Jefferson could earn a larger role in 2023, as he's been healthy this offseason and is now the second-most experienced WR on the Rams' roster, Stu Jackson of the team's official website reports.
Jefferson had knee surgeries last spring and again in August, delaying his 2022 debut until Week 8 and leading to limited playing time in his first few games. He then played 46 or more snaps in each of the Rams' final eight contests and averaged 2.6 catches for 42.8 yards and 0.25 TDs on 4.5 targets. The numbers weren't bad given that he mostly played with backup QBs rather than Matthew Stafford, and Jefferson hopes things will go better this year with both him and Stafford healthy after injuries kept them off the practice field last spring/summer. Jefferson enters the final year of his rookie contract as a clear favorite for the No. 2 receiver role behind Cooper Kupp, if only because there's a glaring lack of both talent and experience in the WR room otherwise.
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Rams' Van Jefferson: Seven targets in season finale
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Jefferson caught three of seven targets for 61 yards in Sunday's 19-16 overtime loss to Seattle.
Jefferson led the low-octane Rams passing game in receiving yards in the season finale. The expected return of Matthew Stafford (neck) should provide Jefferson with better quarterback play in 2023, but Jefferson will likely slide down the depth chart once Cooper Kupp (ankle) is healthy. A knee injury limited Jefferson to 11 games in 2022, and the third-year wideout caught 24 of 44 targets for 369 yards and three touchdowns.
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Rams' Van Jefferson: Team-high receiving yardage tally
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Jefferson secured all three targets for 77 yards in the Rams' 31-10 loss to the Chargers on Sunday.
Jefferson co-led the Rams in receptions and paced the team in receiving yards during a lackluster day for the air attack overall. The third-year pro's game-long 39-yard grab was the highlight of his performance, but he recorded his other two catches -- of 16 and 22 yards -- on Los Angeles' only touchdown drive. Jefferson will aim to build on eight-game multi-reception streak in the Week 18 finale on the road versus the Seahawks.
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Rams' Van Jefferson: Sees five targets in blowout win
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Jefferson had three receptions (five targets) for 19 yards in Sunday's 51-14 win over the Broncos.
Jefferson failed to post notable numbers in a game during which the Rams scored five offensive touchdowns. Perhaps the 26-year-old is best suited in a complementary role instead of being asked to be a team's top option. Jefferson will attempt to build some chemistry with quarterback Baker Mayfield when the Rams take on the Chargers on Sunday.
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Rams' Van Jefferson: Pair of grabs in loss
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Jefferson brought in both targets for 32 yards in the Rams' 24-12 loss to the Packers on Monday night.
Jefferson led the Rams wideouts in receptions and receiving yards, and on a night when Los Angeles finished with 84 net passing yards, his modest totals were only less productive than those of running back Cam Akers. Jefferson had caught the game-winning touchdown from Baker Mayfield in the latter's Week 14 team debut against the Raiders, making the low-volume night Monday especially disappointing. Jefferson and the rest of the Rams' air attack has another stiff challenge on its hands in a Week 16 home matchup against the talented Broncos secondary on Christmas Day.
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Rams' Van Jefferson: Snares game-winning grab Thursday
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Jefferson secured two of four targets for 44 yards and a touchdown in the Rams' 17-16 win over the Raiders on Thursday night.
Jefferson caught Baker Mayfield's first and last passes of the quarterback's Rams debut, hauling in a 21-yard catch on the first play of the team's second possession and a 23-yard game-tying reception with 10 seconds left that set up Matt Gay's game-winning PAT. The third-year speedster hasn't yet been able to truly capitalize on the absences of Cooper Kupp (IR-ankle) and Allen Robinson (IR-foot) and played a clear second fiddle to both Ben Skowronek and Tutu Atwell, but perhaps the scoring connection will kickstart his chemistry with Mayfield and lead to a productive stretch run.
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Rams' Van Jefferson: Quiet in Sunday's loss
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Jefferson caught two of four targets for 39 yards in Sunday's 27-23 loss to the Seahawks.
