Terrance Ferguson
Ferguson is a second-year tight end coming back from a four-game IR stint who flashed a real pass-catching role in Week 2, but he returns to a crowded Rams tight end room that coverage calls hard to trust week to week.
Role
Before the injury he played 54% of snaps and ran 56% of routes over three games, with 7 catches on 12 targets (FantasyData). His Week 1 share was 51% on one target. His Week 2 share was 58% (36 snaps) on nine targets, a 31% target share, with routes on over 70% of snaps (Yahoo snap review). He played a season-low 22 snaps in Week 3 before leaving hurt (Rotowire). The Rams used him inline, in the slot and in motion. Competition is Tyler Higbee (described by Rotowire as the main pass-catching tight end while Ferguson is out), Colby Parkinson (shoulder), Davis Allen and rookie second-rounder Max Klare. Rotowire says the Rams use three-plus tight ends more than any other team. The wire report expects him ready to return after four games on IR, and Rotowire lists Week 8 against the Chargers as his first eligible game. I did not read a current depth chart, so I can't say where he sits on it.
Optimists point to Week 2. With Puka Nacua out, he had 6 catches on 9 targets for 54 yards and a touchdown, and he was the No. 2 target behind Davante Adams. The Yahoo snap review called him a possible TE1 because of how the Rams used him, and Matthew Stafford praised his versatility. He was drafted in the top half of Round 2 and has deep-threat traits from last season, per Turf Show Times. Nacua's return doesn't remove that, since the Rams are using him in several alignments.
Skeptics say the room is too deep and too rotational. CBS/Rotowire said it will be hard to trust any member of the Rams' tight end room on a game-to-game basis. His other game had one target on 31 snaps. The Week 2 spike came with Nacua out, and Nacua is now back. Last year Parkinson, Higbee and Allen all drew more targets than he did, and Klare has since been added. The ankle was a medial sprain that he aggravated after entering Week 3 already hurting.
Where analysts split
The open question is whether the Week 2 role, with nine targets and routes on most snaps, was real or came from Nacua's absence. Another is whether he beats out Higbee, Parkinson and Klare for pass-catching tight end work once healthy. Yahoo reads it as a TE1 role. Rotowire and CBS see a committee.
Injury: IR: assessed avoid
Ankle, on IR, trending toward practicing
He remains on injured reserve and has not yet practiced; McVay only said it's 'more likely than not' he practices this week, with no return date beyond the expected 11-08 window, so he is not a reliable fantasy option yet.
What would change this: Whether he actually practices this week and any subsequent word on activation off IR
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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