Adam Caplan of FoxSports wrote on Thursday night that the St. Louis Rams are fearing the worst after their top receiver, Donnie Avery, went down with what appears to be a serious knee injury.
While the seriousness of the injury cannot be confirmed until an MRI is done, but Caplan indicated that on-field tests appeared to indicated ligament damage.
The loss of Avery would be a deal-breaker for a Rams team that's already looking at starting Sam Braford, a rookie, at quarterback. Their line is questionable, and they now have little/no depth at receiver.
The fantasy impact of this could be enormous.
First, beware of Steven Jackson. He's now, clearly, the only legit option on offense for the Rams, and is going to face eight and nine-man fronts all year. Given the injuries in his past, and how quickly a beating can set in on a workhorse like Jackson, he could be a big-time fantasy bust this year.
From there, it's hard to say where the fantasy value will be. Laurent Robinson might become the number one receiver, but he has yet to show anything at the NFL level.
The advice here is to stay away from the Rams on draft day this year.
