Faceoff - Who Is the Rams' WR2?

Posted 7/20, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Keenan Burton - by Sigmund Bloom

There probably won't be much value to be mined from the St. Louis Rams passing offense beyond a risk/reward pick of big-play second-year wide receiver Donnie Avery in the mid-rounds, and a late pick of TE Randy McMichael in league setups that make carrying a backup TE a good idea, but if there is, it'll come from another wide receiver in his sophomore campaign, Keenan Burton.

Burton is the logical choice to start across from Avery because he's quicker and tougher than the lanky Laurent Robinson. He can get in and out of his breaks quick enough to get open on the short and intermediate routes that should be open because Avery will be getting the attention of the safeties. New offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur is installing a west-coast style offense that will stress those kinds of routes. He also has a year of experience and chemistry with Avery and starting QB Marc Bulger. Burton was running with the ones in OTAs, and Stlouisrams.com writer Nick Wagoner said Burton and Avery are "all but sure things to sit atop the depth chart when the smoke has cleared".

Don't take Wagoner's word for it - look at the moves (or lack of moves) in the offseason by the Rams at Burton's position. If they weren't happy with the prospects of having him start, they could have signed any number of wideouts in free agency, or drafted any number of young wide receivers. They didn't sign any significant free agents, and they didn't take a wideout in the draft until the fifth round. That draft pick was Brooks Foster out of North Carolina, a tremendous athlete, but a raw football player who probably won't contribute much in his first season. They did use the ammo of draft picks to acquire a receiver from the Atlanta Falcons, Laurent Robinson, but he came at the ridiculously low price of dropping about 20 spots in each of the fifth and sixth rounds.

Burton's main problem throughout his career has been injuries. He played more like a first or second-round pick at Kentucky, but his injury history caused teams to be cautious about drafting him too early. He had a knee injury during the 2008 season and had to have surgery, although he did recover in time to contribute at the end of the season. While this could be seen as something that could open the door for Robinson, Robinson has also struggled with injuries in his short pro career, and made little to no impact last year because of hamstring and knee injuries. Burton is just as likely to play a bigger role due to his competitor's medical status as Robinson.

Keenan Burton was a clutch wide receiver at Kentucky, scoring almost a touchdown a game in his junior and senior seasons, on a team that faced an uphill battle against a lot of its competitors. He'll be ready to reproduce that performance under similar circumstances this year with Rams. If any receiver not Avery on the roster is worth tracking in your fantasy league, it's Burton.

Laurent Robinson - by Anthony Borbely

The WR2 spot for the St. Louis Rams is completely up for grabs as the 2009 season approaches. Second-year WR Keenan Burton and former Atlanta Falcon Laurent Robinson are the top two candidates for the starting WR spot opposite Donnie Avery. With Steven Jackson expected to be a focal point in the passing game along with Avery, this is not necessarily an important fantasy position. However, we all know depth plays a major role in the success of our fantasy teams so determining the winner of this battle could help you win a game or two.

When comparing the two, there are not many areas where either player has a significant advantage, but I believe Robinson has the edge in several areas. At 6-feet-2, Robinson is two inches taller than Burton and with a small WR like Avery already starting; the Rams may want to give QB Marc Bulger a bigger target on the other side.

As a rookie in 2007, Robinson had an impressive season, racking up 37 receptions for 437 yards and a TD, and he had to play a large part of the year with Joey Harrington at QB. Last year, Robinson was injured for most of the season and seemed to fall out of favor with the new coaching staff. Meanwhile, Burton rarely played in his rookie season last year, and like Robinson, was hurt for most of the season. Robinson is still largely unproven, but he had a much more impressive rookie season than Burton.

I believe Robinson has the edge in route running and has better hands. Burton also has good hands, but tends to catch too many passes with his body. His route running is not bad, but is still a work in progress. Both WRs have good speed, but Robinson is more of a deep threat than Burton and the Rams will have to have a threat to stretch the field this year.

I can't sit and pretend either of these WRs is significantly better than the other, but I do believe Robinson will be the eventual winner of the WR2 spot. This may not be the most attractive fantasy position, but both players have a lot of upside and whoever wins this job could prove to be a nice, late-draft pick. I just think Robinson has a small edge in several different areas and believe he will win the job over Burton.