Tag Archives: Los Angeles Rams

Lions Boost Offensive Line With Greg Robinson Trade

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The Detroit Lions continue to take measure to upgrade a troublesome offensive line, as the team reportedly swung a trade to land Greg Robinson. Formerly of the Los Angeles Rams, Robinson was once a highly touted o-line prospect out of Auburn and was made the second overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Filling a Need

Detroit recently developed an urgent need on their offensive line, when second-year left tackle Taylor Decker suffered a shoulder injury. Decker is expected to miss 4-6 months at a minimum as he rehabs the injury, which would keep him out to start the 2017 NFL season. Lions head coach Jim Caldwell has suggested Decker will not miss the entire 2017 season, but it is unknown exactly how much time he will miss.

Whether Decker can return later in the year or not, the Lions knew they had to find a way to stop the bleeding. Protecting starting quarterback Matthew Stafford is among the team’s top priorities, while the offense is also hoping to establish an improved rushing attack early on this season.

The Lions recently brought in free agent offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio and amplified their efforts to boost their damaged o-line with the Greg Robinson trade. While the Lions can’t be sure how well they can replace Decker or how long they’ll need the extra help, the team is clearly trying to make sure the drop-off isn’t too severe. That’s more crucial than ever, especially considering the Lions already struggled with pass protection a year ago. Stafford tied for 6th in the league after getting sacked 37 times and if the Lions want to win consistently, Robinson and/or Kouandjio will need to make up for the loss of Decker.

The story is similar on the ground, as the Lions get back star rusher Ameer Abdullah and hope to put forth a more convincing ground game after finishing 30th in the league in rushing yards per game in 2016.

Adding Talent

Things didn’t go as planned for Robinson while with the Rams, as the first round pick was scene as a massive bust after losing his starting job two years into his rookie deal. Robinson was part of a makeshift Rams o-line that routinely struggled and was at their worst in 2016. Working as a backup to begin camp, the Rams opted to finally cut their ties with Robinson and orchestrated a trade with the Lions that sent a 6th round draft pick to L.A. to complete the deal.

From a talent and size perspective, the 24-year old Robinson could easily end up being a steal for the Lions. A playoff team with a seasoned veteran quarterback under center, Detroit will undoubtedly be an easier team to play for. Robinson has already gone public about the trade, suggesting that a change of scenery could be “refreshing“. With a chance to prove himself with his new team, Robinson could end up locking down a starting job and turning his career around.

Odds Boost?

The Lions shouldn’t see any huge movement when it comes to their win/loss, division or Super Bowl 52 odds, but this shows Detroit is serious about covering all of their bases. Robinson was a bust with the Rams – make no mistake about it – but the talent has always been there and it’s not crazy to think a young player driven to prove his critics wrong could thrive on a far better roster.

Detroit has a lot of positive pieces in place and Robinson just needs to protect Stafford and help pave running lanes for the dangerous Abdullah. He could end up fending off Kouandjio, or the two could rotate together to keep each other fresh. Once Decker returns, if Robinson pans out, the Lions would suddenly have one of the deepest and strongest offensive lines that they’ve had in years.

Everything regarding Robinson going forward is hypothetical, but if he can hold serve and keep Detroit’s o-line from turning to mush, the Lions should continue to have a chance to fight for a second straight trip to the playoffs. Detroit faded badly before a one-and-done showing during the postseason last year, though, so getting that running game going early should be a huge piece to their puzzle. If all goes well, Robinson will be part of the mix that makes it all work, as well.

Detroit understandably holds onto poor Super Bowl 52 odds (+6600) at Bovada, while they have the third best odds (+425) to win the NFC North. They had a chance at nabbing the division title last year, but unless their running game is up to snuff, they probably aren’t a great bet to be that close again. Keep an eye on how Robinson fits in and if the Lions have a more balanced offensive attack going into the preseason. If so, the Lions could heat up as a fun sleeper bet for the division.

16 Sleepers to Consider For Monday Night’s Daily Fantasy Football Slate

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If you didn’t cash out in daily fantasy football in week one, your chances aren’t all gone. You can still make up for a bad Sunday with a Monday Night Football double-header, which offers up the potential for thousands to be made if you pick the perfect lineup at DFS sites like DraftKings.

It’s no secret who the top options are and in a slate with just two games (four teams) there are bound to be countless similar DFS lineups unless you find a way to differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack. Everyone will be using most of the studs like Todd Gurley, Antonio Brown and one of Kirk Cousins or Ben Roethlisberger, but to win big you may need to switch things up and roster (or fade) players you normally wouldn’t.

