Cam Akers Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler confirms that the Rams view Kyren Williams as their No. 2 RB. Fowler adds that the Rams "like Williams a little bit more as a pass protector than they do [Cam] Akers." That suggests that Williams will steal passing-down work from Akers, which we've been projecting all along. Williams is unlikely to have fantasy value behind a healthy Akers, but an Akers injury would turn him into a volume-based fantasy play.

Rams RB Sony Michel informed HC Sean McVay that he intends to retire, The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrique reports. Michel turned just 28 in February but has endured a litany of injuries. With Michel out of the picture, the Rams are back to Cam Akers, Kyren Williams, and Zach Evans as their top three RBs.

Rams RB Cam Akers closed the 2022 season strongly, scoring as a top-4 fantasy RB over the final six games. He's rolled that momentum over into 2023, HC Sean McVay said from minicamp. “He’s really capitalized on a lot of the momentum he built up toward the latter part of the year," McVay said. "And he’s going to be a huge part of what we’re doing moving forward. He’s had a great offseason. I love the rapport that he’s established with Ron Gould, our new running backs coach. Cam is going to be a central figure in this offense. I think he’s priming himself to have a great year." Akers has had a rollercoaster first three NFL seasons. But he's flashed workhorse ability in stretches, is still only 24, and has a chance to dominate backfield work this season. He has plenty of profit potential at a RB24 ADP.

The Rams traded up to grab Ole Miss RB Zach Evans late in Round 6 of the NFL Draft. Our guy C.H. Herms is a big fan of Evans' film and has liked Evans' dynasty value all along. And he's far from the only Evans film fan. Evans bounced from TCU to Ole Miss and dealt with multiple injuries. He finished with just 290 carries and 30 catches through three seasons. But he also averaged 6.9 yards per rush and 10.8 per catch for his career. That included 6.5 yards per carry and 9.9 per reception in his lone SEC campaign. Going to the Rams likely puts him in competition with 2022 rookie Kyren Williams for the No. 2 spot behind Cam Akers. The situation presents opportunity, with neither Akers nor Williams having proved much as a pro to date. We'll be watching this backfield competition through training camp. He's worth a look late in your dynasty rookie draft. See where he lands in our dynasty RB rankings.

The Rams are hiring Mike LaFleur as their new OC, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. LaFleur replaces Liam Coen, who left Los Angeles after just 1 season to return to his previous post as Kentucky's OC. LaFleur struggled as Jets OC the past 2 years, with both of those teams finishing bottom 8 in both total yards and points. Like Rams HC Sean McVay, LaFleur comes from the Shanahan coaching tree, so there should be plenty of synergy here. McVay will still be running the show, though, so don't expect a big change to the Rams' play calling.

Rams RB Cam Akers ran for 123 yards on 19 carries in Sunday's loss to the Chargers. That marked his 2nd straight game of more than 100 yards rushing but just the 2nd time all season that a Rams RB has exceeded 65 rushing yards. Unfortunately, RB Malcolm Brown claimed the team's lone TD. Akers closes out the season with a Seattle defense that hit Week 17 as the 2nd-best scoring matchup for RBs by adjusted fantasy points allowed.

Rams RB Cam Akers racked up 118 yards and 3 TDs on 23 carries in Sunday's beatdown of the Broncos. The numbers mark big jumps over his previous season highs. Akers has scored 6 rushing TDs over his past 4 games, though, and topped 5.0 yards per carry in 2 straight games. He now looks much more attractive as a Week 17 fantasy football option at the Chargers than we would have expected even heading into Week 16. RB Malcolm Brown added 19 yards on 2 carries. RB Kyren Williams rushed 6 times for 18 yards.

Rams RB Cam Akers led the team in both rushing and receiving in Sunday's loss vs. the Packers. The third-year back posted 12 carries for 65 yards on the ground in addition to reeling in all 3 of his targets for 35 yards in the receiving game. The only other Ram of note from this game is TE Tyler Higbee, a player who found the end zone on top of his 4 catches on 5 targets for 27 yards. At this stage of the fantasy season, it is tough to trust any Rams player (RB, WR, TE, or otherwise) with playoff hopes on the line in Week 16. The Broncos' defense ranks in the bottom 12 in adjusted fantasy points allowed to both RBs and WRs this season. Akers might be a decent flex option at best, but that's about it as far as the Rams are concerned.

Rams RB Cam Akers easily led Sunday's backfield in the loss to the Seahawk, rushing for 60 yards and 2 TDs on 17 attempts. Kyren Williams handled the only 3 other RB carries for the team. He watched his lone target fall incomplete. Akers added a catch for no gain as he beat Williams 19-11 in routes, according to Pro Football Focus. This backfield remains wildly inconsistent and near-impossible to predict for fantasy use. The Rams do get an upside matchup, though, with the Raiders on Thursday night.

Rams rookie RB Kyren Williams more than doubled RB Cam Akers' snap count in Sunday's loss to the Chiefs. Williams led the backfield with 11 carries, 3 more than Akers, and drew all 3 RB targets for the game. He caught all 3 for 25 yards but managed just 35 yards on his 11 rushes (3.2 per carry). That trailed Akers' rushing production (37 yards on 8 attempts), but the playing time is noteworthy. Ideally, you're not playing any Rams RB the rest of the way. But if you need to, Williams looks (for now, at least) like the guy.

The Rams waived RB Darrell Henderson. You could have gotten big odds a month ago on Henderson getting cut from this roster before RB Cam Akers. Henderson played just 4 snaps last week. HC Sean McVay said Monday that the limited playing time was due to a knee issue, but there must be more to this story. We'll see where Henderson lands, but he's unlikely to be a fantasy factor the rest of this season. His release leaves Los Angeles' moribund backfield to Akers and Kyren Williams. RBs Malcolm Brown and Ronnie Rivers are on the practice squad.

Rams HC Sean McVay said that RB Darrell Henderson's snaps were limited by a knee issue in Sunday's loss to the Saints. Henderson ended up playing just 4 snaps and carrying twice. Kyren Williams actually led the backfield with 35 snaps (55%), finishing with 7 carries and 2 targets. Cam Akers played 25 snaps (39%) and carried 14 times. We'll track Henderson's status this week, but this remains a backfield to avoid in fantasy lineups.

The Rams started RB Darrell Henderson in Sunday's loss to the Saints, as usual. But he logged just 4 snaps for the game. That gave way for RB Cam Akers to lead in carries (14) and rushing yards (61). Rookie RB Kyren Williams followed with 7-36 rushing and saw the only 2 RB targets. He caught 1 for 8 yards. We'll see if HC Sean McVay offers any insight into this prize-less Whac-a-mole game that is the Rams backfield.

Rams RB Malcolm Brown (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday. Brown played 28% of Los Angeles' offensive snaps last week, finishing with 2 carries and 1 target. His absence vs. the Cardinals this weekend would be a very slight boost for RBs Darrell Henderson and Cam Akers.

Rams RB Darrell Henderson took the rushing lead back in Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers, rushing 12 times for 56 yards (4.7 per carry). RB Cam Akers gained just 3 yards on 5 carries in his return. Malcolm Brown added 9 yards on 2 carries. Brown logged the backfield's only reception, taking his lone target for 10 yards. Henderson went without a catch on 1 target. RB Ronnie Rivers played but didn't get a touch.

Rams RB Cam Akers is officially active for today’s game vs. the Bucs. RBs Darrell Henderson, Ronnie Rivers and Malcolm Brown are also active. It’s a messy situation for fantasy football.