Rams @ Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks clinched the NFC West with a solid 2nd half display to beat the free-falling Los Angeles Rams, 20-9. It was a tale of two quarterbacks as both struggled to find a rhythm in an opening half that ended 6-6 as the defenses reigned supreme.
Russell Wilson managed to make the key adjustments needed to overcome a ferocious Rams defense that was phenomenal all-day – Wilson ran the ball in himself from 4 yards out on the opening drive of the 2nd half before throwing a TD pass to Jacob Hollister to put the game beyond doubt with just 2:56 remaining in the 4th quarter. Jared Goff, on the other hand, looked awful from start to finish and never recovered from throwing a horrible redzone interception on 1st down in the 2nd quarter when the Rams seem to have the ascendency.
Los Angeles Rams
Quarterback
Jared Goff: 24/43, 234 yards, 1 INT, 3 sacks | 7 carries, 23 yards
And here is that terrible INT that haunted Jared Goff (10.66 fantasy points) for this entire contest. I still have no idea who he was targeting? Officially it was Robert Woods, but if that is the case then Goff was worryingly way off target. This was Goff’s 38th giveaway since 2019, which is the most by any QB in NFL in that timeframe.
#Seahawks ball ‼️@qdiggs6 gets a huge interception on Jared Goff, his fifth of the season!
📺: #LARvsSEA on FOX pic.twitter.com/yqnVtN2r9F
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 27, 2020
These have been the moments that have plagued the Rams season and unfortunately, the former No.1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft has been responsible for many of them. He is currently sitting as the QB15 in terms of fantasy but there is nothing to suggest that Goff can take the next step into the QB1 market. The Rams and Sean McVay have some difficult conversations ahead as Goff enters the 2nd year of a massive 4 year, $134m contract extension.
It was reported after the game that Goff had broken his right throwing thumb and is doubtful for the crucial Week 17 matchup against the Cardinals.
Running Backs
Darrell Henderson: 12 carries, 62 yards
Malcolm Brown: 7 carries, 27 yards | 3 targets, 1 reception, 8 yards
When you take Cam Akers out of this backfield, it looks decidedly average. Darrell Henderson (6.20 fantasy points) got the nod to start today and ran adequately if not aggressively before going down with a nasty ankle injury in the middle of the 3rd quarter.
some really nice blocking from the Rams TEs and Robert Woods on this WR-led Windback run concept pic.twitter.com/952OFtRItu
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) December 28, 2020
Henderson had put the Rams inside the 5-yard line trailing 13-6 when he went down. It proved decisive as Malcolm Brown (4.50 fantasy points) then had 3 bites at the cherry to punch the ball in from the Seattle 2-yard line. Brown was stuffed twice before Goff tried a sneak. On 4th down, Brown again failed to hit paydirt after running into his own offensive line.
Big fourth down stop by the #Seahawks 😤
📺: #LARvsSEA on FOX
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/BVP8uIyKIx pic.twitter.com/bAWT4B6XMe— NFL (@NFL) December 27, 2020
There is little confidence that Brown can get it done as the lead back next week on the back of this performance.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Cooper Kupp: 9 targets, 8 receptions, 66 yards
Josh Reynolds: 10 targets, 6 receptions, 65 yards | 1 carry, 5 yards
Robert Woods: 9 targets, 4 receptions, 48 yards | 2 carries, 1 yard
Tyler Higbee: 6 targets, 3 reception, 34 yards
Gerald Everett: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 13 yards
Van Jefferson: 1 target
It was a smorgasbord of disappointment across the fantasy championship spectrum as both Cooper Kupp (14.60 fantasy points) and Robert Woods (8.90 fantasy points) failed to score touchdowns against a Seahawks defense that has given up the most fantasy points to wideouts this season. Kupp was efficient with his 9 targets, leading the team in catches (8) and yards (66), but suffered from Goff’s miserly 5.4 yards per passing attempt. This time last year Kupp had 1,000+ yards and 10 TDs, this year he will be lucky to reach hat yardage and only has a dreadful 3 receiving TDs in 2020. Ouch! Woods was less efficient, catching less than 50% of his targets but much of that owed to Goff. They both deserve better at QB!