For Monday specifically, we’ve picked out some interesting daily fantasy football sleepers you’ll want to think about before finalizing your roster:

Quarterbacks: Case Keenum (Rams) and Blaine Gabbert (49ers)

Everyone will be all over Ben Roethlisberger and Kirk Cousins, so one strategy may be to hope that game is randomly low-scoring and they both are awful. Then you can pivot to Keenum or Gabbert and hope it’s somehow the exact opposite in the 49ers/Rams game.

Logic does not support that, but week one wasn’t high on logic in a lot of spots. You never know, the Niners could focus solely on shutting down Todd Gurley and Keenum could rip them up through the air. Or maybe the Rams stuff Hyde and go up early and Gabbert throws all night and ends with 300 yards and 2-3 scores.

The beauty could also simply be in the value, as both of these guys are over $2k less than Cousins and Big Ben, so if they’re even remotely close to them in terms of production, you’re saving cash at quarterback and spending on explosive skill position players. Again, it’s a tough sell, but to win a GPP it may be what is necessary.

Running Backs: Chris Thompson, Rob Kelley (Redskins), Shaun Draughn (49ers) and Fitzgerald Toussaint (Steelers)

Again, we all know the elites here: Todd Gurley and DeAngelo Williams. A lot of people will even use Matt Jones and Carlos Hyde (if they’re healthy enough to play). If those guys randomly are out or limited, though, it’s really going to open things up for guys like Thompson, Kelley and maybe even Draughn. Those guys could randomly produce regardless, but the starter ahead of them going down or being limited would be huge.

Of those three, Thompson is the best play, seeing as he’s Washington’s main passing down back, no matter what. If the Redskins fall behind, he could be a huge play tonight.

Toussaint may be the best pivot of all, as D-Will is set for a monster role in Pittsburgh but obviously will need a breather here and there. If that comes near the goal-line or in a passing situation, Toussaint could be a surprise DFS hero.

Wide Receivers: Eli Rogers, Sammie Coates, Darrius Heyward-Bey (Steelers), Kenny Britt, Brian Quick (Rams) and Jamison Crowder (Redskins)

It’s Antonio Brown or bust tonight, quite literally. DeSean Jackson and a few other big names are worth cursory glances, but the only guy most people care about is Brown and then how you fill in your other two receiver spots could end up being a pretty huge deal.

You can do one of two things:

  • Use Brown and he goes nuts and your other receivers also do well
  • Fade Brown and hope he sucks and just use three decent WRs

Both are somewhat feasible, but either way, going against the grain with those other two receivers may be smart – largely because the options after Brown are awful, and also obviously because this slate is so small.

Because of that, all the scrubs you see above are in play. Rogers, Coates and DHB all have more upside than everyone else simply because they seem to have a good matchup and their offense is awesome. Individually, they are all terrible plays, but it’s a good bet one of those three Steelers receivers goes nuts. Markus Wheaton is out, after all.

That being said, don’t sleep on Britt and Quick. Tavon Austin is the big name WR in Los Angeles, but he’s pretty erratic and often does absolutely nothing. Britt has scoring upside as a big-bodied receiver and Quick can make big plays down the field.

For the Redskins, Crowder might be worth a glance if you’re not into paying for D-Jax or Pierre Garcon, only to watch them sack you to the moon and back. His role isn’t very clear, but he could surprise.

Tight Ends: Lance Kendricks (Rams), Vance McDonald (49ers) and Vernon Davis (Redskins)

Kendricks and McDonald do not promote much confidence or DFS upside, but let’s face it, pretty much everyone is going for Jordan Reed tonight. If they don’t, and still maybe even if they do, they might also think they’re cute by going for Steelers tight end, Jesse James.

Obviously those two are far and away the top tight end choices, but what if the Steelers focus on shutting Reed down (or maybe he gets hurt) and James just doesn’t do much? Perhaps a new, enhanced role is all cheap options like McDonald or Kendricks could need. They seem to be entrenched in defensive battles, anyways, so it’s logical to think safety net tight ends could be targeted a bit in the second game of the night.

Then there is Vernon Davis, who seems to have fallen off a cliff but remains the #2 tight end in Washington. He is probably the worst dart ever, but on paper he’s still a good athlete and the Steelers probably won’t be looking at him as a threat. That could make him the perfect weapon in week one and he costs virtually nothing.

