a weird 2022 season. We'll never know if he was still recovering from the Achilles injury he suffered in 2021. In Weeks 1-10, he averaged 2.83 yards per carry and was benched for two games. Although he faced four of the top 10 defenses in those seven games, he looked as if he was struggling to get to the line of scrimmage before getting hit on most carries. After his banishment, he continued to struggle, as he played 21 snaps but ran for just 2.72 yards per carry. However, he was a completely different player during the last eight games of the season. He rushed for 4.8 yards per carry, though he did that against an easy schedule. He was specifically excellent in Weeks 15 through 18 when he faced defenses in the bottom 10 in three of the four games. He had at least 100 scrimmage yards in each of those games along with a three-touchdown performance. and during that stretch, he averaged 5.47 yards per carry while also catching nine passes. So the big question becomes whether his resurgence had to do with schedule or recovering from his injury. It's likely that the answer is somewhere in the middle. ranking him around RB20 seems safe, as he should get volume, though we're unsure as to what level he'll play at. If it was just a matter of Akers getting back to full health, he will be one of the biggest steals in fantasy drafts, but there is definitely a risk.
- Round 3, Pick 29 - Bye 10
2023 Rank: 92 - 2022 Rank: 234
Although the Rams had a terrible season on offense, the same cannot be said for Higbee. He had career highs with 72 receptions and 108 targets. However, due to the crumbling offensive line and carousel at quarterback, his 8.6 yards per reception was the lowest since his 2016 rookie season. Higbee was frequently used on tight end screens, so his 64th-percentile yards after the catch rate helped him to post decent yardage totals, but he was very inconsistent (he had 15 or fewer yards in seven of his last 12 games). Nonetheless, in Weeks 1-5 when the offense was decent, he had between 39 and 73 yards in each game. Going into his age-30 season, it's unlikely Higbee will finish inside the top-12 tight ends, but he should be in the tier below that.
- Round 4, Pick 43 - Bye 10
2023 Rank: 157 - 2022 Rank: 140
The Rams had a terrible offensive line last year, and their running game was stuck in neutral. As a result, Stafford paid the price with 29 sacks in 11 games. Last year, the team added Allen Robinson in free agency, but either the team didn't properly use him, or Robinson was on the downside of his career. So with very little going his way, Stafford was consistently getting hit, which kept him unable to put up consistent fantasy points. Stafford's 10:8 TD:INT ratio was his worst since 2012. And due to the constant pressure, his 6.9 yards per attempt was significantly lower than any of his last three seasons. Although Stafford had at least 240 passing yards in each of his first six games, he failed to crack 190 in any of his last three. He then suffered a neck injury and was shut down for the season. Going into 2023, Stafford may see an improvement from the offensive line, as a number of starters will return from injuries, and the Rams added guard Steve Avila in the second round of the draft. Coach Sean McVay will have had time to consider different ways for Stafford to attack defenses while hopefully getting the ball out of his hands quicker to keep him healthy. Still, the Rams seem a bit of a rebuilding mess. Stafford shouldn't be considered more than a backup in typical fantasy leagues.
- Round 5, Pick 57 - Bye 6
2023 Rank: 182 - 2022 Rank: 277
Offseason knee surgery kept Jefferson out until Week 8 last season. When he returned, he had every opportunity to capitalize in the Rams' injury-riddled offense. By the time the team was down to a third-string quarterback and a bunch of depth pieces at wide receiver, Jefferson was seeing close to five targets per game. But he didn't do much with his opportunity, finishing with 24 receptions, 369 yards and three scores. He never caught more than three passes in a game. And that was with playing 64 percent of his snaps in the slot, so he frequently would get a free release from the line. The Rams traded Allen Robinson to the Steelers this offseason, leaving Jefferson as the No. 2 wideout to Cooper Kupp. That should give him plenty of opportunities this season to be a weekly threat in the passing game.
- Round 6, Pick 71 - Bye 10
2023 Rank: 203 - 2022 Rank: 288
When the Rams had few options to turn to at wide receiver last season, Atwell got some run. He played 81 percent of the snaps in the slot and turned his 8.5 yards per target into 16.6 yards per reception due to a 50th-percentile yards-after-catch rate. Atwell will compete with Ben Skowronek, Demarcus Robinson and fifth-round pick Puka Nacua for a rotational role, but durability always is a concern for the 5-foot-9, 165-pound wideout.
DEF - Round 7, Pick 85 - Bye 10
2023 Rank: 1934 - 2022 Rank: 86
In 2022, the Rams defense was close to average. They allowed 384 points, which was the 12th-most in the league. They were below average with 38 sacks, but they had 16 interceptions, which placed them in the top 10. Yes, Aaron Donald is still Superman, but the rest of this defense is in transition. Other than Donald, they have very little in the way of run stoppers or pass rushers. And the pass coverage is likely going to be a major issue after the team traded away Jalen Ramsey. This could compete to be the worst defense in the league as the Rams enter a transition phase. It's unlikely they'll have many good fantasy performances.
- Round 8, Pick 99 - Bye 10
2023 Rank: 341 - 2022 Rank: 9
After initially struggling with his accuracy, Maher was able to showcase his skills in 2022. With a 29-for-32 record on field goals and 51-for-53 on PATs, he ranked third among kickers in fantasy scoring. Additionally, Maher impressed by hitting 9 out of 11 tries from 50-plus yards, demonstrating his exceptional leg strength which had previously given him opportunities despite his earlier accuracy issues. The Cowboys decided to move on all the same after a shaky postseason, and Maher eventually signed with Denver but then was released in late August. He joined the Rams shortly thereafter, signing to the practice squad, and appears likely to kick for them Week 1.
- Round 9, Pick 113 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 10, Pick 127 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 11, Pick 141 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 12, Pick 155 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 13, Pick 169 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 14, Pick 183 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 15, Pick 197 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 16, Pick 211 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
Team Forecast
Bye Week Points Lost
Each bar represents the total projected season points for each player that's on bye that week. This chart shows any potential bye week issues.
Schedule by Opponent Points
Week-by-week schedule with each opponent's projected season points. This chart shows any difficult or easy stretches in the schedule.
