Rams WR thread (1 Viewer)

[Mister CIA]

I've snagged Gibson off the waiver wire in a couple of leagues, at the expense of a Team D #3, QB#4, etc. In other words, no harm no foul. The only WR I'd overpay for here is Avery. Yes, he might bust, but if I'm St. Louis FO, I make it a priority to overwork Avery and find out exactly what I have in him before next year's draft.

Gut feel, if Avery does not pan out, the best STL WR to own in dynasty is not yet on the Rams roster.

 

[BobbyLayne]

I know I am probably coming off as an amendola hater, which in a way I guess I am, but would one of the pimpers answer me this

Highest floor is Amendola.

Why do you think he has a high floor? Since 1970 no player has averaged < 9 yards a catch with at least 30 receptions and gone on to have a meaningful career. Most of the guys that did it were has beens like Peerless Price, Ike Hilliard or Joe Horn in one of their last years in the league. As far as I can see the best career to come out of one of these guys was Jabar Gaffney or Bobby Engram.

Because he's going to catch a lot of balls, and his ypc can't get worse so that'll translate into actual yards.

Why is he going to catch a lot of balls? He caught a lot of balls last year when everyone else (literally) was injured, it is unlikely the situation this season is even half as bad.

I've owned MSW for three years and Amendola for a couple in a return league, and have watched them some. MSW isn't going to be the one who goes over the middle for tough catches. I think that is still Danny's role. Who else has emerged this summer to fulfill that role?It is a bit confusing, given Gibson received mucho praise early in camp, and the HC has been singing the praise of the two rookies. But IME TC praise to pump guys up and young WRs looking impressive in preseason (unless they are an uber talent like Megatron or Dez) doesn't always translate to productive seasons. Veterans who have gotten the job done in the past and are at the top of the depth chart, on the other hand...

 

[BobbyLayne]

Here is question for Fantatic or B2H or any other homers:Nobody threw short of the sticks more than Bradford last year. Partly by design, but also because that was the way he operated much of the time at OU. The attack was very dependent on YAC.Supposedly that is all going to change under McDaniels. Do you guys see them going vertical more this year? What have we seen so far in preseason? Do they have the personnel to stretch the field like that?TIA

That's the problem, they really don't have any field stretchers. DX could be, but I don't think he is going to make the team due to his knees. Avery has potential, but is always hurt. MSW is going to catch a lot of balls in the 10-20 yard range, the same with Gibson, and Amendola underneath in the middle. They will pound it with SJax and their drives will be methodical and precise. Kendricks will also play a key part.

It doesn't seem like the offense has fundamentally changed in terms of taking shots, but I guess that is due to the personnel they currently have.Intriguing year for MSW. Last year all 7 of his TDs were 10 yards or less; yet in his breakout campaign, he caught several bombs, and showed good speed in his first year playing (after missing a year and a half due to a preseason knee injury his rookie year). Obviously consistency and his lack of maturity hurt him, but those are (hopefully) correctable issues. New digs and new coaches might be just the ticket for him.

 

[baconisgood]

I've owned MSW for three years and Amendola for a couple in a return league, and have watched them some. MSW isn't going to be the one who goes over the middle for tough catches. I think that is still Danny's role. Who else has emerged this summer to fulfill that role?

Kendricks can take a few or more receptions.More importantly they simply might just not attempt nearly as many of those types of passes. There have only been 11 players with a sub 10 y/c average over 41 years with > 50 catches. None of them did it twice.

 

[BobbyLayne]

I've owned MSW for three years and Amendola for a couple in a return league, and have watched them some. MSW isn't going to be the one who goes over the middle for tough catches. I think that is still Danny's role. Who else has emerged this summer to fulfill that role?

Kendricks can take a few or more receptions.More importantly they simply might just not attempt nearly as many of those types of passes. There have only been 11 players with a sub 10 y/c average over 41 years with > 50 catches. None of them did it twice.