Team Defense: Washington Redskins

The Rams are easily the top unit on tonight’s slate (and also the most expensive). The Niners aren’t very good, but they have a good matchup at home, while the Steelers stink against the pass and are on the road against a good offense but stop the run and get sacks.

Needless to say, there is an argument for and against all of those three team defenses, so swinging for the fences with the Redskins (the cheapest defense on tonight’s daily fantasy football slate) might not be that crazy. For one, Washington can be pretty good when their aggressive blitzing works. It doesn’t hurt that the Steelers are without two key offensive weapons in Le’Veon Bell and Martavis Bryant and that new stud corner Josh Norman might do a decent job on Antonio Brown.

If that’s all to be true, the ‘Skins tend to be quite good at home and could pressure Big Ben into some sacks and/or bad decisions. The good news is they don’t even need to rock your world or completely stifle the Steelers. They just need to be passable and good enough to the point where they’re not leaps and bounds worse than the other three available defenses. None of this says that will be the case, but there is some logic supporting it’s plausibility and if you want to win big, going super contrarian in numerous spots is a good idea.

Why the New York Jets Should Take a Chance on Nick Foles

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The Los Angeles Rams finally pulled the plug on failed experiment Nick Foles, announcing on Wednesday that they would be releasing the quarterback they once traded for. Foles was initially traded for in return for former #1 overall pick Sam Bradford, but flamed out in just one season with the Rams.

Botched Deal

Foles had already lost his starting job before the end of his lone season with the team in 2015, but was made extra expendable with the selection of California product Jared Goff with the first pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. The Rams opted to wait on cutting Foles loose in an effort to drum up trade interest, but found no willing takers.

The move makes good sense for the Rams based on the health of the position, but it’s still a costly one. Los Angeles traded for Foles thinking they were getting a stable and competent upgrade over the often injured Bradford, but instead got an inaccurate, erratic turnover machine. Foles lasted just 11 games as the starter in 2015, putting up a weak 56% completion rate and just seven touchdowns against 12 turnovers.

Still Some Value

While Foles clearly didn’t work out with the Rams, there is still an argument he has value in the NFL. Still just 27 years old, Foles has a penchant for the deep ball and when he has time to throw, has displayed sound pocket ability.

More importantly, Foles exhibited the ability to make big plays down the field while with the Philadelphia Eagles, when he accounted for 40 touchdowns and nearly 5,000 yards as the starter for most of the 2013 and 2014 seasons. There are doubts that Foles can regain that magic, but the size and arm talent exists for the right system and coaching staff to still pry good production out of the former Arizona quarterback.

Interested Parties

The quarterback market has dried up quickly in the past few months, largely due to many quarterback-needy teams swinging trades or drafting fresh talent in this year’s draft. Still, several teams could use a suitable backup, a position Foles could definitely fulfill at a high level at this stage in his career.

It’s worth wondering if Foles has the consistency and decision-making to turn his career around as a weekly NFL starter, but two teams could be desperate enough to find out.

The New York Jets and Denver Broncos are both still without a steady starter, as the Jets are still playing hardball with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Denver lost Peyton Manning (retirement) and Brock Osweiler (free agency) this offseason.

It’s debatable if Foles is an improvement over Geno Smith or Mark Sanchez at this point, but both teams would at least be bringing in a talented and experienced arm to push their current starters. For New York, such a move would likely nix the need to pay an aging Fitzpatrick, as well.

The same goes for Denver, who did draft the talented Paxton Lynch to be the future of the franchise under center, but Sanchez and a middling Trevor Siemian don’t exactly promote a ton of confidence in the Broncos’ offense.

Foles might not, either, but he may offer both teams the upside they currently lack, while also coming at a solid discount.

There is also the possibility Foles has accepted his regression in the league and at this point wouldn’t mind taking a comfortable backup position with the right club. After all, if Foles can sit and learn a new system and rediscover his former magic, he could soon be an injury away from seeing the field on a good team. Teams like the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants could be appealing to Foles, should they show interest.

Nick Foles Prediction

Ultimately, Foles is still in his prime, not that far removed from quality production and personally probably still feels he’s a starter in the NFL. Whether or not that is true, some team is bound to give him a shot to compete for a top backup gig or even start. The Broncos and Jets are front and center to give that opportunity and at the very worst, Foles’ release puts serious pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick to make a decision.

If the Jets act fast, they can save money and grab a guy in Foles that can come in and compete with Geno Smith and youngsters Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty right away. He may not be the answer under center, but it could be the right move for the Jets at the right time.