Odell Beckham Jr.'s Fantasy Outlook Ahead of Rams Debut After Robert Woods' Injury

After struggling this season while with the Cleveland Browns, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is suddenly valuable in fantasy football after signing with the Los Angeles Rams.

ESPN's Adam Schefter confirmed Saturday that Beckham will make his Rams debut Monday against the San Francisco 49ers despite having signed with the team Thursday.

Schefter and ESPN colleague Dianna Russini also reported that Rams wideout Robert Woods suffered a torn ACL during practice Friday.

With Woods seemingly done for the season, Beckham will battle Van Jefferson for targets behind clear No. 1 receiver Cooper Kupp.

Given that he is now part of a high-octane offense with MVP candidate Matthew Stafford at quarterback, Beckham should at least deliver flex value and perhaps even perform at a WR2 level for the remainder of the season.

There is no question that Kupp is Stafford's favorite target, as he leads the team and the NFL with 74 receptions for 1,019 yards and 10 touchdowns.

That won't change with the arrival of Beckham, but the loss of Woods leaves the Rams with a massive hole to be filled in the offense as well. Woods is second on the team in every major receiving category, including targets (69), receptions (45), receiving yardage (556) and receiving touchdowns (four).

Jefferson has also had a significant role in the offense, making 27 catches for 433 yards and three touchdowns while also playing at least 84 percent of the offensive snaps in each of the past three weeks.

Since Jefferson is the Rams' primary deep threat, his role doesn't figure to change much. That means head coach Sean McVay needs a like-for-like replacement for Woods, and OBJ is capable of filling that role.

Beckham's greatest success came in his first three NFL seasons as a member of the New York Giants. He was a three-time Pro Bowler, the 2014 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and averaged 96 receptions for 1,374 yards and 12 touchdowns per season during that stretch.

Injuries have slowed Beckham since then, but he did manage to crack the 1,000-yard mark in 2019, which was his first season in Cleveland.

A torn ACL cut Beckham's 2020 season short after seven games, and in six games with the Browns this season before his release, he had just 17 grabs for 232 yards and no touchdowns. 

Beckham hasn't been as explosive lately as he was earlier in his career, but the Woods role in the Rams offense doesn't always require explosive plays.

Woods typically thrives on intermediate routes that allow him to move the chains, and if Beckham does something similar, there is enough volume present to make him a viable fantasy starter.

Expectations should be tempered for Beckham this week since it will be his first game with the Rams and he has had little preparation, but he will be worthy of flex consideration the rest of the way.