Rams RB Kyren Williams (foot) was cleared to play in Saturday's preseason finale, but HC Sean McVay opted to hold him out. Asked about that decision afterward, McVay said it's because Williams is an "integral part of the plan this season," according to The Los Angeles Times' Gary Klein. The 5th-round rookie's most likely contributions figure to come in the passing game. He'd still likely need Cam Akers or Darrell Henderson to miss time to be a fantasy factor -- but both of those guys have had trouble staying healthy and are currently sidelined with injuries. Williams is only worth considering in deep fantasy drafts, but keep him on your waiver-wire watchlist.

Rams RB Kyren Williams has racked up 2 TDs in each of the first two games. His 4 total TDs leads the NFL through two weeks, pending the Monday night games. Williams posted a 14-52-1 rushing line in Sunday's loss to the 49ers, a tough matchup for rushing production. He added 6 catches for 48 yards and a TD on 10 targets, second most on the team. No other Rams RB got a carry in the game, and Ronnie Rivers garnered the only other RB target. The Rams made both Cam Akers and rookie Zach Evans healthy scratches for this game. Williams looks like a potential workhorse going forward and easy weekly fantasy starter until further notice.

The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue writes that Rams RB Kyren Williams "could have a bigger impact" on the team's passing game in 2023. Williams has reportedly "excelled throughout training camp" in this capacity, and QB Matthew Stafford "seemed to get comfortable" targeting him as a receiver. Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Rodrigue is the belief the Rams will "probably feature both [Cam] Akers and Williams," meaning that whatever hopes existed for rookie Zach Evans to seize a fantasy-relevant role are dwindling. Williams was used sparingly as a rookie last season, only seeing 50%+ of offensive snaps twice in 2022, but this potential uptick in usage could vault him into deep league PPR consideration. See where the Rams RBs appear in our current RB rankings.

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 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.

Rams RB Kyren Williams (ankle) will be activated from IR and play vs. the Cardinals this weekend, HC Sean McVay said. The rookie has been out since going down in the opener. There were reports that he was slated to play a significant role before that ankle injury. We'll see how much action he gets against Arizona on Sunday. We'd try to avoid this backfield in Week 10 fantasy lineups, but Williams is worth stashing in leagues of 12+ teams.