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St. Louis Rams: Benny Cunningham a Week 1 Fantasy Sleeper

By Nick Ziegler

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The St. Louis Rams will be opening their season at home against the defending NFC Champions the Seattle Seahawks.

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Despite the great success that the Seahawks have had recently, the Rams have played them very tough. In 2012, the Rams were able to split the two games with a 19-13 win at home, and then a respectable 20-13 loss at Seattle. In 2013, the Rams were unable to defeat the Seahawks in their Super Bowl winning year, but they did once again play them very tough at home in a 14-9 game.

Last season, the Rams continued their trend of playing the Seahawks well at home, as they were shockingly able to score 28 points on the Seahawks. The 28 points would be enough to earn the Rams their second win at home in three years against the Seahawks.

In the Rams’ win last season, it was an unexpected combination of Austin Davis and Tre Mason that played well. Davis totaled 155 passing yards and two touchdown passes while Mason totaled 85 rushing yards with one rushing touchdown.

Aug 23, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; St. Louis Rams running back Tre Mason (27) rushes against Tennessee Titans linebacker Brian Orakpo (98) during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Mason would emerge as the team’s primary running back last season, as he totaled 179 carries, 765 rushing yards, and four rushing touchdowns in his rookie season.

Despite the strong rookie season for Mason, the Rams elected to use the 10th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft on running back Todd Gurley. While Mason is good, Gurley has the ability to be an elite running back in the NFL, and the Rams felt that he was one of the best players in the draft.

Gurley has come into the NFL with some questions. At Georgia last season, Gurley tore his ACL which ended his season early. Despite the torn ACL, the Rams had no issues using the 10th overall pick on him as they believe that he is a special talent.

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Since he is coming off of a major knee surgery less than a year ago, Gurley isn’t expected to make his debut in the first part of the season, and this year as a whole may not see Gurley at 100%. The Rams seem comfortable being patient with the return of Gurley in large part because they have Mason.

The unfortunate news for the Rams with a Week 1 matchup coming against the Seahawks is that Mason is dealing with a hamstring issue that has kept him from practicing all week. As of Friday, Mason’s status is very uncertain for Sunday’s game.

With the possibility of Mason either being out of certainly limited on Sunday, the Rams will be turning to running back Benny Cunningham.

Cunningham has been on the Rams for two seasons and he has totaled 113 carries, 507 rushing yards, and four rushing touchdowns. Last season, Cunningham played a big role in the passing offense, as he totaled 45 receptions, 352 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown.

The Seahawks had the third-ranked rushing defense in total rushing yards allowed last season, as sometimes it looks impossible to run on them. Whether or not Mason is playing, Cunningham is going to have a huge role in Sunday’s game as he will try to help the Rams upset the Seahawks at home for the second straight year.

Next: 3 Keys to a Rams win in Week 1

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