Van Jefferson

Week 17 vs. Los Angeles Chargers

The Rams’ offense finally showed life in Week 16 with a big performance vs. a usually strong Denver Broncos defense. However, this strong performance didn’t translate to a lot of production for top wide receiver Van Jefferson. Jefferson continues to lead the team in routes and did see the second-most targets on the team with five. The issue is he was only able to produce three receptions for 19 yards on those five targets. This shouldn’t be much of a surprise as the Broncos’ strength on defense is the play of their outside cornerbacks Patrick Surtain II and Kareem Jackson.

Heading into Week 17 Jefferson will have another tough test vs. the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers have allowed the eight fewest receptions and the fifth-fewest receiving yards to wide receivers this season. This includes holding down notable wide receivers Michael Pittman (4-39) and Jaylen Waddle (2-31) over the past few weeks. Overall, Jefferson does see the route participation to pop up for a solid game here and there, but vs. another tough secondary, he’s best viewed as a WR4 in Week 17.

Week 15 at Green Bay Packers

Since the injuries to both Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson, Van Jefferson has paced the team in routes and looked to be taking over as the WR1 rest of the season. However, in Week 14 with new quarterback Baker Mayfield, Jefferson took a backseat to both Ben Skowronek and Tutu Atwell. In that game, Jefferson only saw four targets turning them into 2-44-1. This performance was highlighted by a game-winning touchdown grab late in the fourth quarter but falling to third in targets is worth watching moving forward. This week the Rams will take on the Packers who have allowed the 10th most points to outside wide receivers over the past six weeks. Even though the underlying usage is there in a plus matchup, we are still unsure who is going to emerge as Mayfield’s top option moving forward. This makes Jefferson along with any Rams wide receiver a risky play in any format in Week 15.

Week 13 vs. Seattle Seahawks

Due to the injuries of Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson, Van Jefferson has emerged as the top option for the Rams’ passing attack. In two games as the leading receiver, Jefferson has caught 6-70-1. The Rams have yet to name a starting quarterback for Week 13 so we should take two different mindsets on Jefferson based on who the quarterback ends up being. If backup quarterback John Wolford gets the start, then Jefferson does have some appeal as a WR4 option in deeper leagues as Wolford did throw for over 200 yards in his start earlier this year. If Perkins gets the nod, it will be tough to trust Jefferson as the Rams will go more run-heavy with Perkins under center. The good news for Jefferson is with Robinson already on IR and Kupp looking doubtful the rest of the season, Jefferson should continue to get plenty of playing time. That means if Stafford comes back, he could be a WR3 down the stretch.