Rams expand Ferguson’s route tree, commit to 3 TEs

McVay said he’s “hopeful” Nacua, who missed Monday night’s game against the Giants, will be able to suit up against Denver next week. The Rams offense was fine without Nacua on Monday against an injury-ravaged Giants team. LA had the week’s fourth highest EPA per play on the way to a 28-6 win. Another game with Nacua sidelined will mean more target domination for Davante Adams and more involvement for Terrance Ferguson, who caught 6-of-9 targets for 54 yards and a touchdown against New York.

Ferguson entered the fourth quarter with a rather modest receiving line, with two of the incompletions directed towards him resultant of passes that hit him in the hands, with the third a poorly thrown pass from Stafford. He heated up in the final frame, highlighted by a five-yard touchdown reception on a crosser from the slot for his first touchdown of his sophomore campaign. Ferguson’s nine targets were one off the 10 of Davante Adams for the team lead in a game played without top aerial option Puka Nacua. Ferguson appears likely to have more spiked weeks like this in the future, although they could be more difficult to diagnose once Nacua returns and the offense doesn’t play quite as much from 12- and 13-personnel. Ferguson can safely be started as a viable tight end option in Week 3 against the Broncos, particularly considering the multitude of injuries at the position throughout the league.

Another blurb brought to you by the idea of: “Probably nothing, but...” We’ll monitor Ferguson’s status but expect him to be ready for the Rams’ Week 1 opener in Australia.

Atkins added, “The ideal outcome for him is to lead their tight ends in catches and yards.” He noted that the coaching staff was focused on bringing Ferguson along incrementally in 2025. Now they will have the chance to move him into a more prominent role for his second season. Ferguson only caught 11 passes as a rookie, but he parlayed a seam-stretching role into 231 yards and three scores despite the low reception total. Atkins sees Ferguson as a de facto No. 3 receiver for the team, with Colby Parkinson and Tyler Higbee both fulfilling the role of a traditional inline tight end. Rookie Max Klare will also be in the mix for snaps, but will likely be brought along slowly as well. With an ADP that barely even registers in early best ball drafts, Ferguson is worth a look as a high-upside TE3.

A hamstring injury impacted Ferguson’s productivity late last season. The Rams’ “13-personnel revolution is here to stay,” which means Ferguson should see a solid snap total if he can win the starting role. Still, it is tough to predict whether a TE1 finish is realistically within his potential range of outcomes right now, given the Rams’ overall deep receiving corps.

Sadiq out of Oregon is widely expected to be a first round pick after setting record at the NFL Combine. Bowen believes the hyper-athletic tight end could be a situation matchup player for Sean McVay, who used three tight end sets at the NFL’s highest rate in 2025. “With his frame and 4.39 speed, Sadiq could be a seam stretcher for quarterback Matthew Stafford. Plus, McVay could use Sadiq as a backside X receiver/power slot to draw favorable man matchups.” Sadiq, who had 80 receptions over three seasons at Oregon, could fit the LA offense “as a catch-and-run target on boot action concepts,” Bowen said. Stafford last season led the NFL with 75 pass attempts on designed rollouts. It’s a crowded tight end room in LA, with Colby Parikson, Tyler Higbee, Terrance Ferguson, and Davis Allen on the roster. Sadiq would likely function as a rotational player if he lands with the Rams, who have the 13th pick in the 2026 draft.

Ferguson dealt with a late-season hamstring injury that masked how his snaps and targets were growing late in the year. The Rams have enough weaponry that it’s hard to believe Ferguson would be a consistent TE1 this year without injuries ahead of him, but we could absolutely see TE1 games from him in his second season.

It’s an unsatisfying end to a season that looked to be trending up over his last three games, with a hamstring injury sandwiched around games of four, four, and five targets heading into this one. Ferguson probably won’t garner much offseason hype given the fact that the Rams very easily fed Puka Nacua and Davante Adams this year, but he has a shot to take a major step forward. He’s best-drafted as a high-end TE2 given the Rams’ 3TE shenanigans and our lack of a proof of concept for a big fantasy game, but where there’s talent and a good offensive playcaller, fantasy points aren’t hard to foresee.

Ferguson’s five targets set a new high for him this season, but the rookie tight end was unable to capitalize on the volume in Sunday’s win. Ferguson came up with a 19-yard reception in the second quarter to extend a drive that was set back by a Matthew Stafford sack, but it was a forgettable day for the rookie second-rounder. He’ll hope to have a little more success in next week’s Conference Championship game against the Seahawks.

Ferguson practiced in full all three days this week and will return to the Rams’ 13-personnel sets after being inactive against the Panthers. His role was growing towards the end of the season, but with all of Davis Allen, Colby Parkinson, and Tyler Higbee also active, Ferguson will just be a DFS punt dart throw on this slate.