2024 Los Angeles Rams Preview
Offensive Line
The Rams rose to 11th in rushing yards (2,045) with 18 touchdowns and 11 runs over 20 yards. Their ball carriers gained only 4.3 yards per rush while averaging 28.1 attempts per game.
Los Angeles finished with the same offensive ranking (11th) in passing yards (4,300) as it did on the ground, with 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. They gained 7.4 yards per pass attempt (68 receptions of 20 yards or more). Their offensive line gave up 34 sacks, 25 fewer than in 2022.
In the 2024 NFL Draft, the Rams had 10 selections. Their only investments in the offensive line came in the sixth (C Beaux Limmer) and seventh (G KT Leveston) rounds.
Limmer saw action at right guard (23), left guard (1), and center (11) over the past three seasons at Arkansas. His strength is highlighted by benching 225 lbs. 39 times at the NFL combine while having more room to add bulk to his frame (6’5” and 300 lbs.). Thanks to his vision and reads of oncoming defenders, Limmer will be an asset in run blocking. His lack of foot speed limits his range in pass protection, and he must improve his technique in this area to develop into a starting player in the NFL.
Over the last two seasons, Leveston made 27 starts at left tackle for Kansas State. He attended college for six years and played minimally for his first four seasons. He gets over the snaps quickly with fire and aggression, but Leveston puts himself in losing positions at times when his sight is off the mark. His hands and launch ankle after the snap need work.
Offense
More wins (10 – 5 in 2022) and the addition of a talented WR2 (Puka Nacua) led to the Rams’ running the ball better while playing from the lead in more games in 2023. They ran the ball 477 times last season, with an increase of 118 offensive plays from 2022. LA scored 97 more points and improved by 1,178 offensive yards.
Quarterbacks
Matthew Stafford, LAR
Over the five seasons before landing in Los Angeles, Stafford had a league-average feel at quarterback. He tossed 119 touchdowns and 46 interceptions over 72 games, averaging 265.7 passing yards.
Stafford matched his career-high in touchdowns (41) in 2021 with success in his completion rate (67.2). The Rams gave him the receiver talent to challenge defenses deep in the passing game, leading to a league-high 18 completions over 40 yards. He finished with over 300 yards passing in nine of his 20 matchups (including playoffs) and nine games with three scores or more in the regular season. Stafford offered no fantasy help in the run game (32/43).
In 2022, over nine starts, he delivered one playable game (272/3) in the fantasy markets. His completion rate (68.0) was a career-best, but Stafford had a decline in pass attempts per game (33.7 – 35.4) and an increase in his sack percentage (8.7 – 4.8 in 2021). In addition, his yards per pass attempt (6.9) regressed by 1.2 yards from 2021 (8.1). His year ended after Week 11 with a neck injury.
Stafford finished last season with his lowest completion rate (62.6) since 2024, partly due to the Rams barely using their backs in the passing game (48/344/3 on 69 targets). His year opened up with three games (334, 307, and 319) with more than 300 yards passing, but he only delivered two combined passing touchdowns. From Week 5 to Week 15 (nine games), Stafford averaged 31.9 passes and 232 passing yards while posting more success in touchdowns (18). His season ended on the passing uptick (328/2, 317/1, and 367/2). Los Angeles rested him in their final game, and he missed Week 9 with a thumb injury.
Fantasy Outlook: The combination of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua sets the foundation for Stafford’s passing success. Kupp missed 13 games from 2022 to 2023, and he’ll start the year at age 31. The Rams won’t feature their backs in the passing game, and Tyler Higbee is coming off a significant knee injury while also being on the wrong side of 30. Stafford is the 19th-ranked quarterback in late July. I have him on a path to gain about 4,500 yards with 29 touchdowns, making him a QB2 in the fantasy market with potential matchup value.
Jimmy Garoppolo, LAR
In 2021, Garoppolo finished the season with strength in his completion rate (68.3) and yards per pass attempt (8.6). Over his final nine games (including the postseason), Garoppolo passed for 2,233 yards (248 per game) with only 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. In the playoffs, Garoppolo gained 540 yards in three matchups with two touchdowns and three interceptions. His completion rate (58.1) was a sign that his shoulder wasn’t healthy, leading to surgery in March of 2022. When at his best, he passed for over 300 yards in five contests while failing to deliver more than two scores in any game.
A season-ending injury to Trey Lance in the second game of 2022 gave Garoppolo the starting quarterback job for the 49ers. From Week 3 to Week 12, he passed for 2,227 yards over nine games with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions. His best output came in three contests (307/2, 305/2, and 225/4) while adding 19 rushes for 28 yards and one score over this span. Unfortunately, Garoppolo saw his season end in Week 13 due to a broken left foot. He has been a winning quarterback (40-17) for the Patriots and 49ers in the regular season, with success in the postseason (4-2).
Las Vegas signed Garoppolo for three seasons ($72.75 million) in 2023 before having surgery on his left foot. Over his six games for the Raiders, he had more interceptions (9) than touchdowns (7) while passing for fewer than 210 yards in five matchups. A back injury cost him multiple games, and Los Angeles benched him in early November. The NFL suspended Garoppolo for the first two games of 2024 due to a PED violation.
Fantasy Outlook: Garoppolo has enough experience in the NFL to win the backup quarterback job for Los Angeles. His failure in 2023 was somewhat injury-related, a trend that has followed him in his time in the pros (only 81 games played over 10 seasons).
Stetson Bennett, LAR
In the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Los Angeles took their flier on a future quarterback with the addition of Bennett. He came to the NFL at age 25 with a pair of national championships. His arm and stature (5’11” and 190 lbs.) don’t project well, but Bennett can read defenses, slide in the pocket, and deliver impactful plays in the game's biggest moments.
Over the past two seasons at Georgia, Bennett passed for 6,986 yards with 56 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in his 29 starts. He averaged 9.4 yards per pass attempt while adding some help in the run game (113/464/11). In 2022, he gained 4,332 combined yards with 37 touchdowns. Bennett comes off two national championships with a 28-1 record in 2021 and 2022.
Fantasy Outlook: Bennett didn’t see the field in his rookie season. He’ll compete with Jimmy Garoppolo for the Rams’ backup quarterback job.
Other Options: Dresser Winn
Running Backs
The Rams’ running backs ranked sixth in rushing attempts (436), fourth in rushing yards (1,905), and fifth in rushing touchdowns (17) last season. All three areas were three-year highs. Their backs gained 4.4 yards per carry. On the downside, Los Angeles finished last in the league in catches (48), receiving yards (344), and targets (69) for their running backs while finishing with only 13.3% of the team’s completions and 8% of their receiving yards.
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