May 17, 2021

It was a surprise when the Rams spent a 2020 second round pick on Van Jefferson. Our shock was justified when the Rams put Jefferson on the field for just 24% of the snaps last season. Jefferson didn't have a single game with greater than a 50% snap share until the final week of the season. He was an afterthought, unable to usurp Josh Reynolds on the depth chart. Heading into 2021, we knew he'd be firmly behind Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp, but there was at least a glimmer of hope that he'd be that WR3 with Reynolds departing for Tennessee, which at least has some value in deeper leagues. The Rams put any Jefferson hopes to bed first when they signed DeSean Jackson, who is going to start as the stretch Z for as long as he stays healthy (typically one game) and then when they spent another second round pick on Tutu Atwell. I would say it would be strange for the Rams to not use Atwell after spending a second round pick on him, but they did the same thing with Jefferson last season. Either way, Jefferson's path to playing time is incredibly challenging. Not only does he need multiple injuries to secure a starting role, he also needs to establish he can be effective at the NFL level. Historically, rookie wide receivers that fail to reach 500 yards in their first season do not end up mattering long-term. Jefferson managed just 220 receiving yards as a rookie despite being healthy for all 16 games. He should not be drafted in even the deepest of redraft leagues and is a fringe dynasty asset, at best.--Jason Katz