Sam Bradford Career Stats Season G QBRat Comp Att Yds TD Int Rush Yds TD 2010 16 76.5 354 590 3512 18 15 27 63 1 2011 10 70.5 191 357 2164 6 6 18 26 0 2012 16 82.6 328 551 3702 21 13 37 127 1 Stats 42 77.3 873 1498 9378 45 34 82 216 2

Now with a year under his belt, Rams QB Sam Bradford feels more comfortable in the Brian Schottenheimer’s offensive scheme.

The Rams have re-established Bradford’s mechanics and fundamentals, and the team can now look to become more creative and even aggressive in the passing game. With the Rams recent addition in April’s NFL draft, Bradford may now have a luxury target for the first time in his NFL career. The St. Louis Rams made an aggressive move to fill their greatest need, trading up from 16th to 8th in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft to select wide receiver Tavon Austin.

The former West Virginia wide receiver lined up all over the field for the Mountaineers. His strongest performance came against the Oklahoma Sooners, where he caught four passes for 82 yards, rushed 21 times for 344 yards, and scored two touchdowns, along with 146 kick return yards.

Tavon Austin, who stands tall at 5’9″ and 174 pounds, is this year’s most explosive and dynamic athlete. He enters the 2013 season as an early favorite to win the offensive rookie of the year with his ability to be plugged into the offense so quickly. Despite concerns about Austin’s size, the young wide receiver is extremely versatile. The Rams will line him up in multiple sets all over the field. Austin can play running back or wide receiver, and should help Bradford as a reliable option.

Over the last three years, Sam Bradford hasn’t exactly had an elite core of wide receivers to throw to. Danny Amendola, when healthy, was a decent target in 2010 & 2012, along with Brandon Lloyd who the team acquired 4 games into the 2011 season. Although, despite being extremely young, Bradford’s most talented group of receivers is arguably in the line-up for the 2013 season.

Tavon Austin will be locked in as the top wide receiver for the Rams with second year man Brian Quick lining up opposite of Austin. Greg Cosell of NFL films described Brian Quick as a very fluid and smooth athlete with excellent lateral quickness and deceptive vertical speed due to stride length. He went on to say: “It’s not a stretch at all, when you analyze Quick’s physical and athletic attributes, to understand why the Rams selected him early. With his size and overall skill set, he has a chance to be the best wide receiver in this draft class.”

Brian Quick had a very modest rookie season, but he too was learning the ropes of the newly installed Brian Schottenheimer offensive scheme. With Brian Quick and depth receivers like Austin Pettis and slot receiver Chris Givens entering the training camp with a better understanding of the offense being ran, the team can tweak aspects for better production.

Fantasy Factor

By no means is Sam Bradford the answer to your fantasy football season. Yet, in his first season of a new complicated offensive system, Bradford was able to re-establish himself as fantasy worthy. The ability to simply flip Tavon Austin the ball in multiple screen and in-motion formations should pad Bradford’s stats considerably in 2013. With Steven Jackson long gone, the Rams will be expected to take to the air a lot more in this upcoming season. Draft Bradford and stash him on your bench, he could be a lifesaver down the stretch.