Rams @ Saints
Final Score: Rams 21 – 14 Saints
Writer: Christian Otteman (@COttemanPL on Twitter)
A game that was a snoozefest in the first 30 minutes became a back-and-forth battle in the second half between two teams fighting to stay alive in the playoff race. The Rams managed to win thanks to solid QB play from Matthew Stafford and a return to form from Kyren Williams. The Saints did just enough to hang around, with yet another score from Marquez Valdes-Scantling pulling the Saints even with the Rams, but the loss of Taysom Hill impacted their ability to move the ball when they needed it most. Hill’s injury was a rotten cherry on top for the Saints’ injury-riddled season and likely the nail in the coffin for their season regarding playoff hopes. The Saints will take on the Giants next week, while the Rams look to stay in the playoff hunt against a red-hot Bills team.
Three Up
- Kyren Williams – 100+ yards on the ground, and more importantly, zero fumbles! I still would love to see more usage in the passing game.
- Blake Corum – The largest workload of Corum’s rookie season was also his most efficient, as he averaged 5.3 YPC on eight touches. A great bench stash for playoffs in redraft leagues or on taxi squads in Dynasty.
- Puka Nacua – We have an alpha receiver on the Rams, and his name is Puka Nacua.
Two Down
- Cooper Kupp – Kupp played second fiddle to Nacua once again, turning in a dud outing of 3 catches for 17 scoreless yards. Kupp is still an every-week starter, especially thanks to his usage in the red zone, but he looks more like a WR2 than a clear-cut WR1.
- Taysom Hill – Hill is one of our players down this week, but in a more literal sense. It unfortunately seems that Hill is lost for the season, which is a tragedy for the TE cheat code. Monitoring the usage on this offense in Week 14 will be crucial in understanding how things will shake out during the fantasy playoffs. The most likely outcome? Start Alvin Kamara. Avoid everyone else.
Los Angeles Rams
Quarterback
Matthew Stafford: 14/24, 183 yards, 2 TD | 4 carries, 3 yards
Matthew Stafford salvaged his day with a productive fourth quarter, throwing both of his touchdown passes in the game’s waning moments. This marks three straight games of multiple TDs for Stafford, though the low yardage total kept him out of the top 12 QBs for the first time since Week 10. We know what Stafford is at this stage in his career–a solid pocket passer with some truly talented players around him. He’s a QB2 most weeks, though next week’s matchup against the Bills will keep him as a lower QB2. Find another option if you can.
Running Back
Kyren Williams: 15 carries, 104 yards, 1 TD | 1/1 receiving, 9 yards
The two most crucial numbers for Kyren today: 0 (the number of fumbles) and >0 (the number of targets). While it was only a single target today, Kyren turned in an efficient outing against a porous Saints run defense. The workload remains a trend to monitor–Kyren hasn’t hit 20 touches in a game since Week 9. Still, his strong role in the offense, especially around the goal line, will keep him as an RB1 against the Bills, who are more beatable on the ground than through the air.
Blake Corum: 8 carries, 42 yards
Blake Corum‘s usage in this game implies that the rookie is trending up, though not enough to be considered a starting player in fantasy–yet. It was the most efficient performance of Corum’s rookie season, perhaps showing coach Sean McVay that he can be used more moving forward. He’s a high-value handcuff and strong Dynasty stash–make room on your bench if you can. He’s the kind of stash that can come through when you least expect it.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Puka Nacua: 5/8 receiving, 56 yards, 1 TD | 1 carry, 7 yards
I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: Puka Nacua is the Rams receiver to own for the rest of the 2024 season. While Cooper Kupp has a longer history with Stafford, Nacua has shown he’s the more athletic and dynamic option at the stages of their respective careers. Every week, Nacua makes high-difficulty plays look routine while earning a high portion of the team’s targets. The only thing that’s been missing is his ability to find the end zone, which he did in Week 13 for just the second time this season. Keep Puka in your lineups as a strong WR1, even against the Bills.