Nominally the Rams' No. 1 wideout in the absence of Cooper Kupp (ankle) and Allen Robinson (foot), Jefferson once again wasn't able to produce much volume. In the last four games, including the one in which Kupp was injured, Jefferson hasn't topped three receptions or 41 yards, though he has scored two touchdowns. Despite his spot on the depth chart, he'll be a risky fantasy play in Week 14, even against the Raiders.
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Rams' Van Jefferson: Week 13 Waiver Priority List
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It's hard to trust anyone for the Rams right now, but Jefferson is basically the last man standing in this receiving corps after Cooper Kupp (ankle) and Allen Robinson (foot) got hurt. Jefferson has scored in two of his past three games and finished with 11 PPR points in each of those outings. It's modest production, but he could improve if Matthew Stafford (neck) does return at some point this year. Jefferson, even without Stafford, can still be a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in deeper leagues, and he's worth adding for up to 5 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Rams' Van Jefferson: Gets into end zone Sunday
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Jefferson caught three of seven targets for 29 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 26-10 loss to Kansas City.
There was little production to go around in the Rams offense with Bryce Perkins making his first career NFL start at quarterback in place of Matthew Stafford (neck), but Jefferson led the team in receiving yards and scored the team's only TD. Allen Robinson (foot) has been ruled out for the rest of the season and Cooper Kupp (IR) remains on IR, so Jefferson should be the No. 1 wideout for Los Angeles in Week 13 against the Seahawks, regardless of who is under center.
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Rams' Van Jefferson: Should be No. 1 wideout for Week 12
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Jefferson is expected to serve as the Rams' No. 1 wideout for Sunday's game against the Chiefs with Cooper Kupp (ankle) on injured reserve and with Allen Robinson (ankle) listed as questionable but not expected to play, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.
Additionally, starting tight end Tyler Higbee (knee) is listed as questionable, though it's unclear whether he's trending toward playing or sitting out Sunday's contest. Regardless, Jefferson looks like one of the more established receiving options for the Rams, though that doesn't necessarily mean he profiles as a reliable fantasy option this week. He'll likely be working with an unproven third-year quarterback in Bryce Perkins, who is expected to make his first NFL start while top signal-caller Matthew Stafford (neck/concussion protocol) sits for the second time in three games. Though the matchup with the high-octane Chiefs offense could yield more possessions than usual for the Rams offense, Perkins will be working behind one of the NFL's worst offensive lines and a lack of established skill-position talent, which could make it difficult for Los Angeles to keep pace. Jefferson, who has produced a modest 6-68-1 receiving line on 13 targets through four appearances this season, thus might be little more than a risky flex play in the majority of fantasy leagues.
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Rams' Van Jefferson: Three grabs in Week 11 loss
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Jefferson brought in three of five targets for 41 yards in the Rams' 27-20 loss to the Saints on Sunday.
Jefferson was just behind co-leaders Allen Robinson and Tyler Higbee in receptions in the Rams' first game without Cooper Kupp (ankle). The speedy third-year wideout should continue to enjoy a progressively elevated role in coming weeks, but the fact Matthew Stafford was forced to re-enter concussion protocol Sunday casts doubt over the entirety of the air attack's potential for a Week 12 road battle against the Chiefs.
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Rams' Van Jefferson: Needed in larger role
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Jefferson is expected to take on a larger role in the Rams passing attack after top wideout Cooper Kupp (ankle) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, Stu Jackson of the team's official site reports.
Passes to Kupp are about the only thing that's worked for the Rams offense this season, with the star receiver averaging 10.9 targets and 90.2 receiving yards per game. Jefferson didn't catch any passes in his first two weeks back in the lineup after missing six games while recovering from minor knee surgery, but he then recorded three receptions for 27 yards and a touchdown in the Week 10 loss to Arizona. He'll now have an opportunity to see more snaps alongside Allen Robinson and Ben Skowronek. Jefferson played only 17 snaps (28 percent) last week, which actually was a decrease from the previous two games (53 percent in Week 8, 35 percent in Week 9). If Jefferson struggles this Sunday at New Orleans, the Rams could also give Lance McCutcheon, Brandon Powell or Tutu Atwell more looks.
