The son of a former NFL wide receiver, rookie Van Jefferson is set to embark on a professional career of his own. Jefferson was drafted with the 25th pick of the second round (No. 57 overall) in April’s NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. Now, Jefferson could be taken in many fantasy football drafts.
He played his college ball at a pair of SEC schools, starring for Ole Miss in 2016 and ’17, then thriving at Florida for two years after transferring prior to the 2018 season. Jefferson was noted for his polished route running skills at Florida. He is a versatile asset and spent time in all three receiver positions as a Gator. His lack of eye-popping size and strength led to a lot of draft pundits projecting him quite a bit lower than where the Rams ultimately pounced at No. 57.
Even with the concerns about going up against NFL size, Jefferson’s ability and skill should come to the forefront. The rookie looks ready to make an impact immediately and Jefferson could have fantasy relevance sooner rather than later.
Van Jefferson 2019 Stats
Team: Florida Gators
Games Played: 12
Receiving Stats
Receptions: 49
Yards: 657
Yards Per Catch: 13.4
Touchdowns: 6
Van Jefferson Fantasy Outlook
Jefferson’s route running skills were likened by the Rams to current receiver Cooper Kupp. If he and quarterback Jared Goff can build a connection in training camp, Jefferson figures to have ample opportunity to contribute in his rookie year. The Rams receiving corps will look a bit different this year with Brandin Cooks being traded to Houston this offseason. Kupp and Robert Woods figure to top the depth chart while Jefferson could be in line to work as the regular WR3 or wind up splitting reps with Josh Reynolds. Running back Todd Gurley is also gone, but the Rams will likely utilize both Darrell Henderson and rookie Cam Akers in the passing game out of the backfield. Tight ends Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett both emerged as options for Goff in 2019, and they should once again factor in this season.
The Rams offense has a lot of young, talented mouths to feed, but if the last two seasons are any indication, volume should be no issue. Goff tied for the league lead in pass attempts last year, with 626. He was in the top ten in the same category in 2018 with 561 attempts. Coach Sean McVay has turned one of the most boring offensive teams into an entertaining show on a weekly basis. Los Angeles was plagued by poor offensive line play and the lack of a complementary run game last season. If they can get those areas corrected, the team will benefit. But even with those issues, Goff still ranked third in passing yards (4638). As a receiver, Jefferson figures to be in a sound Fantasy position either way.
Van Jefferson Fantasy ADP
When it comes to PPR average draft position (ADP), Jefferson is currently going undrafted according to Fantasy Football Calculator. According to the FantasyPros Consensus ADP, which combines the ADPs from ESPN, MyFantasyLeague, Fantrax and RTSPORTS, Jefferson has an ADP of 382 and is 95th among wide receivers. Of course, these numbers are certain to change with the NFL season still over three months away. At present however, Jefferson figures to be a late-round pick or a player to scoop up after the draft with the potential to far outperform his draft stock.
Van Jefferson Fantasy Ranking
In Zach Brunner’s pre-training camp fantasy WR rankings, Jefferson is unranked, making out outside the top 81 WRs.
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