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This fantasy football season people have become quite enamored with St. Louis Rams QB Sam Bradford. The former first overall section has simply been going through the motions in fantasy for the first couple years of his career, but this has been the year that everyone has pegged the quarterback to breakout.
However, I am still not convinced.
The 2012 season was Bradford’s best fantasy performance to date, but it still wasn’t that overwhelming. The former Oklahoma quarterback finished 15th in the league with 3,702 passing yards. He was also tied for 18th in passing touchdowns with 21. These are not exactly starter quality numbers in fantasy. If he regresses at all, he could drop to the bottom third of the NFL in every passing category.
St. Louis has never had a true number one wideout for Bradford to throw the ball to. Honestly, the team hasn’t had a reliable wideout since Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce left. The team currently has rookie WR Tavon Austin most likely starting on the outside with Chris Givens, Brian Quick, Austin Pettis, and Stedman Bailey also competing for targets. However, these aren’t household names and the collection of college talent has not transitioned very well into the NFL. Needless to say, Bradford doesn’t exactly have Calvin Johnson to throw the ball to.
To make matters worse, the team lost RB Steven Jackson to the Atlanta Falcons and WR Danny Amendola to the New England Patriots. Jackson was the team’s leading rusher in eight straight seasons and the three-time Pro Bowler will be impossible to replace. Additionally, Bradford lost his favorite safety blanket in Amendola, as the slot receiver has grabbed 5.46 passes per game over his last three seasons in St. Louis. The loss of his top two offensive weapons will have an impact on Bradford’s fantasy value.
I am still not sold on Bradford as an everyday starter, even in 14-man leagues. He is a bonafide backup quarterback and the 25-year-old has yet to prove that he can lead a team to a fantasy title.
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