As I referenced in the exchange with H2B, the hope is that Daniels will be calling deeper routes beyond the sticks. No team completed more passes short of the FDM than St Louis. We haven't seen it yet from what I can tell, but they haven't played for keeps yet.I get the historical precedence angle. When you see something that has never happened before, it just doesn't compute it will happen now. I used that logic to lay off from Miles Austin (nothing through five games then a historic breakout against the Chiefs), and again last year when 29 year journeyman with alligator arms led the league yardage. Personally, I think teams tend to take what the defense gives them. Generally speaking, that is often a soft underneath middle. Amendola-land. We've both made our points, now we'll see how it plays out.

 

[NeverEnough]

Safe to say Clayton will not be back & should be dropped?

 

[Shane Falco]

Safe to say Clayton will not be back & should be dropped?

yesif he's back it will after the season begins

 

[NeverEnough]

Safe to say Clayton will not be back & should be dropped?

yesif he's back it will after the season begins

I play in dynasty not redraft.

 

[pghrob]

It still seems as though people are writing Gibson off as though he won't last beyond the first four weeks or so of the season.

 

[Beerguzzler]

So who's the rookie to own in Dynasty leagues?

 

[gbill2004]

It still seems as though people are writing Gibson off as though he won't last beyond the first four weeks or so of the season.

So is Avery the guy to own then?

 

[DoubleG]

Just a thought in regards to those quoting last years target numbers. There is a new coach and new offensive system. While talented players will always get theirs, systems help skew numbers too.

The point? This is a mess. Run away. Picking a Rams WR may be more difficult than a Denver RB when Skeletor was in charge.

 

[Shrugs]

Just a thought in regards to those quoting last years target numbers. There is a new coach and new offensive system. While talented players will always get theirs, systems help skew numbers too.The point? This is a mess. Run away. Picking a Rams WR may be more difficult than a Denver RB when Skeletor was in charge.

I agree that it's difficult to pick a Rams WR, but I think there is a lot of value there. Outside of Amendola, and sometimes maybe even him, all of the WRs are going to go in double-digit rounds. I like the offense and the QB. I think one of the WRs will emerge to be a starting-quality fantasy WR. It will be a crapshoot, but at that point of the draft I like the upside of taking a gamble to possibly get a WR who could start for me.

 

[Sake-Bombers]

I'm Rams fan who no longer lives in StL, here's who I'm targeting in different leagues.

PPR league: Amendola

TD-heavy league: MSW

Rewards long TDs: Avery

I just don't see Gibson emerging as the top Ram in any scoring format.

 

[OnTheReg]

I just started reading up on this situation...I've seen some say that Gibson has a ton of upside, whereas others say don't touch him at all.....Why the polar opposite opinions? Third year WR, in that offense seems like he could be a "potential" break out receiver.

 

[cr8f]

So who's the rookie to own in Dynasty leagues?

I like Salas but am interested in opinions too.

 

[TheFanatic]

Here is question for Fantatic or B2H or any other homers:Nobody threw short of the sticks more than Bradford last year. Partly by design, but also because that was the way he operated much of the time at OU. The attack was very dependent on YAC.Supposedly that is all going to change under McDaniels. Do you guys see them going vertical more this year? What have we seen so far in preseason? Do they have the personnel to stretch the field like that?TIA

That's the problem, they really don't have any field stretchers. DX could be, but I don't think he is going to make the team due to his knees. Avery has potential, but is always hurt. MSW is going to catch a lot of balls in the 10-20 yard range, the same with Gibson, and Amendola underneath in the middle. They will pound it with SJax and their drives will be methodical and precise. Kendricks will also play a key part.

The best chance to stretch the field is DX, but im not sure he makes the team either. That doesn't mean they don't try with someone else, maybe one of the rooks.As to what I've seen, well it's not much but I haven't watched the 3rd game yet. That being said, I think they haven't gone deep much and that may be by design. Im a big believer in that coaches work on vanilla stuff in the preseason just as much as they hide their new stuff. Hernandez gets a ton of targets in preseason but watch Gronk go off in the first game. That sort of thing. McD is supposed to be all about the deep threat. He did pretty well with his O with Orton, Lloyd, and those backs. What can he do with Bradford, SJ39, and MSW, Amendola, Gibson, Salas and Kendricks?