Demarcus Robinson: 2/3 receiving, 49 yards, 1 TD
Demarcus Robinson is dealing with some off-the-field issues that may impact his availability down the stretch, but that shouldn’t impact your fantasy teams too much. Robinson didn’t make much of an impact in this game until the 4th quarter when he had a catch-and-run for 46 yards immediately followed by his 3-yard TD. He’s a good real-life player who opens up the Rams’ playbook, but he shouldn’t find his way into your lineups unless one of the Rams’ top two options is hurt.
Cooper Kupp: 3/6 receiving, 17 yards
A real stinker of a game for the Rams’ slot receiver, who has been remarkably consistent since returning from injury in Week 8. Don’t let this performance deter you from starting Kupp in the future–he still has an excellent connection with his QB and should maintain high WR2 value with WR1 upside, especially in PPR leagues. This just wasn’t his week.
Tutu Atwell: 2/2 receiving, 39 yards | 1 carry, 0 yards
Colby Parkinson: 1/1 receiving, 13 yards
Tyler Johnson: 0/1 receiving
Hunter Long: 0/1 receiving
These ancillary options in the Rams’ receiving group should be on waivers and out of your lineups heading into Week 14.
New Orleans Saints
Quarterback
Derek Carr: 24/37, 184 yards, 1 TD | 2 carries, 12 yards
Carr is the definition of “meh” when it comes to NFL quarterbacks. While he didn’t turn the ball over in Week 13, he also consistently missed his receivers and made safe short-distance checkdowns instead of pushing the ball downfield, save for a couple of instances. The Saints’ loss of Taysom Hill may be Carr’s gain, as owners won’t need to worry about the far more intriguing Hill taking snaps away from Carr at QB. With six teams on bye in Week 14 and a matchup with the Giants, Carr will be a Superflex option by default, but not a very exciting one.
Running Back
Alvin Kamara: 23 carries, 112 yards | 4/6 receiving, 7 yards
Another day, another 20+ touches for Alvin Kamara. In one of the league’s rosters most decimated by injury, Kamara continues to be a bright spot in what is otherwise becoming a lost season for New Orleans. Kamara continues to display strength and agility on his carries and continuously found ways to get extra yardage on plays that appeared lost. He also had a touchdown called back due to penalty, so his fantasy day could have been even better. The receiving yardage isn’t quite what we’re used to seeing, but it’s encouraging to see a high target floor remain. Kamara is probably the only player on this team worth starting for the rest of the season. Next week’s matchup with the Giants could be a smash spot.
Jamaal Williams: 1/1 receiving, 7 yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Taysom Hill: 5/7 receiving, 37 yards | 5 carries, 10 yards
Noooooo. Good night, our sweet prince. Taysom Hill was having a very Taysom Hill day into the second half, taking snaps at several positions and finding multiple ways to get into the box score. His day came to a screeching halt on a carry he took at QB, and he was carted off the field. The early reports are not good–per Ian Rapoport, Hill is feared to have suffered a season-ending knee injury. Brutal for Hill, the Saints, and those managers who were hoping to use him in the fantasy playoffs as an X factor. Get well soon, Taysom.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling: 2/3 receiving, 36 yards, 1 TD
He can’t keep getting away with it! MVS’s score in the 4th quarter means he’s scored four times in his first four games as a Saint. Those four scores come with eight catches and 12 targets scattered across those four weeks. We all know this pace isn’t sustainable, but there might be boom-or-bust viability in next week’s bye-heavy Week 14, especially in a Taysom-less offense.
Juwan Johnson: 5/7 receiving, 36 yards
We all know that Juwan Johnson is nothing more than a deep-league streaming option at this point, but much like everyone else in this group, we could see more usage with Taysom Hill out. I’d really only consider him if you’re required to start two TEs per week, though.
Kevin Austin Jr.: 3/3 receiving, 31 yards | 1 carry, 9 yards
Cedrick Wilson Jr.: 1/1 receiving, 19 yards
Foster Moreau: 2/4 receiving, 6 yards
Dante Pettis: 1/2 receiving, 5 yards | Receiving 2PC
Not enough juice here worth chasing.