Week 2 at Washington
Tavon Austin rushed for 17 yards and a touchdown while also adding a score on a punt return in the Rams overtime win over the Seahawks in Week 1. His rushing touchdown came on a nice play design by OC Frank Cignetti, who clearly wants to ensure Austin is involved in the weekly game plan. But consistency has also been an issue for the former top-10 pick and he'll need to do more to prove he's not just a gadget player. Austin ranks as our WR61 and can be avoided in all formats.
Fantasy Upside
Thanks to his speed and overall explosiveness, Tavon Austin is the one player in the Rams receiving corps with the skill set to be a game-changer. Kenny Britt and Brian Quick are big targets and solid possession receivers, while Stedman Bailey runs the best routes on the team. But none of them have Austin's ability to take it to the house every time he touches the ball. Former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer never quite figured out how to best utilize Austin, which was evident by the times Schottenheimer had the 174-pound receiver take handoffs and run between the tackles. If new OC Frank Cignetti can design ways to consistently get Austin in open space, there’s a chance the third-year pro could finally start to deliver on the high expectations he had entering the league.
Fantasy Downside
Schottenheimer was a lightning rod for criticism last year in St. Louis, but the fact remains that he did try to get the ball in Austin’s hands. Austin just couldn’t find creases between defenders when he received opportunities. He finished as fantasy’s WR83 last year after catching 31 passes for 242 yards with zero touchdowns. Even with a switch at offensive coordinator, Austin remains a gadget player in the Rams run-first offense.
Bottom Line
Austin ranks as our WR79 in standard formats and is being undrafted in 10 and 12-team leagues. He has the skill set to be an explosive player, but he is not an ideal fit for the Rams’ run-first system. When the team traded into the top 10 to draft him in 2013, the plan was to open up the offense for quarterback Sam Bradford. Austin was viewed as a great fit for St. Louis’ spread attack Fisher ditched the philosophy four games into the season to go back to his roots of pounding the ball on the ground. That is one of the reasons why Austin had fewer targets, receptions, yards and touchdowns in 2014 than he did during his rookie year in 2013. Despite a switch at coordinator and the addition of Nick Foles at quarterback, it’s doubtful the light bulb suddenly comes on for Austin this season.
Week 17: Austin vs. Seahawks
Tavon Austin caught just one pass for 15 yards while also rushing three times for an addition 25 yards in the Rams' Week 16 loss to the Giants. Quarterback Shaun Hill missed a wide open Austin streaking down the sideline in the first half, instead deciding to break the pocket and find Kenny Britt for a modest gain. Hill then underthrew his receiver a few plays later, although Austin managed to draw a pass interference penalty when he tried to fight back towards the ball. Regardless, Austin's numbers have been underwhelming in his second season since being selected with the No. 8 overall pick in last year's draft. He continues to be a mere gadget in Brian Schottenheimer's offense. Leave him on your waiver wire for Week 17.
Week 16: Austin vs. Giants
Tavon Austin caught two-of-four targets for 14 yards and rushed once for an additional eight yards in the Rams’ Week 15 loss to the Cardinals. Austin should bounce back this week against the Giants but he still holds limited fantasy value. The Rams still don’t know how to maximize his skill set and he doesn’t break enough tackles to be anything more than a gadget player at this point in his career. Avoid him.
Week 15: Austin vs. Cardinals
Tavon Austin caught both of his targets for 14 yards and also rushed five times for 46 yards in the Rams' Week 14 win over the Cardinals. With his 78-yard punt return for touchdown in the third quarter, Austin has now scored in three straight games. It appears as though he's finally carving out a role for himself in St. Louis but he still holds little to no fantasy appeal. While it might be tempting to add the playmaker given his recent production, avoid Austin on Thursday night against the Cardinals. He's more bust than boom from a fantasy perspective.
Week 14: Austin vs. Redskins
Tavon Austin caught two-of-five targets for 11 yards while adding two rushes for 24 yards and a touchdown in the Rams’ 52-0 win over the Raiders in Week 13. With two touchdowns in two weeks, fantasy owners might be tempted to take a flier on the former No. 8 overall pick against a bad Washington defense in Week 14. But Austin continues to be a gadget player only and isn’t a reliable fantasy option. Leave him on your waiver wire.
Week 13: Austin vs. Raiders
Tavon Austin caught three-of-three targets for 11 yards and also finished with three rushes for 27 yards and a touchdown in the Rams' Week 12 loss to the Chargers. His lone score came on an end-around and was his first touchdown of the season. Austin is merely a gadget player and is limited by his role in the team's offense. Avoid him in all formats.
Week 12: Austin vs. Chargers
Tavon Austin caught two-of-four targets for 10 yards and also rushed twice for 11 yards in the Rams’ Week 11 win over the Broncos. Without a clearly defined role in Brian Schottenheimer’s offense, Austin continues to hold zero fantasy value. Avoid him.
Week 11: Austin vs. Broncos
Tavon Austin caught two-of-three targets for 20 yards and also added 10 additional yards on one carry in the Rams’ Week 10 loss to the Cardinals. Austin made a highlight reel play in the first quarter when he caught a short pass, danced around defenders and shot through a small crease to pick up 17 yards but then he largely disappeared. He should have had at least one more reception but the recently benched Austin Davis missed him on what should have been an easy completion on a crossing route late in the fourth quarter. (Davis instead underthrew Chris Givens and was intercepted by Patrick Peterson.) Either way, Austin isn’t involved enough in the game plan to have a sort of fantasy relevance. Leave him on your waiver wire.
Week 10: Austin vs. Cardinals
Tavon Austin caught 2-of-3 targets for 11 yards while also rushing twice for an addition seven yards in the Rams’ Week 9 win over the 49ers. St. Louis lacks an identity offensively and players like Austin have been caught in the wash. The team clearly doesn’t know how they want to use Austin, who does little with the few opportunities that he does receive during games. Avoid him in all leagues.