 

[tenaka]

So who's the rookie to own in Dynasty leagues?

I like Salas but am interested in opinions too.

I do as well, but I'm not expecting more than 10 catches out of him this year. There are a lot of players above him on the depth chart they have to figure out answers on first and rookie WRs that aren't taken in the top 10-15 tend to need time anyway. So while I like him in a dynasty I also recognize that he's a guy you'd need to be willing and able to stash on the bench for a year.

 

[DevilintheDetail]

Honestly, I think everyone is missing the boat on Gibson. He is listed as the #1 Z-position WR on their depth chart and the coaches and QB have said he's had a great camp. He has good size and is still very young. Why is everyone assuming he's not the guy? At this point, there's a good shot that the guy penciled in as the #1 WR a week before Week 1 is going to be the #1 WR for the season.

 

[toxicbees]

Gibson is fools gold, just watch him play, his upside is Michael Jenkins. If Avery is truly healthy he's by far the best WR on this team, in terms of upside and TDs. I read somewhere he recently ran a 4.2 40.

 

[Shane Falco]

Safe to say Clayton will not be back & should be dropped?

yesif he's back it will after the season begins

I play in dynasty not redraft.

I was talking about dynasty since that's about all I play HTH

 

[eoMMan]

Amendola will be the man in PPR leagues.

 

[Ghost of Bill Walsh]

12 team PPR money league I had drafted Brandon Gibson. Now just not so sure he's gonna be real productive so I've got a waiver claim in to drop him and pick up Antonio Brown from Pittsburgh or Arrelious Benn from Tampa. I think both of those guys have at least as good a chance of producing more than Gibson this year.

Kinda hard to shake out the Rams receivng corps right now,IMO. We know Bradfords gonna throw and be good and whoever he zones in on is gonna have a decent year. Heck, with so many receivers it might be like the Patriots where the balls are spread around to 8-12 receivers a game and no one really ends up standing out or being the true #1 guy. I'll take the wait and see approach.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Honestly, I think everyone is missing the boat on Gibson. He is listed as the #1 Z-position WR on their depth chart and the coaches and QB have said he's had a great camp. He has good size and is still very young. Why is everyone assuming he's not the guy? At this point, there's a good shot that the guy penciled in as the #1 WR a week before Week 1 is going to be the #1 WR for the season.

Is that the same spot Brandon Lloyd had last year?

 

[AB in DC]

Honestly, I think everyone is missing the boat on Gibson. He is listed as the #1 Z-position WR on their depth chart and the coaches and QB have said he's had a great camp. He has good size and is still very young. Why is everyone assuming he's not the guy?

The question is, did he really earn the starting job, or did he win it by default because everyone else was injured?He's certainly in the right place at the right time, but if MSW, Avery, or even Alexander get healthy, any of them could easily push Gibson to a backup role.

 

[Devil in the Detail]

Honestly, I think everyone is missing the boat on Gibson. He is listed as the #1 Z-position WR on their depth chart and the coaches and QB have said he's had a great camp. He has good size and is still very young. Why is everyone assuming he's not the guy? At this point, there's a good shot that the guy penciled in as the #1 WR a week before Week 1 is going to be the #1 WR for the season.

Is that the same spot Brandon Lloyd had last year?

Yes, it is Lloyd's spot in the offense from last year (assuming it offense is employed in a similar way). Amendola is playing more of the Gaffney/Royal spot.

 

[Devil in the Detail]

Honestly, I think everyone is missing the boat on Gibson. He is listed as the #1 Z-position WR on their depth chart and the coaches and QB have said he's had a great camp. He has good size and is still very young. Why is everyone assuming he's not the guy?

The question is, did he really earn the starting job, or did he win it by default because everyone else was injured?He's certainly in the right place at the right time, but if MSW, Avery, or even Alexander get healthy, any of them could easily push Gibson to a backup role.