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Rams' Van Jefferson: Week 11 Waiver Priority List
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Cooper Kupp (ankle) is now on injured reserve, and we'll see if that helps Jefferson moving forward. He just had his best game of the season in Week 10 against Arizona with three catches for 27 yards and a touchdown on three targets, with all of his production coming after Kupp was hurt. Matthew Stafford (concussion) was out against the Cardinals also, so we'll see if Stafford's return can help Jefferson produce at a high level. Just based on upside, I would rather have Jefferson than Robinson for the rest of the year. It's worth adding Jefferson for 10-15 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Rams' Van Jefferson: Hauls in TD in loss
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Jefferson caught all three of his targets for 27 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 27-17 loss to the Cardinals.
After being held without a catch in his first two games of the season after recovering from knee surgery and coming off injured reserve, Jefferson finally made an impact. All three of his receptions came late in the fourth quarter after Cooper Kupp (ankle) had exited the game. If Kupp is forced to miss a Week 11 clash with the Saints, Jefferson could find himself with a significant role in the offense whether Matthew Stafford (concussion) or John Wolford is under center.
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Rams' Van Jefferson: Active in Week 9
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Jefferson (knee) is active for Sunday's game at Tampa Bay, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
In the wake of his season debut last Sunday against the 49ers, Jefferson was limited in practice Wednesday through Friday due to a preexisting knee issue. Now that the Rams have confirmed his availability for Week 9, he's a candidate to eat into Ben Skowronek's role as the team's third wide receiver behind Cooper Kupp (ankle) and Allen Robinson, though Jefferson still is in search of his first target of the campaign.
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Rams' Van Jefferson: Questionable, should play
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Jefferson (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Tampa Bay, albeit with the expectation he'll play, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Jefferson was a limited practice participant throughout the week after making his 2022 debut in the Rams' loss to San Francisco last Saturday. He shared the No. 3 receiver job with Ben Skowronek in that contest, finishing without a target in his first game back from a minor knee surgery. Jefferson could get more involved in the coming weeks but is only an option for the deepest of fantasy leagues until/unless he emerges as a regular starter with a near-every-down role.
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Rams' Van Jefferson: Limited again Thursday
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Jefferson (knee) was limited in Thursday's practice, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Jefferson made his season debut Week 8 against the 49ers, ultimately finishing fourth among Rams wide receivers in offensive snap share (53 percent) behind Cooper Kupp (95), Allen Robinson (93) and Ben Skowronek (62). While that trio combined for 20 targets, Jefferson wasn't looked at by quarterback Matthew Stafford. L.A. likely has placed a cap on his reps, both in practice and in games, until he's back to 100 percent, so it may be some time still before he's contributing to box scores on a weekly basis. In the end, though, Jefferson's status bears watching as the weekend approaches.
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Rams' Van Jefferson: Logs limited practice Wednesday
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Jefferson (knee) practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
Prior to the session, head coach Sean McVay told Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic that Jefferson was going to be limited, and afterward, the wide receiver was seen working on the side. The team likely is taking a cautious approach with Jefferson after he made his season debut this past Sunday against the 49ers, when he played 55 percent of the Rams' offensive snaps but wasn't targeted. He'll have two more chances this week to get back to full activity before L.A. potentially gives him a designation for Sunday's game at Tampa Bay.
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Rams' Van Jefferson: Zero targets in return
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Jefferson failed to garner at target in Sunday's 31-14 loss to the 49ers.
Making his season debut following a knee injury, Jefferson failed to get any looks from quarterback Matthew Stafford in the contest. On the bright side, the wide receiver did play 31 offensive snaps, which accounted for 55 percent of the team total. Jefferson produced 12 catches of over 20 yards last season, including four for 40 plus, so he'll likely get involved in the deep ball in the near future. The 26-year-old will look to make a bigger impact when the Rams take on the Buccaneers and their banged-up secondary in Week 9.
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Rams' Van Jefferson: Activated as expected
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Jefferson (knee) was activated off injured reserve Saturday and will play in the divisional Week 8 contest against the 49ers.
Head coach Sean McVay said Jefferson would be activated off injured reserve and is expected to play upward of 90 percent of the offensive snaps, so Saturday's designation comes as no surprise. Expect the 2020 second-round pick to push out Ben Skowronek from three wide-receiver sets if Jefferson does see his typical workload.
