| Especially if you’ve got QB Kurt Warner, RB
Marshall Faulk or either of the Rams’ high-flying wideouts — Issac Bruce or
Torry Holt — in your fantasy starting lineup, you are sitting pretty right about now. To
a lesser but still very satisfying extent, you also should feel pretty good if you’ve
got any among the following Rams offensive threats on your roster: WRs Az-Zahir Hakim and
Ricky Proehl, TEs Ernie Conwell and Jeff Robinson and (perhaps on your taxi squad) RB
Trung Candiate.
Put simply, in the wake of its tremendous performance vs. the highly regarded
Dolphins’ defense last weekend, "The Greatest Show on Earth" looks more
spectacular than ever. Against Miami, Warner in particular never looked so sharp,
completing passes short, long, over the middle and on the flanks as if there wasn’t
even an opposing defense on the field.
If Warner’s thumb is still hurting, he’s hiding it quite well. Even though
Faulk — who is off to another scintillating fantasy start with four touchdowns in the
first three games — and Holt were his primary targets vs. Miami, Warner connected
with seven different receivers on at least two receptions each vs. the beleaguered
Dolphins’ secondary.
With three weeks in the books, eight different Rams have already scored touchdowns
— the best figure in the league. While you might think that such a huge distribution
among so many players could be a fantasy handicap for the likes of Bruce, Holt, Hakim, et
al, don’t worry.
It looks like these guys will still be deadly fantasy weapons on a fairly consistent
basis — even if they are sharing the wealth.
The Rams are that explosive.
And they could become even more potent, considering that, starting this Monday night at
the Silverdome, 10 of the Rams’ final 13 games are indoors, where their superior
speed really turns them into a killer. Warner absolutely loves playing indoors, where he
previously excelled at Northern Iowa and the Arena Football League. At the Dome at
America’s Center in St. Louis, he is a perfect 16-0, counting the regular season and
playoffs.
"No wind, no rain, no snow," said Warner after the massacre of Miami.
"You just get to let it all loose and play football."
And with Rams head coach Mike Martz becoming more loosey-goosey with a creative offense
that he isn’t afraid to unleash no matter what the situation — the Rams threw
downfield on two successive passes while pinned at Miami’s one-yard line last Sunday
— defenses around the league might be better off just conceding.
Except maybe for the Ravens, who the Rams won’t be facing this season unless both
these teams end up squaring off in Super Bowl XXXVI — which is starting to look a bit
more likely.
While the Rams are the "Greatest Show on Earth" offensively, the Ravens look
just as outstanding in the early going on defense as they were last year, when they set a
league record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game season.
In fact, with OLB Peter Boulware wreaking havoc with two completely healthy shoulders
for the first time in a couple of seasons, and S Corey Harris playing even better than the
departed Kim Herring, who is the only starter missing from last year’s starting unit,
Baltimore’s defense could be even more outstanding this season.
From a fantasy-defense standpoint, the Ravens are at the top of the list, with more
than a few takeaways that will be turned into touchdowns expected on a semi-regular basis
as the weeks wear on.
You can take that to the bank. |
