Tavon Austin

Fantasy Upside

A change of scenery might motivate Tavon Austin, who was traded from the Rams to the Cowboys in the offseason. Austin has been especially active in the passing game, twice eclipsing the 50 reception mark in his career. Dallas brought him in for a reasonhasso you have to think he will receive an opportunity.

Fantasy Downside

Austin did have a career-high in carries last season but he only ran the ball 59 times. For a former first-round pick, Austin's numbers have been disappointing unless you had him in PPR leagues back in 2015 and 2016. It's still a mystery as to how the Cowboys will use him in the offense.

2018 Bottom Line

Austin most likely will be the third running back on the depth chart in Dallas. He has gone late in some drafts but the numbers don't really justify it. His role in Dallas in undecided, but Rod Smith would be a better Cowboy running back to have as depth on your roster.

Fantasy Upside

Even though the previous Rams regime traded up to select Tavon Austin with the eighth overall selection in the 2013 NFL Draft, Jeff Fisher and Co. never figured out a way to utilize the receiver. Instead of using Austin more as a vertical threat, they peppered him with short passes in the hopes he would use his quickness to make plays close to the line of scrimmage. At one point early in his career, former OC Brian Schottenheimer even used Austin as a running back between the tackles. Yikes. The point is, even though Austin has finished as a top-25 fantasy WR just once in his career, new coach Sean McVay is better equipped to get the most out of the fifth-year receiver's skill set. Perhaps McVay will find a way to turn Austin into a DeSean Jackson-type and actually use the speedster to take the top off defenses.

Fantasy Downside

McVay or no McVay, Austin has been a gadget player since entering the league in 2013. His best finish came in 2015 when he was fantasy's WR25, but he didn't come close to matching that number in any of his other three seasons. Austin's fantasy value took another hit when the Rams traded for Sammy Watkins, who will dominate targets in the passing game when healthy. Austin is also currently dealing with a hamstring injury that could hold him out of preseason games.

2017 Bottom Line

McVay will find better use of Austin than Fisher did, but that doesn't mean Austin is worth a flier in fantasy. As previously mentioned, he's always been a gadget player and gadget players don't make for great fantasy options. With Watkins now the Rams' No. 1 WR, avoid Austin in your leagues. He ranks as our WR70 heading into the season.

Week 16 vs. San Francisco
Tavon Austin caught 3-of-5 targets for 14 yards in the Rams' Week 15 loss to the Seahawks, adding two rushes for 13 yards. Austin is explosive, but he's nothing more than an explosive gadget player playing in an un-creative offense. Ranked as our WR52 for Week 16, avoid Austin when the Rams host the 49ers on Saturday.