Fantasy Football Player Notes

Have we watched a shift in the offensive philosophy for the Rams over the last few weeks? Sean McVay has done this multiple times in his coaching career, so when we see Woods get 27 targets over the last two weeks after averaging just 6.7 targets per game in the first nine games, we have to pay attention. Woods has also totaled 20 carries on the year, which provide that little bit of extra value. Wide receivers have seen a 61.7 percent target share against the Cardinals, which is the third-highest number in the league, so that bodes well for Woods, who crushed this team for 13/172/0 in their first meeting last year, and then 7/67/1 in the second one. They did add Dre Kirkpatrick this offseason, and he's been an upgrade on the perimeter, allowing 45-of-63 passing for 486 yards and two touchdowns. Still, we've watched them allow 10 receivers to finish as top-24 options this year. It is worth noting that eight of them saw at least nine targets, which is seemingly a very reachable number for Woods. He should be in lineups as a solid high-floor WR2.

We've watched Kupp's targets vary anywhere from five to 20 targets this season, which has made him a bit inconsistent to rely on as a WR2, but he's still reached double-digit PPR points in 8-of-11 games, giving him a decent floor, and we've seen his upside (three 100-yard games this year). Of the fantasy production the Cardinals allow to opposing skill-position players, wide receivers make up 55.7 percent of it, which ranks as the third-highest mark in the league. The best news for Kupp this week is that the three biggest performances the Cardinals have allowed this year were slot-heavy receivers, as Tyler Lockett (15/200/3), Cole Beasley (11/109/1), and Jamison Crowder (8/116/1) all finished as top-seven options against them, and that's not even including Lockett's follow-up performance where he totaled 9/67/1. The Cardinals have put Byron Murphy into the slot, which is not his natural position, and he's struggled a bit in that role. He's also the weakest link in the Cardinals secondary, so we should expect Kupp to get peppered with targets in this game. Go ahead and start him as a solid WR2.

It's now been five straight games where Reynolds has seen six-plus targets, which puts him on the fantasy map, though three of those games have netted 9.0 or less PPR points. Is the matchup against the Cardinals great enough to consider him? Probably not considering Reynolds plays almost all his snaps on the perimeter, which is where Patrick Peterson and Dre Kirkpatrick play, the Cardinals two top cornerbacks. Here's the list of perimeter-heavy wide receviers who've finished top-36 against them: Stefon Diggs, Amari Cooper, Kenny Golladay, and D.K. Metcalf. That's it. The only other perimeter receiver who totaled more than 51 yards was DeVante Parker, who caught six balls for 64 yards. Reynolds isn't a recommended start in this matchup.

At this point, there's a little bit more clarity on who to play in this backfield, but it's still not a situation that I want to deal with here. Akers seems to be establishing himself as the main option, but that doesn't exactly mean that he's seeing enough carries to be a viable fantasy asset. Akers can be viewed as a mid-range RB3 this week, but there's always the possibility that it turns into a Darrell Henderson or Malcolm Brown game and Akers is stuck riding the bench.

We've talked about this backfield and it's unpredictability on a weekly basis. In fact, you may not be able to predict it from quarter-to-quarter, as Akers saw just one carry in the first half, but then saw eight of them in the second half. Over the last three weeks, here are the touches and yardages for each back: Henderson (28 - 61), Akers (25 - 141), and Brown (17 - 98). Akers has had the most success, but 61 of his yards came on one play. He's been stuck in the 5-10 carry range for the last month, so it's tough to see that changing overnight. The Cardinals haven't faced more than 21 carries by a team of running backs since way back in Week 7, which doesn't bode well for this timeshare. The good news is that the Cardinals have allowed a massive 2.44 yards before contact to ball carriers this year, which ranks as the fifth-most in the league, and much of that was with interior lineman Corey Peters in the lineup (he's out for the year). All in all, the Cardinals have faced 25.5 running back touches per game, so even if Akers were to get a bump into 40-45 percent of the touches (he's averaged 35.7 percent over the last three weeks), we're talking about 10-12 touches if that number holds true. There have been six running backs who've totaled 15-plus PPR points against the Cardinals, but five of them totaled at least 16 touches. Akers might be the preferred option right now, but he's still nothing more than an RB3 until we see him get a larger share of the touches. Henderson is still in the high-end RB4 conversation, as he's received the most touches over the last three games, and it's possible he is still the most valuable one, though he's been trending downward. Brown is seemingly an afterthought with Akers earning a bigger role.

When both Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett are healthy, it's wise to just avoid either of them for fantasy purposes.

We've talked about this backfield and it's unpredictability on a weekly basis. In fact, you may not be able to predict it from quarter-to-quarter, as Akers saw just one carry in the first half, but then saw eight of them in the second half. Over the last three weeks, here are the touches and yardages for each back: Henderson (28 - 61), Akers (25 - 141), and Brown (17 - 98). Akers has had the most success, but 61 of his yards came on one play. He's been stuck in the 5-10 carry range for the last month, so it's tough to see that changing overnight. The Cardinals haven't faced more than 21 carries by a team of running backs since way back in Week 7, which doesn't bode well for this timeshare. The good news is that the Cardinals have allowed a massive 2.44 yards before contact to ball carriers this year, which ranks as the fifth-most in the league, and much of that was with interior lineman Corey Peters in the lineup (he's out for the year). All in all, the Cardinals have faced 25.5 running back touches per game, so even if Akers were to get a bump into 40-45 percent of the touches (he's averaged 35.7 percent over the last three weeks), we're talking about 10-12 touches if that number holds true. There have been six running backs who've totaled 15-plus PPR points against the Cardinals, but five of them totaled at least 16 touches. Akers might be the preferred option right now, but he's still nothing more than an RB3 until we see him get a larger share of the touches. Henderson is still in the high-end RB4 conversation, as he's received the most touches over the last three games, and it's possible he is still the most valuable one, though he's been trending downward. Brown is seemingly an afterthought with Akers earning a bigger role.

When both Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett are healthy, it's wise to just avoid either of them for fantasy purposes.