Projecting any player’s stats in a given season is incredibly difficult. ESPN’s Mike Clay, as he does every year, undertook the task of projecting numbers for just about all of the starters in the NFL, including the Rams’ top players.
Sorted position by position, Clay shared his projections for players such as Matthew Stafford, Cam Akers, Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson, Aaron Donald and others. He doesn’t see Kupp topping his historic numbers from last season, but Clay still expects the Rams receiver to produce another 1,300-plus-yard season with double-digit touchdowns.
Below is a breakdown of Clay’s projections for key players, with the full breakdown available here.
Passing
Matthew Stafford: 382-for-576 (66.3%), 4,356 yards, 32 TDs, 14 INTs, 35 sacks
This would be a slight regression for Stafford, although it would also be three fewer interceptions than he threw in 2021. Last season, he had 4,886 yards and 41 touchdowns on 601 attempts, so Clay is expecting Stafford to throw the ball less, and in turn, put up milder numbers.
Still, the Rams would take 4,356 yards and 30-plus touchdowns, though he seems poised to top those projections.
Rushing
Cam Akers: 269 carries, 1,097 yards, 8 TDs
Darrell Henderson Jr.: 90 carries, 397 yards, 3 TDs
Could this be Akers’ first season of being fully healthy and leading the backfield? It should be. And if he is able to stay available for all 17 games, he should easily top 1,000 yards rushing. Henderson’s durability is a much bigger question, but he fits nicely as a change-of-pace back behind Akers, as well as a fill-in if Akers gets hurt.
Receiving
Cooper Kupp: 156 targets, 115 receptions, 1,355 yards, 10 TDs
Allen Robinson: 120 targets, 72 receptions, 924 yards, 6 TDs
Van Jefferson: 84 targets, 48 receptions, 704 yards, 5 TDs
Tutu Atwell: 42 targets, 26 receptions, 321 yards 2 TDs
Tyler Higbee: 72 targets,…
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