Odell Beckham Jr. agreed to sign with the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday.
The veteran wide receiver joins a depth chart that includes target hogs Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods, but there are plenty of balls to go around in an offense that ranks first in passing yards (2,776) and second in passing touchdowns (23). In fact, even without Beckham, Los Angeles' wide receiver room ranks first in targets (236), receptions (157), receiving yards (2,259) and touchdown receptions (18).
Let's take a look at how this move affects each of the Rams' key fantasy football contributors, which also includes running back Darrell Henderson Jr., tight end Tyler Higbee, wide receiver Van Jefferson and quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Matthew Stafford -- slight upgrade
Stafford is already the No. 3-scoring QB in fantasy, so there's not much room for growth. Stafford has delivered five top-10 fantasy weeks already this season and upgrading from Jefferson to Beckham in three-wide sets only figures to improve his efficiency and big-play output. Stafford is a strong QB1.
Cooper Kupp -- slight downgrade
The thing about Kupp is that he can afford to lose a few targets and still sustain elite fantasy production. With nine games in the books, Kupp ranks first among wide receivers in targets, receptions, receiving yards, touchdowns, OTD (opportunity-adjusted touchdowns) and, of course, fantasy points. Granted, he has a game up on half of the league, but Kupp has outscored the next-closest wide receiver by 50 fantasy points. Kupp's targets may fall from 11.4 per game to somewhere in the 9-to-10 range, but he can still produce strong WR1 numbers with that usage.
Robert Woods -- slight downgrade
A slow start to the 2021 season has been offset by a recent surge for Woods, who is suddenly up to 12th at the position in fantasy points. Woods is averaging 7.8 targets per game, which is slightly below where he has been the past three seasons. It's likely that he'll see a further dip, but there are enough footballs to go around to keep the veteran receiver in the weekly WR2/3 mix.
Darrell Henderson Jr. -- no change
Henderson is averaging 15.1 carries and 3.6 targets per game. Is it possible that his target share dips from 10% to 9%? Sure, but the Rams already target their running backs at a very low rate (12%), so it's unlikely to sink more than slightly. Henderson will remain, at least, a strong RB2 as long as he continues to handle most of the team's carries and goal-line work.
Tyler Higbee -- slight downgrade
Only 14% of the Rams' targets have been directed to the tight end position this season, which is easily an all-time low for a Sean McVay offense. Put another way, that target share is likely at or near its floor. Higbee is averaging 5.0 targets per game and hasn't produced a weekly fantasy finish better than eighth (Week 1). He remains a decent TE2 with occasional streaming appeal.
Van Jefferson -- major downgrade
Jefferson was the big benefactor of DeSean Jackson's recent release and had seen six-plus targets in three consecutive games. In this high-scoring Rams offense, that meant weekly flex appeal for the 2020 second-round pick. That's now a thing of the past, as Jefferson's target share is sure to take a massive hit with Beckham a lock to replace him on a majority of three-receiver sets, a package that Los Angeles has used on an NFL-high 93% of its pass plays this season. Jefferson will still play some snaps and see the occasional target, but it won't be enough to allow anything close to consistent flex production. He can be dropped or stashed on the end of deep-league benches.
Odell Beckham Jr.
And now the man of the hour. Beckham is now 29 years old and hasn't reached 100 yards in a game since Week 6 of the 2019 season. He also hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 4 of 2020. Beckham still flashes with the occasional big play or three (he had a three-TD game in Week 4 last season), but inconsistent play and especially injuries (four-plus missed games in four of seven seasons prior to missing Weeks 1-2 this season) have severely limited his output. During his time in Cleveland this season, he posted a 14-232-0 receiving line on 34 targets. That works out to a career-low 6.8 yards per target, though a hefty 32% off-target rate was an obvious factor.
With the Rams, Beckham will have a path to a near-every-down role and -- all due respect to Baker Mayfield -- will certainly have better quarterback play via Stafford, who sits fifth in completion rate (68%) and third in YPA (8.6). Beckham's target share may be lower than he's used to (likely around 19-20%), but six to eight targets per game in this offense should be enough to keep him happy and allow consistent fantasy production.
Beckham is, at worst, the No. 3 wide receiver in a pass-heavy, high-scoring Rams offense and should be valued as a fantasy WR3 moving forward.