The St. Louis Rams are getting healthy, as Tre Mason returned and started for Nick Foles in Week 2, while Todd Gurley is expected to make his debut in Week 3. The Rams lost against the Redskins on Sunday, but moving forward Tavon Austin remains a fantasy football sleeper option for owners, as he has been used at RB and WR this season on offense.
The Rams upset the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 of the season, but they were beat down by the Redskins in Week 2 and now they are looking to bounce back against the Steelers next Sunday. Tre Mason was able to return for the Rams after missing Week 1 with a hamstring injury and while he was not very productive, moving forward he is a strong fantasy option on offense. Mason likely will be the starter as long as he is healthy and with Todd Gurley likely coming back soon, those two players could split carries.
Benny Cunningham got the start in Week 1, but the team likely will use a combo of Mason and Gurley more once they are both ready to go. Mason had 26 yards on seven carries against the Redskins and the Rams never were able to get the running game going. The team had to throw more after going behind to Washington and moving forward Mason should be able to get more space if the Rams focus on running the ball.
Last season Mason was very solid as a rookie, rushing for 765 yards in 12 games and he could be the starter for the Rams even if Gurley is healthy. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Gurley was ruled out for Week 2 due to his knee, but there is a good chance that Gurley will be active for Week 3. Gurley was drafted in the first round after having knee surgery at Georgia and after getting in full practice time last week, Gurley could be ready to make his debut with the Ram, according to Adam Schefter at ESPN.
Jeff Fisher said that Gurley would be a game time decision for the game against the Redskins and clearly he did not think the rookie was ready to play just yet. The Rams want to be careful with Gurley, as he is coming off of a serious injury and they invested a top pick in him this year. Once Gurley returns, the Rams will have some solid depth at RB with Mason, Cunningham and Gurley on the roster along with Isaiah Pead.
Tavon Austin has also been getting some work out of the backfield and he is a player to watch moving forward for fantasy owners. Austin comes in with 57 rushing yards this season and while he has not had much work as a receiver, Mason and Hurley coming back could get him more reps there. Austin also a threat in the return game, as he has a punt return touchdown this season and he could rack up points for fantasy owners returning kicks over the coming weeks. The Rams have a tough matchup with the Steelers next week.
