St. Louis Rams Week 16 Fantasy Outlook

December 18, 2007 @ 12:52:42

By Mark Traas
Edited by Nicholas Minnix

Note: All statistics appearing in this article are from Weeks 12-15, unless otherwise noted.

Do Not Bench List - All Positions

• Running Back Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams: Against the Packers in Week 15 action, Jackson had his best fantasy performance so far this year. He rushed for 143 yards on 24 carries, including a 46-yard race for a touchdown. He also caught all four passes thrown his way for 27 yards. In spite of the Rams being out of playoff contention, Jackson continues to show grit in a determined effort to help his team win. The Rams play their last home game of the season in this Thursday night's tilt against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are still battling for the AFC North title. Even as a weak play against a Pittsburgh defense that has allowed an average of just 87.0 rushing yards and 0.50 touchdowns per game to backs over their past four games, Jackson continues to be a must-play mid-tier No. 1 back.
• Wide Receiver Torry Holt, St. Louis Rams: In the Rams' loss to the Packers last Sunday with quarterback Marc Bulger under center, Holt caught just three passes on six looks for 21 yards, with one first quarter touchdown. With the Steelers giving up a very generous average of 186.5 yards and 1.75 touchdowns per game to wideouts over their last four games, Holt is a strong play this week as a low-tier No. 1 receiver.

Quarterbacks

Player	Team	Gm	Pass Yds/G	Pass TD/G	INT/G	Rush Yards/G	Rush TD/G
Marc Bulger	St. Louis Rams	2	125.5	0.50	1.50	-0.5	0.00

Bulger - Returning back to the lineup after suffering a concussion in Week 12, Bulger completed 20 passes on 39 attempts for 219 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions against the Packers in Week 15. Bulger should start again this Thursday night in the Rams' final home game of the season against the Steelers. The Rams' next opponent has allowed an average of 227.8 yards and 1.75 touchdowns with only 0.25 interceptions against opposing quarterbacks over their last four games. As such, Bulger rates as a strong play against the Steelers and could be started as a borderline low-tier No. 1 quarterback for this week's game. He could be benched if better options are available.

Wide Receivers

Player	Team	Gm	Util (%)/G	RZ (%) Plays/G	Rec/G	Rec Yards/G	Rec TD/G
Isaac Bruce	St. Louis Rams	4	8.50 (13.03)	1.50 (24.82)	3.50	41.5	0.50

Bruce - With Bulger back under center for the Rams' Week 15 game against the Packers, Bruce bounced back from his Week 14 zero-catch performance to pull in four passes for 72 yards on a team-high 10 looks. With the Packers defense keying in on Holt, Bruce was Bulger's favored target, although he uncharacteristically had no looks in the red zone. Bruce rates as an upper-tier No. 3 receiver with a strong play against the porous Steelers' pass defense this week.

Tight Ends

Player	Team	Gm	Util (%)/G	RZ (%) Plays/G	Rec/G	Rec Yards/G	Rec TD/G
Randy McMichael	St. Louis Rams	4	3.25 (4.98)	0.25 (4.14)	2.00	20.2	0.25

McMichael - In yet another typically disappointing fantasy performance, McMichael caught just two passes on four looks for 22 yards against the Packers. This week, McMichael is a weak play against the Steelers, who have not allowed a touchdown to opposing tight ends in their last four games. McMichael should be benched or played as a borderline lower-tier No. 1 tight end with lowered expectations if no better tight end options are available.

Place Kickers

Player	Team	Gm	XPA/G	XP/G	FGA/G	FG/G	Kick Pnts/G
Jeff Wilkins	St. Louis Rams	4	2.25	2.25	1.00	0.50	3.8

Wilkins - Wilkins scored two extra points but missed his only field goal attempt in Week 15. With the Rams still struggling to consistently get the ball within field goal range and because he's a weak play against the Steelers, Wilkins should be benched this week in favor of better kicker options.

Defensive Teams

Team	Gm	Off Pnts Allw/G	INT/G	Sacks/G	FR/G	DEF/ST TD/G
St. Louis Rams	4	21.5	1.75	2.50	0.75	0.2

Rams - In their loss to the Packers last week, the Rams picked off two passes and recovered one fumble. However, they did not get a single sack and allowed 33 points to the Packers, resulting in a low fantasy score. As a whole, though, the Rams defense has improved over recent weeks. As a weak play against the up-and-down Steelers this week, the Rams defense rates as a mid-tier No. 1 defense.

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Mark Traas
Mark has been with KFFL since 2007.

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