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With the injury to Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, a target hog and monster producer in the 2023 season, a significant vacuum has opened up, giving a golden opportunity to the other Rams pass catchers to shine.
Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Johnson, and Colby Parkinson are all poised to receive higher workloads, and choosing the right ones to start could give managers a significant advantage in fantasy over the next few weeks.
Should you start Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Johnson, or Colby Parkinson in your fantasy lineups in Week 2? Let's dive in.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
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- Tight end fantasy football rankings
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Should I Start Demarcus Robinson for Fantasy Football?
In PPR formats in 12+ team leagues, Robinson is likely to be relevant. He had a strong finish to his 2023 season even with Nacua in the lineup, recording four straight games with a touchdown (and double-digit PPR points in each). Rams QB Matthew Stafford clearly trusts Robinson, and that showed up on the film.
Sean McVay on the evolution of Demarcus Robinson in the offense #Ramshouse pic.twitter.com/NQZ3j8sWEc
— Nick Hamilton (@NickHamilton213) July 31, 2024
Head coach Sean McVay had high praise for Robinson and elaborated on his rapport with Stafford and his consistency despite not having many opportunities throughout his career. Robinson is worth a start, especially for managers who lost Nacua to IR.
Robinson is the WR46 in our half-PPR consensus staff rankings.
Should I Start Tyler Johnson for Fantasy Football?
Johnson is a bit less of a sure thing than Robinson. Though he did have a nice catch and run in the Rams' Week 1 game, that accounted for the majority of his production. Johnson has been overshadowed by Robinson for his entire time with the Rams, and it's a bit of a longer shot for him to be the Rams WR2 sans Nacua.
#Rams OC Mike LaFleur on Tyler Johnson:
“The game’s not too big for him. He’s tough, he’s a big, physical dude, and he’s got confidence. I know, most importantly, Matthew [Stafford] and the guys have confidence in him. So, again, next man up, and he’s that man up.” pic.twitter.com/7QyFFyN68G
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) September 13, 2024
Rams coaches have been rambling the usual milquetoast praise of Johnson. He'll have a role, but he hasn't shown nearly as much as Robinson to suggest it'll be major.
He's the WR53 in our half-PPR consensus staff rankings.
Should I Start Colby Parkinson for Fantasy Football?
Given the existential void that is the tight end situation, Parkinson is a fine start in all formats. He should have more opportunities with Nacua missing time, and if Robinson and Johnson are uninspiring, Parkinson has an outside shot at approaching the realm of Stafford's 2nd favorite target.
Colby Parkinson 89% snaps
Demarcus Robinson 92% snaps
Kyren Williams 91% snaps pic.twitter.com/KBypgR5BWr— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) September 9, 2024
What's that? A higher snap percentage than Dalton Kincaid? Any tight end who takes this many snaps should be rostered. The Rams run so many three-WR sets, which leaves room for only one tight end (out of 11 players, 5 are OL, 1 QB, 1 RB, 3 WRs, and 1 TE). Parkinson should be in starting lineups as long as Nacua is out and maybe longer.
Parkinson is the TE12 in our half-PPR consensus staff rankings.
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