Week 7 vs Philadelphia
Tavon Austin's fantasy stock has risen with injuries to Amari Cooper and Randall Cobb. Austin will take over the No. 2 wide receiver role. He had five receptions for 64 yards last week. He is usually the special teams or gadget guy but he will have to show his wide receiver skill this week.
It's a great matchup for the Cowboys as Philly is ranked 32nd in aFPA to wide receivers. We don't expect enough from Austin even against the Eagles secondary. Keep him out of your starting lineup for Week 7.
Fantasy Upside
A change of scenery might motivate Tavon Austin, who was traded from the Rams to the Cowboys in the offseason. Austin has been especially active in the passing game, twice eclipsing the 50 reception mark in his career. Dallas brought him in for a reasonhasso you have to think he will receive an opportunity.
Fantasy Downside
Austin did have a career-high in carries last season but he only ran the ball 59 times. For a former first-round pick, Austin's numbers have been disappointing unless you had him in PPR leagues back in 2015 and 2016. It's still a mystery as to how the Cowboys will use him in the offense.
2018 Bottom Line
Austin most likely will be the third running back on the depth chart in Dallas. He has gone late in some drafts but the numbers don't really justify it. His role in Dallas in undecided, but Rod Smith would be a better Cowboy running back to have as depth on your roster.
Wild Card Round vs. Atlanta Falcons
Tavon Austin caught 3-of-5 targets for 14 yards in the Rams' Week 17 loss to the 49ers. He also rushed 4 times for 24 yards as most of the team's starters sat out to rest for L.A.'s Wild Card matchup with Atlanta. That should tell you all you need to know about Austin, who is not fantasy relevant. He's a gadget player in Sean McVay's offense and should be avoided this weekend when the Rams host the Falcons.
Fantasy Upside
Even though the previous Rams regime traded up to select Tavon Austin with the eighth overall selection in the 2013 NFL Draft, Jeff Fisher and Co. never figured out a way to utilize the receiver. Instead of using Austin more as a vertical threat, they peppered him with short passes in the hopes he would use his quickness to make plays close to the line of scrimmage. At one point early in his career, former OC Brian Schottenheimer even used Austin as a running back between the tackles. Yikes. The point is, even though Austin has finished as a top-25 fantasy WR just once in his career, new coach Sean McVay is better equipped to get the most out of the fifth-year receiver's skill set. Perhaps McVay will find a way to turn Austin into a DeSean Jackson-type and actually use the speedster to take the top off defenses.
Fantasy Downside
McVay or no McVay, Austin has been a gadget player since entering the league in 2013. His best finish came in 2015 when he was fantasy's WR25, but he didn't come close to matching that number in any of his other three seasons. Austin's fantasy value took another hit when the Rams traded for Sammy Watkins, who will dominate targets in the passing game when healthy. Austin is also currently dealing with a hamstring injury that could hold him out of preseason games.
2017 Bottom Line
McVay will find better use of Austin than Fisher did, but that doesn't mean Austin is worth a flier in fantasy. As previously mentioned, he's always been a gadget player and gadget players don't make for great fantasy options. With Watkins now the Rams' No. 1 WR, avoid Austin in your leagues. He ranks as our WR70 heading into the season.
Week 17 vs. Arizona
Tavon Austin caught two-of-seven targets for 14 yards in the Rams' Week 16 loss to the 49ers. He's now been targeted 23 times in his last three games but only has 12 catches for 90 yards and no touchdowns to show for it. Brian Schottenheimer, Frank Cignetti and now Rob Boras have all failed to utilize Austin's athleticism to exploit defenses on a consistent basis. Or Austin is nothing more than a gadget player. Either way, Austin remains off the fantasy radar. He ranks as our WR50 for Week 17 and even if Kenny Britt misses Sunday's game against the Cardinals with a shoulder injury, Austin still wouldn't be worth starting in any format.
Week 16 vs. San Francisco
Tavon Austin caught 3-of-5 targets for 14 yards in the Rams' Week 15 loss to the Seahawks, adding two rushes for 13 yards. Austin is explosive, but he's nothing more than an explosive gadget player playing in an un-creative offense. Ranked as our WR52 for Week 16, avoid Austin when the Rams host the 49ers on Saturday.
Week 13 at New England
Tavon Austin caught all four of his targets for 45 yards and a touchdown while rushing once for 10 yards in the Rams' Week 12 loss to the Saints. The touchdown was a perfectly placed ball by Jared Goff in the first quarter with a defender B.W. Webb in Austin's hip pocket. It was Austin's third touchdown of the year, which tells you all you need to know about his ceiling in fantasy. He's our WR58 for Week 13 and should be avoided when the Rams visit the Patriots.
Week 11 vs. Miami
Tavon Austin caught just two-of-seven targets for 19 yards in the Rams' Week 10 win over the Jets. He also rushed twice for 10 yards as his lackluster season continues. Austin now has a whopping 36 yards on three catches in his last two games. Maybe new starting quarterback Jared Goff will revitalize Austin's season but we wouldn't bank on that happening. Ranked as our WR45 in Week 11, Austin is nothing more than a WR5.
Week 10 at New York Jets
Tavon Austin caught 1-of-2 targets for 17 yards in the Rams’ Week 9 loss to the Panthers, giving him 37 catches for 316 yards on the year. With the amount of volume that he normally sees, Austin should be one of the most productive receivers in the game. Instead, he remains a gadget player in an unimaginative offense that receives poor quarterback play on a near-weekly basis. Ranked as our WR41, Austin is nothing more than a WR4/5 in both PPR and standard formats. Avoid him in Week 10.
Week 9 vs. Carolina
Tavon Austin caught 10-of-15 targets for 57 yards and a touchdown in the Rams' Week 7 loss to the Giants in London. He also added one carry for 10 yards, but continues to do very little despite seeing a bunch of targets in the passing game. He remains a WR4 play in PPR leagues, but he has little to no value in standard formats. Austin ranks as our WR29 in PPR for Week 9 and should be viewed as a WR4 for the Rams' matchup with the Panthers on Sunday.