The tight end room continues to baffle everyone from a fantasy perspective. Just pick one and get on with it, Sean!
Seattle Seahawks
Quarterback
Russell Wilson: 20/35, 225 yards, 1 TD, 5 sacks | 3 carries, 9 yards, 1 TD
After a less than impressive 2nd half of the year, Russell Wilson (19.90 fantasy points) ended the fantasy year on a solid note as he threw for and rushed for a touchdown in the 2nd half to clinch the NFC West title for the Seahawks. Still, much like recent weeks, he struggled to find his playmakers and got very little help from the run game when it came to moving the sticks. The Seahawks punted on 6 of their 10 drives and both field goals in the 1st half came from strong starting field position due to the Rams punting from inside their 20 and Goff throwing an interception. Wilson did lead a 7-play 70-yard touchdown drive to open the 2nd half in which he ran in for only his 2nd rushing score of the season.
.@DangeRussWilson runs it right in for 6️⃣!
Q3: SEA 13, LAR 6
📺: #LARvsSEA on FOX pic.twitter.com/Aq4htRa34C
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 27, 2020
It seems a million days away from when we were talking about Wilson for MVP, yet he showed a glimpse today of what his 1st half of the season was like on a weekly basis. This touchdown pass to Jacob Hollister was one of the throws of the day against a tough Rams secondary.
https://twitter.com/ParkerLewisJR/status/1343425932548136962
Still, it is hard to place Wilson in a fantasy draft right now. My guess is that his value will continue to slip throughout the offseason.
Running Backs
Chris Carson: 16 carries, 69 yards | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 10 yards
Rashaad Penny: 3 carries, 9 yards
Carlos Hyde: 2 carries, 8 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 18 yards
It was not surprising that this muddy Seattle backfield struggled against an Aaron Donald fronted Rams defensive line. Chris Carson (10.90 fantasy points) has looked anything but explosive this year and has failed to top 100 yards rushing in any game. He doesn’t have much upside behind this offensive line and without a clear share in the passing game. In terms of fantasy, it seems we now know Carson’s ceiling – a solid RB2. Both Carlos Hyde and former 1st-round pick Rashaad Penny are on the outside looking in, sharing just 6 touches between them. Only Penny is contracted beyond this season so we may well see a change in the Seattle backfield in 2021.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
D.K. Metcalf: 8 targets, 6 receptions, 59 yards
David Moore: 1 target, 1 reception, 45 yards
Tyler Lockett: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 44 yards
Jacob Hollister: 6 targets, 2 receptions, 17 yards, 1 TD
Will Dissly: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 17 yards
Greg Olsen: 2 targets, 1 reception, 15 yards
As was expected, D.K. Metcalf (11.90 fantasy points) was brilliantly subdued by Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Metcalf struggled to find any room to breathe and was limited to another sub-100 yard day. In fact, Metcalf has failed to amass 100 yards or more in his last 4 games, nabbing only 1 TD in that time. He has faded away as Wilson’s struggles have continued. As has Tyler Lockett (7.40 fantasy points), who registered his 7th straight game below 100 yards receiving and does not have a TD since Week 11. The wheels have completely fallen off for Lockett, which is strange as his chemistry with Wilson has been one of the most reliable aspects of his fantasy value.
The game-deciding play was made by an underappreciated, hardworking young receiver and his name is David Moore (5.50 fantasy points). He has never really reached fantasy relevance this season but does hold an impressive 34-412-6 stat line this season on just 46 targets. If he could just get a 25% boost in targets next year, we would likely see valuable FLEX upside from the 7th round pick from the 2017 NFL draft.
https://twitter.com/ParkerLewisJR/status/1343459177671213056
Jacob Hollister (9.70 fantasy points) has emerged as the low-end TE2 option in Seattle’s offense. Hollister’s nice touchdown catch from a perfect Wilson throw was his 2nd is as many games. Look for him to be the main guy next season as they move on from veteran Greg Olsen and injury-ravaged Will Dissly.
— Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on Twitter)