Thursday Night Football Rams vs. Vikings: Fantasy Football Breakdown

You can watch Thursday Night Football: Rams vs. Vikings on Amazon Prime Video at 8:20 pm ET/5:20 PT.

There have been many rumors of late involving the Rams and Vikings. Rams are Supposedly Shopping Cooper Coupe. the vikings Supposedly Trying to trade Sam Darnold to the Rams for Matthew Stafford.

So, it's ideal for these two NFC teams to square off in Week 8 on Thursday Night Football. Let's go to the tape story.

The Cooper Coupe (and Puka Nakua?!) is back — what can we expect?

Wayyyy back in Week 1, Cooper Koop looked like the steal of fantasy drafts around the world. While everyone was worrying about his injury history and his age-related regression, Kupp started the year with a 25-fantasy-point outburst.

He looked well on his way to doing the same in Week 2 before suffering an ankle injury that would sideline him for the next six weeks (the Rams had a bye in Week 6). But he has returned to full practice and is expected to start tonight. Fantasy managers are no doubt enjoying plugging him into their starting lineups like Thanos with the Time Stone. The question is, will the coupe return to otherworldly dimensions?

Well, let's go back in time. Koop missed two games in 2018 with a sprained MCL. He posted a 6-5-89-1 statline in his first game. He was third in targets and second in catches, behind Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks, respectively. Kupp suffered a torn ACL later that season.

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Now, with Puca Nacua likely limited in his first game, the Rams' receiving corps isn't as strong as it was in 2018. Kupp's involvement will be essential if the Rams have any chance against this high-flying Vikings offense. But we can't be sure he won't be used sparingly, as his ankle injury was far more serious than the MCL sprain that cost him two games in 2018. As we all know, the coupe will continue to run the tricky route out there!

Or, Stafford will target Koop from the bus and he'll end up with something like 13-9-106-1.

TL;DR — You're starting Kupp unless you're embarrassed to have riches at WR in your fantasy lineup, and you're hoping he's fully healthy and running open crossing routes like he always does.

Nacua, on the other hand, is set to open his practice window, be activated from IR, and play in this game the way most of us need to set the lineup.

I have no idea how this would go, but it reminds me of the old fantasy horror: if you start him, he'll give you something like 3-30. If you bench him, he goes 6-120-1.

Fantasy is rough sometimes.

Can Kieran Williams make it 10 consecutive games with a TD?

Remember when everyone was talking about Blake Coram, saying he would eat into Kieran Williams' workload and eventually replace him? We convinced ourselves that Sean McVay wanted to cut Williams the moment he had someone who showed something in the ground game.

It seems like a million years ago.

Since then, all Williams has done is display a preternatural magnetism for the end zone. He is fourth in half-ppr RB scoring, and is tied with Derrick Henry for the league's most rushing touchdowns (8). For what it's worth, Williams also has a touch down through the air.

Now, a few weeks ago, I might have said that this would be the matchup for Williams' touchdown streak. But after what Jahmir Gibbs did to them, I feel good about Williams going 11 straight games. Of course, the Lions' offensive line is light years better than the Rams' and I think we can all agree that Gibbs is a better back overall than Williams, especially in the skill department.

But we can all agree that a football freak like McVay was probably watching the Lions' Week 7 game plan closely. And considering Kevin O'Connell comes from the McVay coaching tree, I wouldn't be surprised to see some run-game wrinkles shown by McVay in this game, especially with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nakua demanding defensive attention. And remember, Williams almost never leaves the field — he's third among starting RBs in overall snap-count percentage this season — so even if the Rams fall behind, Williams will be there for a comeback attempt.

This could be Aaron Jones' best game of 2024

Aaron Jones looks like he's going to go down as one of the best value picks in 2024, an RB1 for an elite offense that was drafted in the late fourth/early fifth round of the draft. The hesitation was understandable; The Vikings had quarterback questions, and Jones will turn 30 in December and has missed time with injuries throughout his career. He is currently 13th on the overall RB leaderboard (half-PPR).

I'll keep it short and sweet: The Rams have been absolutely destroyed by opposing running backs this season. This is not hyperbole; Jahmir Gibbs and David Montgomery both scored on them in Week 1. James Conner threw for 122 rushing yards and a score on them in Week 2. Jordan Mason rushed for 77 yards against them in Week 3. De'Andre Swift destroyed them both through the air. and in Week 4 on the ground. Jones' old team, the Green Bay Packers, beat the Rams in Week 5 with the help of Josh Jacobs, who rushed for a 73-yard touchdown against them. The bye week didn't help either; Even in the win over the Raiders, the Rams allowed 123 total yards to Alexander Mattison.

You could argue that the Vikings are the best overall offense that the Rams faced in Week 1 against the Lions. Jones flipped RB1 overall this week.