To my knowledge, there has been absolutely no talk from the coaches about Gibson potentially losing his spot. MSW is backing up Amendola primarily and is penciled in as the 3rd WR (which is why the coaches have had him working on several WR spots so he can be a multipurpose backup). Alexander is injured and is third string. He's more likely to get cut than to become fantasy relevant. Could Avery unseat Gibson at some point? Sure, I suppose so. But he has been oft-injured, too, and is a backup right now. The coaches and QB have all sung Gibson's praises and Gibson had roughly the same # of targets in the second half of the season as Amendola. Not sure why so many on this board thinks he hasn't earned his spot in the starting lineup. The coaches seem to think he has.

 

[pghrob]

Not sure why so many on this board thinks he hasn't earned his spot in the starting lineup.

People refuse to see him as legitimate. Might be because Gibson was not a high draft pick or some high profile college player. These kinds of players are often overlooked because they don't jive with the preconceived notion of what a team's WR1 should generally be. But there have been guys that took the same path as Gibson.Why can't he be the next Rod Smith or Keenan McCardell?

 

[DocHolliday]

Amandola is the only sure bet when it comes to STL WRs. That being said, I would take a chance on Gibson. Philly was really high on him when he was there. Avery is often hurt.

 

[Chaka]

Redrafters should avoid the Rams WR situation entirely.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Redrafters should avoid the Rams WR situation entirely.

I disagree Chaka. Amendola is definitely the poor man's Wes Welker, likely 75-80 receptions, in PPR he will be a top40 player. Gibson can be had so late that it won't matter if he pans out or not. MSW is probably going to get a decent amount of targets as well. Gibson and Amendola seem to be able to stay healthy so I would grab those guys and not blink twice. We are talking about a WR4/5/6 type on your roster.

 

[Chaka]

Redrafters should avoid the Rams WR situation entirely.

I disagree Chaka. Amendola is definitely the poor man's Wes Welker, likely 75-80 receptions, in PPR he will be a top40 player. Gibson can be had so late that it won't matter if he pans out or not. MSW is probably going to get a decent amount of targets as well. Gibson and Amendola seem to be able to stay healthy so I would grab those guys and not blink twice. We are talking about a WR4/5/6 type on your roster.

It's a bunch of guys who we know almost nothing about on the football field, most of whom have injury concerns. One of them might do something very nice this season but good luck telling which one (and it might be different guys each week). There are plenty of WR 4/5/6 guys out there, no need to get excited about the Rams WR corps for that reason.

 

[KentGraham10]

So Ammendola for PPR leagues, Gibson for a late round flier, and [insert your favorite Rams receiver here] to hold in dynasty leagues?

 

[The Hank]

Let me throw a wrench into the mix:

per Mark Clayton's twitter account, he has signed a 1-year deal with the St. Louis Rams

 

[DocHolliday]

The signing of Clayton changes everything with all the WRs except Amendola. Clayton was putting up good numbers with Bradford.

 

[bonesman]

Not sure why so many on this board thinks he hasn't earned his spot in the starting lineup.

People refuse to see him as legitimate. Might be because Gibson was not a high draft pick or some high profile college player. These kinds of players are often overlooked because they don't jive with the preconceived notion of what a team's WR1 should generally be. But there have been guys that took the same path as Gibson.Why can't he be the next Rod Smith or Keenan McCardell?

That's not true at all, at least not for me. And I'm someone who had Hillis and Stevie on my roster before last preseason.

It's the fact that he's been mediocre at best and has shown NOTHING that indicates any upside or specialness at all. Not only does he not have "IT"... he's anti-IT! Now, players have come from further out of nowhere to do amazing things... but it's pretty hard to fathom it occurring in this case... at least it was 3 or 4 weeks ago. Now... who knows? If he's getting WR1 targets from Bradford w/ McDaniels calling the plays... the sky is pretty much the limit. I agree with people that he'll likely get overtaken by MSW or Avery if health isn't a concern though.

 

[renesauz]

Gibson was a late round draft pick traded in his first rookie camp to another team...TWICE. His rookie season was basically a wash. He was a late pick because he was unpolished, but was so impressive in his rookie camp that Philly made room for hjim on a crowded roster before trading him for much needed help at LB.

Don't sleep on him. He fits the profile of a breakout player, and for the cost of an 11th round draft pick, I'm buying in all leagues.

