Week 9: Austin vs. 49ers
Tavon Austin caught two passes for 12 yards and rushed twice for seven yards in the Rams’ Week 8 loss to the Chiefs. Austin continues to be misused as a between-the-tackles running back and a situational pass catcher. He hasn’t helped himself by not racking up YAC yards, but clearly the Rams don’t know how they want to use him. Even with Brian Quick out for the year due to injury, Austin will remain a gadget player until the Rams decide to make him a featured player. Leave him on your waiver wire.
Week 8: Austin vs. Chiefs
Tavon Austin caught 2-of-3 targets for 9 yards while also adding five rushes for 16 yards in the Rams’ Week 7 win over the Seahawks. OC Brian Schottenheimer continues to put the ball in Austin’s hands, albeit without much creativity. Austin hits the whole hard but at 5-foot-8 and 176 pounds, he needs space in order to create long runs and can’t withstand the physical pounding of running between the tackles on a consistent basis. He’s merely a gadget player at this point in his career and should be avoided in all fantasy leagues.
Week 7: Austin vs. 49ers
Tavon Austin caught four-of-five targets for 35 yards in the Rams’ Week 6 loss to the 49ers. We’ve been a broken record about Austin since he entered the league but it bears repeating: Until the Rams figure out how to best utilize Austin, he’s not going to have fantasy relevance. He ranks as our No. 83 overall WR for Week 6 and should remain on your waiver wire.
Week 6: Austin vs. 49ers
Tavon Austin caught both of his targets for 33 yards in the Rams' Week 5 loss to the Eagles. He returned to action after suffering a knee injury Week 2 against the Buccaneers but he continues to be a small part of the team's passing game. Until the Rams figure out how to use him, Austin won't hold any fantasy relevance. Leave him on your waiver wire.
Week 5: Austin vs. Eagles
After being held out in Week 3, Tavon Austin (knee) remains questionable for Sunday's game versus the Eagles. Even if he dresses, the second-year player out of West Virginia isn't a reliable fantasy option. Leave him on your waiver wire.
Week 2: Austin vs. Bucs
Tavon Austin caught all three of his targets for 34 yards in the Rams' Week 1 loss to the Vikings. He also finished with five yards on three carries as OC Brian Schottenheimer thought it was a good idea to run him off-tackle on multiple occasions. Austin continues to struggle to create separation and make decisive decisions with the ball in his hands. He's also hamstrung by the team's lack of imagination when it comes to game planning and play-calling. Austin is nothing more than a WR4/WR5 for fantasy purposes and is hardly worth a roster spot at this point. He's our No. 64 WR for Week 2 against the Bucs.
Week 1: Austin vs. Vikings
Tavon Austin has explosive playmaking ability and now that he's in his second year, his role should expand. That said, his production is largely dependent on Brian Schottenheimer's ability to get Austin in open space. And then it's up to Austin to gain YAC yards and not dance into tackles like he did a year ago (or flat out drop the ball). As of right now, Austin has more real football value than fantasy, but he might be worth a roster stash as a WR4/5. It all depends on if Schottenheimer can be creative enough to get Austin (No. 56 WR for Week 1) loose. But even then, it'll be about quality of touches, not quantity.
Fantasy Upside
Tavon Austin admitted that he didn't have a full grasp of the playbook last year, but noted that he's more comfortable now that he's in his second year. That should lead to an expanded role in Brian Schottenheimer's offense after he showed flashes of his playmaking ability in games against the Colts and Bears a year ago. The Rams didn't trade into the top 10 in last year's NFL draft not to use the dynamic Austin, who has lined up in the slot, outside the numbers and even in the backfield during camp this year.
Fantasy Downside
Austin disappointed in his rookie year, finishing as fantasy's No. 56 overall WR. He struggled with drops early in the season as the Rams tried to force the ball to him in the short-to-intermediate game. He also had trouble generating separation for himself and often danced too much when he did have the ball in his hands. While he admits to now having a full grasp of the playbook after suffering a learning curve as a rookie, he remains behind Kenny Britt and perhaps even Jared Cook and Brian Quick for targets in the Rams' run-first offense.
Bottom Line
Austin is a dynamic tool but his success is largely predicated on Schottenheimer getting him in open space. He's a matchup problem for defenses but he's not going to win many contested passes at the second or third level in coverage, which limits his overall fantasy production. While we think he has value as a WR4/WR5 in PPR leagues (his stock was unaffected by Sam Bradford's season-ending injury due to the fact that his routes are mostly short-to-intermediate), we're skeptical of his fantasy potential and believe he'll be overdrafted this fall. He's shaping up to be more of a gadget player than a consistent starter.
