The St. Louis Rams will have a new starting quarterback in 2015 in Nick Foles. What can we expect from the former Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback as he goes from the high-powered offense of the Eagles to the run-first offense of the St. Louis Rams?
Foles Numbers Should Go Down
There is no where to go but down for the fantasy football numbers for Foles in 2015. He put up great numbers in 2013 with the Philadelphia Eagles as he threw 27 TD passes and just 2 interceptions. He was injured last season but when he played he was still effective as he threw 13 TDs against 10 interceptions. Foles played in the NFC East and in a potent offense under Chip Kelly. He now goes to the St. Louis Rams who run the ball more and he will be facing the tougher NFC West. It is hard to see Foles putting up big numbers against defenses like Seattle, Arizona and San Francisco.
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Weak Offensive Line
The Rams do not have a good offensive line so it is hard to see how Foles is going to put up big numbers. The only reliable starter they have is Rodger Safford and no one really knows what position he will play on the line in 2015. The only player who has ever completed a 16-game season among the current linemen is Safford who did it in 2010 and 2014. The Rams did nothing of note in the off-season to address the problem. Perhaps they will do something in the NFL Draft but relying upon a rookie to make an impact on the offensive line unless he is a top five pick is risky. Right now, there are really only two or three capable starters on the Rams offensive line.
Rams Still Expect to Draft a QB
The Rams have Foles as their starting quarterback but head coach Jeff Fisher said that the team still plans to take a quarterback in the 2015 NFL Draft.
“It’s our intention to draft one,” Fisher said, “The Nick (Foles) trade has no bearing over what we do in the draft.” It is very unlikely that the Rams can get Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota but they expect to get one of the remaining quarterbacks, who Fisher also lauded. “There’s some outstanding players once you get beyond (Winston and Mariota). We’re just starting the process. My understanding, based on our first-wave draft meetings, is that there’s some young quarterbacks that can play,” he said.
It is worth noting that Foles is coming off a season-ending collarbone injury. Fisher said that the new quarterback they take in the draft will compete with Austin Davis and Case Keenum for the backup job behind Foles.
Foles Expected Fantasy Football Draft Position
Most fantasy football rankings have Foles in the late 20s of quarterbacks for 2015. That means if you are in a 12-team league, there is no guarantee that Foles gets drafted at all. If you are optimistic Foles can play well this season with St. Louis then you could take him as a bye week fill-in and take him late in your draft, but if you think the Rams offense is going to be weak and Foles won’t do much you can bypass him entirely.
