(This is part 2 of a 5-part series, check back soon for part 3 and for another addition of players I do like…)

The entire St. Louis Rams.Let me spin you a tale. Last weekend, I found myself lucky enough to be attending the first preseason game for both the Rams and Vikings. Now, as I’ve previously mentioned (getting old, isn’t it?), I am a Vikings fan. So the main draw for me to attend this game was to get a look at how the Vikings offense would run without one Brett Favre.

Of course, all of the Vikings starters on offense were either hurt or MIA at the time of this game, so I had to quickly switch my focus to the Rams. I watched all 60 minutes (except for the final five, had to try and beat the crowd, you know), desperately looking for some type of salvageable fantasy player on the field.I came to the conclusion, unsurprisingly, that the Rams field none. That includes Steven Jackson. So, in order to justify why I am advising you to stay away from not just one player but an entire team of players, I’ve prepared a handy list for you.

1. Offensive Line

I watched the Rams’ first team offensive line go up against the Vikings’ second defensive. It was not pretty, in fact six sacks not pretty. Sam Bradford, the $50 million man, found himself on the ground frequently. There are other problems on the team, obviously, the Rams WRs leave something to be…desired, and the QBs (besides the unknown of Bradford) don’t really seem to possess the ability to get it to the wide-outs, but it still all begins with the offensive line. The Rams had 154 total YDs in a preseason game, which really speaks to the lack of depth and talent on this roster. One injury and the already weak starting line will be downright atrocious.

2. Steven Jackson

This guy is on arguably (though I don’t think it’s much of an argument) the worst team in the league, and he’s being taken in the 1^st round of pretty much all fantasy drafts. I frankly want nothing to do with Jackson, and it hurts me to say that. If there is one player I feel bad for, it’s him, having spent his entire career thus far as a great player on terrible teams. What he managed to do last year was nothing short of a miracle, with his 1,416 yards and 4 TDs stat line. I saw several Rams games last year in person, and I have to say, I can’t believe that he got in the end-zone at all. With no blocking, no other threat on offense and a team that was perpetually being outscored, this man willed his team on his back…to one win. He took a beating, and after somehow managing to stay healthy the entire year, I believe he will succumb to injuries much as he did in the two seasons before last year. 

3. Lack of Talent 

The Rams have picked in the top two in the draft for the last three years. No team, not even the Lions, have done worse. Ask yourself, how many Rams players do you know the names of? Even if you’re a Rams fan, I pose the same question to you. This is a team not only rebuilding, they have continuously regressed over the years. I wouldn’t be surprised if this team challenged the Detroit Lions as the worst team of all time this upcoming season. I would actually even go so far as to say that the Lions squad that didn’t win a game was better than the 1-15 mess the Rams trotted out last year. This is one fantasy wasteland.

Some may be quick to point out that I may be overreacting to a preseason game, but my eyes can’t be fooled. It’s not like I saw a Rams team being out-schemed or out-coached, I saw two teams playing very vanilla offense and defense and one team absolutely handing the other their ass. Now, I like Spagnuolo and I feel like eventually, if he gets the chance, he will turn around this Rams team, but you can only out-coach your opponents to a point. Eventually talent just wins out. The Rams may be able to squeeze out a few wins this year, but eventually their utter lack of talent will rear its head and the losses will start to add up.

This is a putrid defense and an even worse offense. Stay away at all costs. Heed my warning you Steven Jackson seeker. You’d be better off drafting a Cleveland Brown…

Check out Scott’s “Players I Love Column”: Part I and Part II, in addition to Part I in his Players I Hate Column.