L.A. Rams @ Cincinnati
Team Totals: Bengals 23.5, Rams 20.5
Despite the Rams firing off a league-high 78 plays per game and Matthew Stafford dropping back to pass 99 times, Stafford has managed fantasy finishes of QB17 and QB22. His 62.4% completion rate would be Stafford’s lowest since 2014, and he’s averaging an 11-year-low 6.9 yards per pass attempt. The Bengals have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks, but a sizable chunk has come on the ground via Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson. Stafford is a pocket passer, and little more than a two-QB league option. … Especially after the Rams traded Cam Akers to the Vikings, Kyren Williams is locked in as HC Sean McVay’s every-down back. In Week 2, Williams played 95% of the Rams’ offensive snaps and saw a combined 24 carries and targets versus San Francisco. Williams’ 10 red-zone carries are second only to Tony Pollard’s 16 across the NFL. Williams has managed 3.6 yards per carry, but his massive usage renders him a borderline RB1/2 versus a Cincinnati run defense that is giving up over 4.5 YPC to opposing running backs. Ronnie Rivers appears to be Williams’ top backup at the moment.
Stafford’s Weeks 1-2 target distribution: Puka Nacua 35; Tutu Atwell 17; Williams 12; Tyler Higbee 10; Van Jefferson 9; Ben Skowronek 3; Brycen Hopkins 2; Rivers 1. … Fifth-round rookie Nacua’s targets and 25 catches are both the most ever in a player’s first two career games. He’s eighth in the NFL in yards per route run (3.06) and leads the league with a 39% target share. Nacua looks like McVay’s newest version of Robert Woods, who averaged 135 targets across 2018-2020. Nacua also drew a comparison to T.J. Houshmandzadeh from NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah. Once Cooper Kupp returns to man the slot, Nacua will be McVay’s movement-Z receiver.
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