The Los Angeles Rams have suffered from the injury bug to start the 2024 NFL season. They have suffered injuries to superstar wide receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. With these, the Rams will need Demarcus Robinson and Tyler Johnson to step up and help the offense elevate to beat their division rivals, the San Francisco 49ers.
We need to analyze which Rams wide receiver is the better player for fantasy football in Week 3. Let’s break down the two veteran wide receivers and correctly identify the better play for your team.
Should You Start Demarcus Robinson or Tyler Johnson in Week 3?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Robinson is the player to start. Robinson’s 9.4 projected fantasy points come from 3.5 receptions and 38.3 receiving yards. Johnson is expected to only score 6.9 fantasy points on a stat line that consists of 2.8 receptions and 27.7 yards.
My rankings agree with the Optimizer, as Robinson should outrank Johnson in the offensive scheme. His chemistry with Matthew Stafford elevated his red-zone targets to a higher total than even Nacua last season.
We should see Robinson become hyper-targeted against a defense that allows the sixth-most receiving yards to wide receivers this season. The 49ers have also struggled to stop wide receivers from crossing the goal line, as their four touchdowns allowed are tied for the second most to wide receivers in 2024.
Robinson’s Week 3 Fantasy Outlook
Kupp has the most targets this season with 27. Naturally, the next highest on the team should elevate to his role within the offense, which is Robinson (11 targets). His 15.3 yards per reception are the 20th best for wide receivers, per TruMedia. His issue within his game is that he doesn’t have the yards-after-catch ability. His 1.3 yards after the catch per reception are the 70th best in the NFL.
His fantasy profile reminds us of Tyler Lockett, who needs to create before receiving the ball by separation on his routes. This separation happens down the field, as Robinson ranked 23 overall in air yards per target (12.09).
Robinson may not be the flashy playmaker, but his ability to run routes and sit in the open space down the field captured Stafford’s trust, which is extremely important for his fantasy outlook in Week 3 and throughout this season.
Johnson’s Week 3 Fantasy Outlook
Johnson has been in the league for a few years now. In the deepest depths of X (formerly known as Twitter), you may find his fan club rising from the ashes like a phoenix as Johnson develops a chance to perform again in the NFL.
Johnson is a yards-after-catch machine as he ranks fourth overall in the statistic, showing that he becomes a playmaking aficionado once he gets the ball. The issue is that he runs most of his routes near the line of scrimmage, which is evident in his 4.2 air yards per target, the 74th highest in the NFL.
Johnson needs to be hyper-efficient with the ball when he turns his targets into receptions or we will be greatly disappointed with his fantasy production in Week 3.