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Chris Givens, Brandon Gibson won't be hurt as Danny Amendola returns to St. Louis Rams

Chris Givens and Brandon Gibson might see fewer targets, but most of the pain when Danny Amendola rejoins the St. Louis Rams will come from further down the depth chart.

Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

In Danny Amendola's absence, the St. Louis Rams have gotten surprisingly cromulent returns from rookie Chris Givens and longtime hanger-on Brandon Gibson—cromulent enough that some fantasy football teams reeling from Amendola's injury picked them up as insurance. I'm not sure if we at SB Nation St. Louis can endorse that whether Amendola is playing or not, but his return to the Rams offense won't be the end of either of his replacements.

Who will it hurt? The other guys. During Week 9's London massacre vs. the New England Patriots, between garbage time and the sheer lack of targets, Austin Pettis took five short-yardage targets from Sam Bradford. Those probably aren't coming back. The six Steve Smith got in their Week 8 loss to the Green Bay Packers? Probably Amendola's next week.

Givens, in particular, seems like a good bet to keep most of his gains, even if he's unlikely to continue breaking off one 50-yard reception a game like this. Gibson might not be so lucky, but if Danny Amendola's return makes the Rams' offense a little more efficient—especially around the red zone—all the receivers are likely to benefit.

Except for Steve Smith. He's pretty screwed.