Los Angeles Rams

5 Notable Fantasy Football Stars Worth Considering For Los Angeles Rams in Week 1

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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With the Los Angeles Rams opening up the regular season on the road against the San Francisco 49ers, here’s a look at five fantasy players to keep an eye on.

Dec 17, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Case Keenum (17) hands the ball off to running back Todd Gurley (30) during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

After going 2-2 in the preseason, the Los Angeles Rams open the 2016 season on the road against their NFC West rivals in the San Francisco 49ers.

From a fantasy football perspective, the Rams don’t provide as many attractive options as some of the other teams in the NFL, but that doesn’t mean owners should avoid them for Week 1 against the 49ers. While Todd Gurley is an obvious choice at running back when considering the type of numbers displayed as a rookie, the defense of Los Angeles seems to be a safe choice as well when considering how much San Francisco struggled on offense last year.

These two teams may find themselves at a disadvantage by playing in the same division as the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals, but at least the Rams can still help when it comes to fantasy. With Monday night’s game right around the corner, here’s a look at five worthy options on Los Angeles when it comes to fantasy football.

Aug 20, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley (30) warms up prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Todd Gurley

Is there really a need for an explanation needed when it comes to reasons for fantasy football owners starting Todd Gurley against the 49ers?

Gurley made a bold statement in the offseason by claiming fantasy owners should select him No. 1 overall, and it’s easy to see why when looking at the numbers from his rookie season. The fact that Gurley rushed for 1,106 yards with 10 touchdowns in 13 games shows why he’s already considered one of the league’s top running backs.

Assuming he remains healthy, Gurley could even find his name in strong consideration for the rushing title. Gurley only appeared in one game against the 49ers last year, and managed to rush for 133 rushing yards with a touchdown on 20 carries.

If Los Angeles is going to pull off the win in the national spotlight, Gurley is going to start the 2016 season on a hot note with a strong performance.

Sep 13, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald (99) celebrates after sacking Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (not pictured) during the second half at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams defeated the Seahawks 34-31 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Rams’ Defense

The main reason behind the Rams finishing 7-9 last season was due to their stellar defense, and it’s safe to say expectations will be even higher heading into the 2016 season if this team is going to have any shot at competing in the NFC West.

In just two seasons, Aaron Donald has emerged as one of the league’s top defensive tackles by recording 20 sacks, and many believe the two-time Pro Bowler has what it takes to make a run for Defensive Player of the Year honors. If Donald can play at the high level from his first two seasons along with key contributions from the rest of the defense, Los Angeles should have no problem ranking in the top 10 once again.

Good news for the Rams is the 49ers ranked at the bottom of the league last year by averaging just 14.9 points per game–which means the defense could have a strong outing Monday.

Aug 27, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tavon Austin (11) on the sidelines in the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos defeated the Rams 17-9. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Tavon Austin

Will this finally be the year Tavon Austin lives up to the hype for the Rams? After rewarding the former first-round pick with a hefty contract extension in the offseason, Austin needs to figure out a way to be more involved on offense for Los Angeles if this team is going to have any shot at improving from last year.

The Rams’ offense ranked near the bottom of the league in 2015, but Austin seems to be the perfect candidate to give this team their first 1,000-yard receiver since 2007. While Austin has failed to break 500 receiving yards in a season, he did manage to find the end zone 10 times last year.

When looking at the weak receiving corps of Los Angeles, there are no more excuses for Austin to underperform in 2016 now that the team has upgraded the quarterback position with Case Keenum. After three years of frustration, here’s to hoping Austin starts the year off on the right foot by causing all sorts of problems for San Francisco’s defense.

Aug 27, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Los Angeles Rams punter Johnny Hekker (6) holds the ball as kicker Greg Zuerlein (4) kicks a field goal under pressure from Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib (21) in the first quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Greg Zuerlein

What’s one of the only positives from using a fantasy kicker from a weak offense? Why using the kicker of course.

If the Rams are going to struggle with finding the end zone this year, fantasy owners will have their eye on kicker Greg Zuerlein–who only converted 20 of 30 field goal attempts in 2015. Los Angeles originally brought in Taylor Bertolet for training camp to give Zuerlein some competition before parting ways with the former Texas A&M kicker.

After an impressive preseason, the Rams hope Zuerlein can recover from last year’s disappointing season, and return to his 2013 form. With all of the uncertainty surrounding Los Angeles on offense, there’s a good chance Zuerlein will see plenty of opportunities for field goals during the 2016 season.

Obviously, scoring touchdowns would be the preference on offense, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Rams rely on Zuerlein more against the 49ers if they struggle to find the end zone.

Aug 20, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Case Keenum (17) attempts to quiet the crowd during the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Case Keenum

After being part of one of the most interesting quarterback battles in training camp, Los Angeles is making the right decision by going with Case Keenum over Jared Goff.

At the beginning of preseason, the plan was to have Keenum as the starter at quarterback since the Rams currently have a talented enough team to be contenders. Luckily, nothing seemed to change for Los Angeles as Keenum looked sharp in the preseason while Goff went through the typical rookie struggles

Keenum knows the starting job with the Rams is only temporary, but that doesn’t mean the quarterback isn’t going to do everything in his power to display impressive numbers. If anything, a strong 2016 season could result in Keenum landing a hefty contract down the road with a different team, and it will be interesting to see if he can continue his success from the preseason when he lines up under center in the national spotlight.