 

[massraider]

Redrafters should avoid the Rams WR situation entirely.

I disagree Chaka. Amendola is definitely the poor man's Wes Welker, likely 75-80 receptions, in PPR he will be a top40 player. Gibson can be had so late that it won't matter if he pans out or not. MSW is probably going to get a decent amount of targets as well. Gibson and Amendola seem to be able to stay healthy so I would grab those guys and not blink twice. We are talking about a WR4/5/6 type on your roster.

It's a bunch of guys who we know almost nothing about on the football field, most of whom have injury concerns. One of them might do something very nice this season but good luck telling which one (and it might be different guys each week). There are plenty of WR 4/5/6 guys out there, no need to get excited about the Rams WR corps for that reason.

There are plenty of 4/5/6 guys out there, but not too many with a clear shot at becoming a #1 with an emerging QB.The Rams might dink and dunk it down the field, because they did that last year. Or they go flying up and down the field against a bad division with an emerging star at QB that's no longer a rookie.I whiffed on Bradford last year, I can't believe how comfortable he looked as a rookie, with a not-great supporting cast. If he improves, and a guy emerges as a #1 go-to guy, then you could be looking at a Roddy White situation.

 

[LawFitz]

Gibson is dealing with a sore toe, 590 The Fan's Howard Balzer reports.Spin:There hasn't been any mention of the dreaded "turf toe," but this is something to watch. Gibson is primed for a significant role in what should be a pass-happy and fairly effective offense this year.

Anybody concerned about this? An already not-so-explosive WR with a sore toe and a semi-firm hold on the starting flanker position. Seems any one of these guys could be a lottery ticket but a lot of them will be fool's gold.

 

[tenaka]

Redrafters should avoid the Rams WR situation entirely.

I disagree Chaka. Amendola is definitely the poor man's Wes Welker, likely 75-80 receptions, in PPR he will be a top40 player. Gibson can be had so late that it won't matter if he pans out or not. MSW is probably going to get a decent amount of targets as well. Gibson and Amendola seem to be able to stay healthy so I would grab those guys and not blink twice. We are talking about a WR4/5/6 type on your roster.

It's a bunch of guys who we know almost nothing about on the football field, most of whom have injury concerns. One of them might do something very nice this season but good luck telling which one (and it might be different guys each week). There are plenty of WR 4/5/6 guys out there, no need to get excited about the Rams WR corps for that reason.

There are plenty of 4/5/6 guys out there, but not too many with a clear shot at becoming a #1 with an emerging QB.The Rams might dink and dunk it down the field, because they did that last year. Or they go flying up and down the field against a bad division with an emerging star at QB that's no longer a rookie.I whiffed on Bradford last year, I can't believe how comfortable he looked as a rookie, with a not-great supporting cast. If he improves, and a guy emerges as a #1 go-to guy, then you could be looking at a Roddy White situation.

Not only do many 4/5/6 guys not have a chance at being #1 but some of us are also drafting 7-10 WRs. I took Gibson as my 9th WR in a redraft last week. If you think there are guys with more upside still there at that point...

 

[DrapedInVelvet]

Can Clayton go back to where he was at the beginning of last season?

 

[pfalvey]

Gibson is dealing with a sore toe, 590 The Fan's Howard Balzer reports.Spin:There hasn't been any mention of the dreaded "turf toe," but this is something to watch. Gibson is primed for a significant role in what should be a pass-happy and fairly effective offense this year.

Anybody concerned about this? An already not-so-explosive WR with a sore toe and a semi-firm hold on the starting flanker position. Seems any one of these guys could be a lottery ticket but a lot of them will be fool's gold.

+1...I wonder if today's signing of Mark Clayton had anything to do with this toe injury? Or it could be nothing.

 

[gbill2004]

Clayton was placed on the PUP already today. He can come off before the season starts, but is this an indication he will miss the first 6 games?

 

[The Hank]

Clayton was placed on the PUP already today. He can come off before the season starts, but is this an indication he will miss the first 6 games?

Where did you see that he was placed on PUP?

