Early-season injuries can upend any depth chart, and the Los Angeles Rams are facing that situation just two weeks into the season. A passing game that was supposed to funnel through a pair of Pro Bowlers in Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua will need to pivot with both suffering injuries in the first two games.
Below we examine whether veteran wideout Demarcus Robinson is a worthwhile fantasy football waiver wire option this week to help fill the void in the Rams’ receiver room.
All stats are courtesy TruMedia unless otherwise stated.
Should Demarcus Robinson Be Added on the Fantasy Waiver Wire in Week 3?
Robinson is the most experienced healthy pass catcher on the Rams roster, which gives him a leg up. He was L.A.’s fifth-leading receiver last season with 371 receiving yards, and his four receiving TDs ranked third on the team behind Nacua and Kupp. On Sunday he led the team with 50 receiving yards, albeit with 42 coming on a single play.
That experience coupled with almost guaranteed playing time is the best argument for adding Robinson, as volume is currency in fantasy. Robinson has run a team-high 75 routes so far this season and will certainly see every-down playing time while Kupp and Nacua are sidelined.
The issue is that Robinson has not turned that volume into a reliable level of opportunity, let alone production. Robinson has only been targeted on 11 of those routes, or 14.7%. For context, that ranks 66th among wide receivers and would be Robinson’s lowest rate since 2021 (his final season with the Kansas City Chiefs).
Part of that stems from his usage, which is more of a vertical presence in the offense. Robinson has a 12.1 aDOT, deepest among Rams players to receive at least five targets this season. That’s consistent with his usage last season, as Robinson’s aDOT as a member of the Rams is 12.2; that’s well above what his average was with the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens (10.4).
While a deeper aDOT gives Robinson more home-run potential (as evidenced by his 42-yard catch on Sunday), it also considerably lowers his floor given the state of the Rams’ offense. Los Angeles has suffered significant offensive line attrition, forcing Matthew Stafford to throw shorter than he typically does. Stafford’s aDOT this season is 5.9 yards, on pace to be the shortest of his career and far below his 7.7-yard aDOT from last season.
Given the Rams’ likely reliance on the run game and shorter passes against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 3, Robinson seems unlikely to garner a high-target game, especially if Los Angeles has trouble sustaining possessions.
Fantasy managers in deeper leagues can credibly take a swing on Robinson since he is not situation-dependent — the Rams’ lack of bodies at wide receiver means that he will see more playing time than many other waiver wire receiver options this week.
Nevertheless, better options exist on the Rams’ roster, including Tyler Johnson and Tutu Atwell, the latter of whom re-entered the rotation in Week 2 after a zero-catch showing in Week 1. Deeper league managers can take a look at Robinson, but it might be worth waiting to see how the Rams’ new pecking order shakes out before starting him.