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Today we’re diving into the Rams. Full team vibe check, plus sleepers, busts, and the IDP players you need to know.
Plus much more. Matt Montgomeryfades Speed. And Josh Fahlsing breaks down Dynasty QBs while Dave Kluge lays out fresh redraft QB tiers to guide your draft prep. You're already pulling ahead of the other folks in your league.
And of course, Bob Harris has your News and Notes to keep you sharp while your league mates drift through the summer.
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Los Angeles Rams Fantasy Overview - Our Footballguys Staff is mostly bullish on the Rams — but when the same back tops both the sleeper and bust lists, you know Kyren Williams deserves a closer look.
Quarterback Rankings and Tiers: One Staffer's Opinion
By Dave Kluge - Exclusive to Footballguys
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If there’s one lesson to take away from this year’s quarterback landscape, it’s to wait to draft one. And then wait a bit longer. And then wait some more.
There are the obvious difference-makers up top, but they’re going to cost you the same that you’d be spending on a WR2 or RB1. Of course, someone has to take them. And if they slip a bit below where they should, you’re likely locking in elite production. But fresh off one of the best quarterback classes we’ve ever seen entering the league, there’s good reason to wait. In addition to the young talent, we’ve got new high-end starters with new teams.
Rather than paying up this year, I find myself waiting and then drafting two or three quarterbacks, increasing my chances of hitting big on a late-round pick. While your leaguemates are reaching for mid-tier quarterbacks to fill out their starting lineups, bolster your wide receiver and running back rooms with depth in the middle rounds.
Next to the player’s names, you might see a “+” or “-” that will indicate how much higher or lower I am compared to our Average Draft Position. For players with a notable deviation, I will add my thoughts.
Let’s start with the guys going early in drafts.
The Elites
These quarterbacks won’t be cheap, but for good reason. They all have elite ceilings, potentially scoring 25-plus points per game this year. Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson both have MVPs and overall QB1 finishes under their belts. And while Jayden Daniels hasn’t gotten either yet, we saw enough from his rookie season to put him into this tier. He’s an elite rusher who can layer passes through every level of the defense with pinpoint accuracy. Their draft costs aren’t getting steamed up into Round 2 like we’ve seen in previous years, making their acquisition cost a bit more palatable than you might expect.
There are minor nitpicks with each of these quarterbacks that keep them out of the elite tier, but they can each finish as this year’s QB1. Touchdowns have largely buoyed Hurts’ fantasy production over the last few years. If those regress even a little, his floor could fall out from under him. And while Burrow is one of the best passers in the league with two great wide receivers, his lack of rushing caps his overall upside. These are both outstanding players, but I struggle paying up for them in drafts this year.
According to Footballguys legal analyst Drew Davenport, Jordan Addison's case took a step backward today as a jury was set to be impaneled in his pending DUI case. Instead, the case was reset for a pretrial date on July 17th.
Our view: This shift may suggest that unresolved matters need to be addressed before the trial, stemming from Addison's July 2024 DUI arrest, can begin. Addison pleaded not guilty last December to charges of driving under the influence of alcohol with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08% or greater. His exact blood-alcohol concentration has not been disclosed. Addison could face a league-mandated three-game suspension if he's convicted. We'll continue to monitor this situation, but previous reports have suggested that the Vikings are prepared for that outcome.
Detroit Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs recently told reporters that he was 'being split out (during offseason work)... way more than I was the past two years.''I gotta learn the formations for this, but I'm being split out ... like way more than I was the past two years. That's good, that's going to be fun. I've been waiting on that. (New offensive coordinator John Morton) wants me to be more involved in it, so that's what he plans on doing,' Gibbs said.
Our view: Morton replaced Ben Johnson as the team's OC this offseason. And while Morton has said he won't be making wholesale changes to an already-successful scheme (the Lions scored the most points in the league last season), this adjustment makes sense. As Profootballtalk.com put it, "Gibbs scored 20 touchdowns for the Lions last season, so there's not much need to elaborate on why the team would want to find more ways to put the ball in his hands." Gibbs, who caught 104 passes over his first two NFL seasons, is being drafted as the RB3 with the fifth pick overall.
Updating a previous report, Chicago Bears TE Colston Loveland (shoulder) recently told Mike Berman of NBC Chicago that his surgically repaired shoulder is 100% but that he did not know if he would be on the field at the start of training camp.
Our view: Loveland told MLive.com's Aaron McCann last week he will not have a full sense of how his recovery went until he reports to training camp. His latest comment suggests we might have to wait a bit longer for clarity. We'll continue to monitor developments on this, while reminding you that Loveland is being drafted as TE13 in the 10th round.
Carolina Panthers WR Xavier Legette struggled as a rookie, which included eight dropped passes, but the selection of WR Tetairoa McMillan 'should take some pressure' off Legette, in the opinion of The Athletic's Joe Person, who writes that as QB Bryce Young 'develops' and McMillan 'draws coverage' that Legette should see his production improve in 2025.
Our view: Person went on to suggest we probably should have seen Legette's rookie struggles coming. After all, Legette wasn't a full-time starter until his fifth season at South Carolina. That said, Legette wasn't a total bust. The 6-3, 227-pounder caught 49 passes for 497 yards and four touchdowns. Legette's WR65 Average Draft Position and 14th-round price tag make it easy to invest if you believe a turnaround is coming.
