Back in March the Rams acquired Marcus Peters from Kansas City. Peters has been involved in more turnovers (29) than any other defensive back over the last three seasons. They doubled down a couple of weeks later by adding another top playmaker in veteran Aqib Talib.
Talib didn't rank as favorably in terms of turnovers. In his four years with the Broncos, he had 11 interceptions (Peters had 19 in three seasons) and forced 2 fumbles (Peters forced 5).
But Talib has a remarkable knack for taking his interceptions back all the way. Four years in a row he's had at least one interception return touchdown, the only player in the league to do that. He's had 6 total in those four seasons. That's 2 more than any other player. (Table shows all players with multiple interception returns for touchdowns the last four years.)
| INTERCEPTION RETURN TDS, 2014-2017 | |
|---|---|
| Player | No |
| Aqib Talib, Den. | 6 |
| Janoris Jenkins, NYG | 4 |
| Malcolm Jenkins, Phil. | 4 |
| William Gay, Pitt. | 4 |
| Trumaine Johnson, LAR | 3 |
| Justin Bethel, Ariz. | 3 |
| Casey Hayward, S.D.-LAC | 3 |
| Damarious Randall, G.B. | 2 |
| Dontae Johnson, S.F. | 2 |
| Eddie Jackson, Chic. | 2 |
| Eric Kendricks, Minn. | 2 |
| Glover Quin, Det. | 2 |
| Jimmy Smith, Balt. | 2 |
| Johnathan Joseph, Hou. | 2 |
| Justin Coleman, Sea. | 2 |
| Bradley Roby, Den. | 2 |
| Brent Grimes, T.B. | 2 |
| Deion Jones, Atl. | 2 |
| Eric Berry, K.C. | 2 |
| Kareem Jackson, Hou. | 2 |
| Kurt Coleman, Car. | 2 |
| Lavonte David, T.B. | 2 |
| Robert Alford, Atl. | 2 |
| Josh Norman, Car. | 2 |
| Karlos Dansby, Clev. | 2 |
| Marcus Peters, K.C. | 2 |
| Reshad Jones, Mia. | 2 |
| Telvin Smith, Jac. | 2 |
| Danny Lansanah, T.B. | 2 |
| Harrison Smith, Minn. | 2 |
| Julius Peppers, G.B. | 2 |
| Rashad Johnson, Ariz. | 2 |
With that duo at cornerback, and franchised safety Lamarcus Joyner (3 interceptions and a touchdown of his own last season), the Rams Defense looks very good in fantasy leagues this season.
Interesting that two other players in the top 5 have Ram connections. Janoris Jenkins (former Ram, current Giant) and Trumaine Johnson (franchised by the Rams the last two seasons, now with the Jets).
Another interesting player on the list is Packer Damarious Randall. Green Bay traded him to Cleveland for DeShone Kizer. The Packers aren't blessed with great depth at cornerback, so surprising they'd trade him for a player they hope never sees the field behind Aaron Rodgers. The Browns are currently trying Randall at free safety, where he potentially could be even more productive in this area.
--Andy Richardson