On Sunday afternoon, it was announced that star Wide Receiver Davante Adams would be signing a two-year, $46 million contract with the Los Angeles Rams. It was reported that a major factor influencing Adams’s decision was his desire to stay on the West Coast. Adams will join a loaded offense, as the Rams retained Quarterback Matthew Stafford last week. This is a great pickup for the Rams, who should be right back in Super Bowl contention next season.
Winners
Matthew Stafford
Matthew Stafford is the biggest to gain in the acquisition of Davante Adams. It is expected that the Rams will let long-time franchise icon, Cooper Kupp, leave town this offseason, as they let Kupp and his agents seek a trade. Kupp has dealt with many injuries the past three seasons and it seemed to finally catch up to him on the back end of last season.Â
From Week 13 on, Kupp was only able to amass 12 receptions. Replacing Kupp with Adams is a massive upgrade for this Rams passing attack. Adams will be 32 years old for the upcoming season and while this is the age receivers start to decline in production, Adams has shown no signs of slowing down. In the same period when Kupp only caught 12 passes, Adams was hitting his stride with the New York Jets as he recorded 41 receptions, six of them for touchdowns.Â
Adding Adams to an offense that includes former All-Pro Wide Receiver, Puka Nacua, and a solid ground game with Kyren Williams, Stafford could be in for a bounce-back fantasy season. Stafford is currently listed at the QB22 on Fantasypros PPR redraft rankings.
Davante Adams
After his release from the New York Jets, it was rumored that Adams wanted to remain with his now-former quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, but it was the Rams who Adams chose as his home for next season. While Adams might not be the number one target on this Rams passing attack, there were worse landing spots for the former All-Pro.Â
Landing on a consistent offense like the Rams, Adams should be able to provide WR2 numbers on a weekly basis. The Rams were a top-10 passing attack in 2024 and could be in line to throw the ball at a higher rate next season. Adams is currently listed as the WR19 on Fantasypros.
Losers
Tutu Atwell/ Jordan Whittington/ Tyler Higbee
Don’t expect consistent fantasy production next season from any of the other receiving options on the Rams’ offense after adding Adams.Â
Tyler Higbee played well in the Rams playoff run after missing a large majority of the regular season. Higbee had 5 catches for 58 yards in only 23% of the snaps against the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card Round and then produced 7 catches for 54 yards with a touchdown in the Divisional Round against the Philadelphia Eagles. Expect Higbee to put up inconsistent, low-end TE2 numbers next season.Â
Tutu Atwell is fresh off of signing a 1-year extension worth $10 million with the Rams. Atwell performed well when called upon last season. Atwell filled in for an injured Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp from Week 3 to Week 7. In that span, Atwell was averaging a respectable 12.27 PPR points. It’s likely that Atwell will return to a depth role in 2025, limiting his fantasy production.
Jordan Whittington was a popular sleeper pick last season as fantasy managers were trying to find the next Puka Nucua. Whittington had back-to-back good games last year in the absence of Nacua and Kupp, when he scored 12.20 points in Week 4 and 15.90 points in Week 5. When Nacua and Kupp returned, Whittington returned to a depth role and it’s expected he will do the same next season after the team added Adams.
Aaron Rodgers
Potentially the biggest loser of the Davante Adams signing is Quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rumors were swirling that Rodgers wanted to join the Rams when it looked like Stafford would not be coming back. Not only will Rodgers not be playing quarterback for the Rams next season, he will also not be throwing to his favorite target throughout his career. Rodgers and Adams have combined for 82 touchdowns, which is the third most all-time for a QB-WR duo in NFL history. Unfortunately for Rodgers, he will most likely be throwing to a receiving core he does not have prior chemistry with.
Neutral
Puka Nacua
Nacua had a rough start to his 2024 season, getting hurt in Week 1, forcing him to miss the next six weeks. When Nacua returned to the lineup in Week 8, it was obvious the former BYU receiver was the focal point of the Rams offense as he went on to average 7.4 receptions, and 95.5 receiving yards a game for the rest of the season.
Adding another star receiver that opposing defenses will have to guard accordingly should free Nacua up from any sort of double teams. Adams will help the Rams keep the chains moving, giving Nacua more opportunities for fantasy points. Adams will eat into Nacua’s large target share, but it shouldn’t be enough to downgrade Nacua from his WR1 status.