Tavon Austin

Dealt to Dallas during the draft, Austin finished up his tenure with the Rams with a whimper, managing a career-low 13 catches and 317 yards from scrimmage in 2017. Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan has had success with speedy, shifty players like Austin in the past, utilizing them as backfield pass catchers and slot receivers, but on a roster where Ezekiel Elliott dominates the snaps at running back and Cole Beasley is the established option in the slot, Austin could once again find it tough to get consistent touches.

Austin is classified as a receiver, but his targets look more like a running back's -- 8.8 YPC (dead last among the league's 41 100-target WR) and 4.8 YPT (also 41st). While he rushed for 434 yards on 52 carries in 2015, he totaled only 28 for 159 last year. At 5-8, 176, Austin is among the smallest players in the league, but with 4.28 40 speed and elite quickness, he's also one of the most explosive. The problem for him -- and the Rams -- is they can't find a good way to get him the ball in space. Bad QB play was part of the problem, and while Jared Goff could improve in Year 2, he's starting from a low baseline. Entering training camp, Austin sat atop the depth chart, but a trade for Sammy Watkins will seemingly push him into a role where his skill set can be optimized. Hurting Austin's cause, though, is his continued absence from practice due to a hamstring injury.

After three years, the Rams finally figured out how to use the 2013 eighth overall pick. Despite playing in one of the league's worst offenses, Austin thrived in 2015 with 907 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns, if you include a punt return score. Of course, the per-play receiving numbers were as poor as ever – 9.1 YPC, 5.4 YPT – but some of that can be chalked up to the quarterback play of Nick Foles and Case Keenum. At 5-8, 176, Austin is possibly the smallest receiver in the NFL and as such he's unlikely ever to be the team's go-to option. But with 4.28 40 speed and as quick as any player in the league, Austin is dangerous in open space and a threat to score any time he touches the ball. While he had only 10 red-zone targets, his three carries, two of which were from inside the 10, helped him score nine times from scrimmage, and he's taken a punt to the house every year he's been in the league. Bottom line, Austin is a unique player because he'll get carries as well as catches, and he's averaged 8.34 yards per carry for his career. And with Jared Goff replacing last year's inept quarterbacks, the offense can only get better.

Austin has been a bit of a disappointment in St. Louis so far, as his 660 total receiving yards in two years doesn't bolster his selection as an eighth overall pick. He never caught more than four passes in a game and failed to tally a single receiving touchdown, leaving fantasy owners even more frustrated with his 2014 season. While the third-year wideout did have 224 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and averaged more than six yards per carry, his usage varied wildly throughout the campaign. While he did average more than 10 yards per punt return and has has found paydirt in each of the last two seasons, just three touchdowns across rushing, receiving and punt returns in 2014 hardly classifies him as a fantasy dynamo. Unless the Rams can figure out how to maximize his offensive value, Austin will continue to disappoint fantasy owners.

For the eighth overall pick in last year’s draft, Austin had an underwhelming rookie season. Sure, there were flashes like a 138-yard, three touchdown game on just two catches and a punt return to the house against the Colts in Week 10. And there was the 65-yard touchdown run in Week 12 against the Bears. But from Week 6 on, Austin had only two games where he caught more than two passes and averaged a meager 10.5 YPC and 6.1 YPT before missing the season’s final three games with a sprained ankle. At 5-8, 176, Austin is about as small as NFL players come, but he runs a blazing 4.34 40 and is as quick and agile as anyone in the league. The question is whether there’s a way to use players like Austin beyond occasional trick plays, short catches which break big every once in a while and in the return game. The Bears never could do it with Devin Hester, and the Chiefs never got much from scrimmage out of Dante Hall, either. Year 2 is typically when receivers figure it out and Austin will augment his receiving numbers with rushes and returns. But he’s not likely to be a factor in the red zone, and the Rams will have to figure out ways to get him the ball.

The first skill player chosen in the 2013 draft, Austin isn't your prototypical wide receiver prospect. At 5-8, 174, he's one of the smallest players in the league, and unlike Carolina's Steve Smith, Austin doesn't have super strength or the ability to snatch the ball out of the air against taller defenders. What Austin does have is 4.34 40 speed, elite quickness and excellent vision in the open field. He can line up in the backfield as a runner, play in the slot or go outside. With the Rams letting Danny Amendola go, Austin is the favorite to be Sam Bradford's top target, and the Rams, who traded up to draft him, should be creative in finding ways to get Austin the ball.