Chris Givens is officially in competition with Brandon Gibson as the fantasy football replacement for the St. Louis Rams' erstwhile sleeper, Danny Amendola, but he's done it much differently from both of them. If Danny Amendola is the ultimate possession receiver, and Brandon Gibson just does whatever the Rams need from him, Chris Givens is a lottery ticket, a speed merchant who's paid off in four consecutive games for plays of more than 50 yards. He did it again vs. the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, catching a dump-off from Sam Bradford and weaving like a punt returner through the Packers' defense for 56 yards.
That left him, of course, with three carries for 73 yards, which is the issue with the rookie Givens in fantasy and reality: He's, well, a lottery ticket. The high-risk plays he's called in for often don't pay off, and while he's getting more short-yardage reps with Amendola out he's still a guy who caught one pass in Week 4 and Week 5 and three each in Week 6 and Week 7.
If the Rams can integrate Chris Givens into the offense a little more thoroughly he could be an outstanding option in real and pretend football. Now, though, he's already become the big-play threat the Rams haven't had since they finally gave up on Danario Alexander ever being healthy.