Updating previous reports, Los Angeles Chargers RB Najee Harris (eye) is expected to be on the field sooner rather than later and will not miss games, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
Our view: Harris suffered an eye injury during a fireworks incident at a Fourth of July event. Assuming Harris makes good on the reporting, he'll likely open the season sharing the Chargers' backfield with 22nd overall draft pick Omarion Hampton. Again, Hampton is currently being drafted as RB16 in Round 4. Harris is RB34 with a ninth-round price.
New York Jets CB Sauce Gardner reportedly agreed to terms on a four-year contract worth $120.4 million on Tuesday, July 15. The deal makes Gardner the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history.
Our view: Twenty-four hours after reaching a long-term contract extension with WR Garrett Wilson, the Jets rewarded Gardner with his record-setting contract. Garnder surpasses Texans star Derek Stingley Jr., who received a three-year, $90 million extension in March, as the highest-paid at their position. The Jets have now secured two foundational players through 2030, taking a proactive approach seldom seen in the franchise's history. Gardner and Wilson became the first two former first-round picks under the NFL's current financial system, which went into effect in 2011, to receive extensions in their first year of eligibility (after three years).
Jacksonville Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. could be 'knocking on the door' as one of the NFL's 'premier receivers,' in the opinion of Jeff Howe of The Athletic, who writes that Thomas could 'explode' in 2025 if the pairing of QB Trevor Lawrence and new head coach Liam Coen 'works out the way it's been envisioned.'
Our view: Despite being the fourth rookie receiver off the board in last April's NFL Draft, Thomas was the most prolific of the class, with 82 receptions, 1,282 yards, and 10 touchdowns. He finished the year as WR5 with 280 fantasy points. Thomas had 13 weeks of WR3 or better production. That includes six games as WR12 or better with three top-5 finishes. He had five WR2 finishes. Meanwhile, new head coach Liam Coen has told reporters his passing game will "run through" Thomas. The second-year man, who was WR1 over the final three weeks last year, is being drafted as WR8.
Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud (shoulder) worked during the offseason to 'los[e] body fat, try to be faster, stronger' per comments from Stroud, who said that the training 'went really well,' though it did lead to soreness in his throwing shoulder that led to him missing practices during OTAs and minicamp.
Our view: Stroud felt the additional work was necessary after he saw dips in passing yards (3,727) and touchdowns (20) in Year 2 after being named the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023. Part of the issue last season was Stroud taking too many hits (he was sacked 52 times). So he worked on his speed to help evade defenders in the pocket. Meanwhile, HC DeMeco Ryans hopes for improvement under new OC Nick Caley to help them "get over the hump." If that happens, fantasy investors landing Stroud as QB18 in Round 11 will have made out.
Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson (shoulder) will be eased back into practice once he is cleared to return to the field, according to head coach Shane Steichen.
Our view: Once free-agent addition Daniel Jones and Richardson are both participating in practice, we'll see how things are structured in the competition. Back in 2023, when the Colts had Richardson competing against Gardner Minshew II during training camp, the two quarterbacks alternated days with the first-team offense. Regardless of what the Colts' process is during training camp, the determining factor will be the same: "It's really going to come down to who's the most consistent," Steichen said. That's something we'll be monitoring throughout August.
Kansas City Chiefs OG Trey Smith reportedly agreed to terms on a four-year contract worth $94 million - including $70 million guaranteed - on Tuesday, July 15. The deal keeps Smith from playing on the franchise tag and will make him the highest-paid guard in NFL history.
Our view: A sixth-round pick in 2021, Smith became an instant starter, playing 100 percent of the team's offensive snaps in his rookie year. In all, he has started 67 regular-season games and 13 postseason games for Kansas City. If Smith and the Chiefs had not come to an agreement before Tuesday's deadline, Smith would have been limited to playing on a one-year deal in 2025. Now that he's locked in long-term, it's worth noting Footballguy Matt Bitonti's latest Offensive Line Rankings have the Chiefs at No. 9 overall. Smith's presence is a factor in that ranking.
New Orleans Saints QB Spencer Rattler recently had some workouts with WRs Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed leading up to training camp.
Our view: This isn't the same as sharing the practice field with all of the other receivers and quarterbacks, but Rattler needs to get this work in with the starters. Injuries meant he only played in a single game with both Shaheed and Olave available last season. Anything he can do to develop chemistry with the guys on top of the depth chart is going to help him when the Saints kick off training camp. Rattler is in for a training camp competition with rookie draft pick Tyler Shough and third-year pro Jake Haener this summer.
New York Giants QB Russell Wilson, who will turn 37 years old in November, recently confirmed to SI.com's Conor Orr that he wants to play 'five-plus years.'
Our view: Rookie Jaxson Dart is the future, but Wilson is clearly looking to put that on hold. More immediately, as Footballguy Jason Wood noted last week, we don't expect Wilson to be a fantasy star in 2025, but if he matches his numbers from Pittsburgh last season, it'll be a plus. Competent QB play would elevate Malik Nabers to a top-five receiver and create upside for Darius Slayton, Wan'Dale Robinson, and Theo Johnson.
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