 

[gbill2004]

Clayton was placed on the PUP already today. He can come off before the season starts, but is this an indication he will miss the first 6 games?

Where did you see that he was placed on PUP?

Howard Balzer on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/HBalzer721/statuses/109015302129451009. Says decision needs to be made by Saturday.

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

Clayton was placed on the PUP already today. He can come off before the season starts, but is this an indication he will miss the first 6 games?

Where did you see that he was placed on PUP?

http://fantasysports.usatoday.com/content/player.asp?sport=NFL&id=3150

 

[The Hank]

Clayton was placed on the PUP already today. He can come off before the season starts, but is this an indication he will miss the first 6 games?

Where did you see that he was placed on PUP?

Howard Balzer on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/HBalzer721/statuses/109015302129451009. Says decision needs to be made by Saturday.

Thanks

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

Clayton was placed on the PUP already today. He can come off before the season starts, but is this an indication he will miss the first 6 games?

Where did you see that he was placed on PUP?

it's preseason pup, not regular season pup.he can come off pre anytime, and he still counts against the roster on pre, but if they regular pup him they save a roster spot, so we should have more info by saturday, when they cut down to 53.they put him on pre (active) pup to leave their options open for regular (reserve) pup, or they've already decided he'll be on it.

 

[Chaka]

Redrafters should avoid the Rams WR situation entirely.

I disagree Chaka. Amendola is definitely the poor man's Wes Welker, likely 75-80 receptions, in PPR he will be a top40 player. Gibson can be had so late that it won't matter if he pans out or not. MSW is probably going to get a decent amount of targets as well. Gibson and Amendola seem to be able to stay healthy so I would grab those guys and not blink twice. We are talking about a WR4/5/6 type on your roster.

It's a bunch of guys who we know almost nothing about on the football field, most of whom have injury concerns. One of them might do something very nice this season but good luck telling which one (and it might be different guys each week). There are plenty of WR 4/5/6 guys out there, no need to get excited about the Rams WR corps for that reason.

There are plenty of 4/5/6 guys out there, but not too many with a clear shot at becoming a #1 with an emerging QB.The Rams might dink and dunk it down the field, because they did that last year. Or they go flying up and down the field against a bad division with an emerging star at QB that's no longer a rookie.I whiffed on Bradford last year, I can't believe how comfortable he looked as a rookie, with a not-great supporting cast. If he improves, and a guy emerges as a #1 go-to guy, then you could be looking at a Roddy White situation.

And now Clayton is back to further muddy up the waters, either immediately or in six weeks.I am not saying no one will emerge from this mess but McDaniels is calling the plays and there is no Randy Moss and there probably isn't a Wes Welker on this team; at best there are several potential Deion Branches. I would expect the offense to look more like the 2003-2006 Patriots where the best receiving season was 78 catches, 998 yards & 5 TDs (Deion Branch 2005). In 2006 the top receiver had 61 for 780 & 4 TDs, 2004 56, 874 & 3 TDs and in 2003 57, 803 & 3 TDs. Nice numbers for a 4/5/6, I guess, but good luck figuring out which one of these guys will be the one to emerge.For a redraft I will gladly draft Bradford, Jackson or J.Brown, maybe even Kendricks, but I want nothing to do with their receiving corps on draft day.

 

[goodoldalky]

Personally, I'd let your draft play out and then draft whoever has value late. I think it's impossible to say that one guy is clearly worth taking in the mid rounds over everyone else. The team leader in receiving could be MSW, Amendola, Gibson, Avery, Kendricks even, maybe Clayton when he returns likely in week 6....

For now, my preference is to wait until near the end of the draft and see which lottery tickets are still available. It's such a coin flip IMO. I am temped to say that Amendola is the safest pick, but with what McDaniels did with Eddie Royal in Denver, I can't guarantee it. Plus, he has the most limited ceiling.

What you're after in STL is the next Brandon Lloyd. I have no idea who that is. I'd punch a ticket or two and watch the first 5-6 games until Clayton likely enters the picture after week 6. Either we will know which one is keeping that Lloyd role or we will punch a Clayton ticket.