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 Tuesday, Nov. 1 about your Los Angeles Rams.
WEEK 9 PREDICTION
Bleacher Report's Expert Consensus picks are in, and for the first time this season the Rams are a consensus pick to lose.
Here's why the Rams could drop Week 9's game in a close one in New Orleans:
"Los Angeles cut it close against the Green Bay Packers at home last week and beat Seattle and Denver by only five combined points in its last two challenging road games. I guarantee you Sean Payton learned some things from that tape, as well as tape of his team's 26-20 loss to the Rams in L.A. last season. We know the Saints have the weapons, and I think they're ready to come through with a statement victory at home."
New Orleans' defense has been more vulnerable than the Los Angeles D this season, while the Rams' high-scoring offense can never be counted out.
Score Prediction: New Orleans 31, Los Angeles 28
For predictions for every Week 9 matchup, click here.
START 'EM, SIT 'EM
NFL.com's Michael Fabiano has picked two Rams starters as his 'Starter of the Week' in their respective positions in his weekly advice to fantasy football owners 'Start 'Em, Sit 'Em'. Fabiano suggests starting both quarterback Jared Goff and wide receiver Brandin Cooks on Sunday against the Saints. In addition to Goff and Cooks, Fabiano advises sitting both the Rams and Saints defense — foreseeing an offensive battle in New Orleans.
Start of the Week - Jared Goff vs. New Orleans Saints
Goff, listed as a start 'em last week, threw for 295 yards with three touchdowns and scored 26.5 fantasy points in a win over the Packers. I'd keep him in your starting lineup against the Saints, who have allowed 23.7 fantasy points and a 107.7 passer rating per game to opposing quarterbacks on their home field so far this season.
Start of the Week - Brandin Cooks vs. New Orleans Saints
Cooks has had a bit of a cold streak in recent weeks, scoring fewer than 12 PPR points in two of his last three games. I'd stick with the speedster from Oregon State, however, as he faces a Saints defense that's allowed eight touchdowns, an average of 172.4 yards and the most PPR points to wide receivers who are lined out wide in 2018.
To view the full article, click here.
HOW MANY WINS?
Cynthia Frelund, an analytics expert for NFL.com, projected the final win totals for each NFL team. Frelund's model has the Rams winning a league-best 14 games, with at next best being the Kansas City Chiefs at 12.8 wins.
Here's why Frelund says the Rams will win 14 games in 2018:
"The Rams already ranked first in interior pressure before the addition of Dante Fowler at the trade deadline. Fowler will complement that strength by bringing more perimeter pressure potential and rotational depth. In the 15-season model, teams that won the most games and made the deepest playoff runs followed this blueprint: combining elite defensive front pressure with exceptional production from the offensive backfield. When your approach reduces the likelihood of offensive turnovers and increases the likelihood of causing turnovers on defense, good things happen. The Rams were already elite at both aspects of the game and just got better."
Current record: 8-0. Projected playoff percentage: 99.9.
For each team's projected win total, click here.
