Each weekday, theRams.com will be taking a look around the internet for the top Rams headlines of the day. Here's a look at what's out there for Monday, March 18th about your Los Angeles Rams.
BORTLES A GOOD FIT
The Jaguars released fifth-year quarterback Blake Bortles ahead of signing former Eagles backup-turned Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles to a four-year deal last week. Bortles is now set to visit the Rams at their Thousand Oaks practice facility on Monday and could just be the next backup in L.A.
Gary Klein of the L.A. Times says signing the former No. 3 overall pick could make sense for the defending NFC Champs with quarterback Sean Mannion bound for free agency and an expected fair price for the 26-year-old.
Bortles threw for 21 touchdowns with 13 interceptions en route to the 2017 AFC Championship game. In 2018, Bortles played in 13 games and threw 13 touchdowns.
For Klein's full article, click here.
NFC WEST A TOP DIVISION
The NFC West took the No. 2 spot, behind just the AFC North, in the Bleacher Report's top divisions following the first week of free agency.
BR's Tyler Brooke points to the division's upcoming top draft picks, the return of 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, his club's busy free first week of free agency, the Cardinals' chances of taking quarterback Kyler Murray No. 1 overall, and head coach Sean McVay's growing success in L.A. as reasons for the high ranking.
For a full breakdown of the NFC West and a look at each division after free agency's first week, click here.
BEST OF THE DECADE
Pro Football Focus took a look at the best Rams fantasy football performances of the last decade as a part of its Fantasy Lookback series on Monday.
Quarterback Jared Goff, wide receiver Robert Woods and running back Todd Gurley each made the all-decade list in the Sean McVay era. The trio is joined by former Rams tight end Jared Cook, who put up an impressive 2013 season.
Here's each player's top fantasy performance and PFF's Daniel Kelley's take on Goff and Gurley's big seasons:
QB Jared Goff, 2018
(364-561 passing, 4,688 passing yards, 32 TD, 12 INT, 108 rushing yards, 2 TD, 310.3 fantasy points, QB6)
"Before Goff's rookie season, I wrote that he had every chance to bethe Rams’ best quarterback in a long time, if for no other reason than that was a hideously low bar to clear. I was a year early, but generally correct — he's averaged more than 280 fantasy points over the last two years, and no other quarterback for the team has topped 230 in the last decade (or since 2006, in fact)."
RB Todd Gurley, 2017
(279 rushes, 1,305 rush yards, 13 TDs, 64 receptions, 788 receiving yards, 6 TDs, 383.3 PPR points, RB1)
"Gurley probably would have topped those numbers in 2018 if not for his late-season injury. And both seasons are more than 120 points clear of any other Rams RB in our timespan. But my favorite note about Gurley's 2017 is that he went into Week 17 as the running back leader in both rushing and receiving yards … and then sat in Week 17 and was passed by, respectively, Kareem Hunt and Alvin Kamara and didn't end up leading the league in either stat."
WR Robert Woods, 2018
(86 receptions, 127 targets, 1,219 yards, 6 TDs [plus 1 receiving], 265.6 PPR points, WR10)
TE Jared Cook, 2013
(51 receptions, 79 targets, 671 yards, 5 TDs, 146.1 PPR points, TE12)
For a full breakdown of the Rams' top fantasy performances of the decade, click here.
