Fantasy football owners of Cam Akers were frustrated by his injury issues and fickle usage as the Rams' running back last season. The latter is happening again in 2023, only this time with Akers healthy. Apparently, Los Angeles would simply rather start second-year back (and newfound fantasy football sleeper) Kyren Williams.
According to multiple reports, Akers will be made a healthy inactive for Sunday's Week 2 home game vs. the 49ers (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox). Williams, who rushed 15 times for 52 yards and two TDs in Week 1 at the Seahawks, will bump up into a workhorse role.
Rams RB Cam Akers will not be active today, per source and as @JayGlazer first reported a few mins ago.
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) September 17, 2023
Here's breaking down what this means for Akers' value for the rest of the season and how much you should buy into Williams, short- and long-term:
Why are the Rams benching Cam Akers?
Sean McVay and the Rams' offensive coaching staff continue to have a hot-and-cold relationship toward the talented former Florida State back. Akers also scored in Seattle, but he was very inefficient supplementing Williams in a blowout, posting 22 carries for a microscopic 29 yards. He also didn't have a target in the passing game with Williams getting two out of the backfield.
Akers, simply put, wasn't good and wasn't involved until the game was in hand in the second half. The Rams might be done with giving him a key role for good, given this isn't not injury-related.
For what it's worth, Akers himself doesn't have any additional knowledge of the situation:
I’m just as confused as everybody else. I’m blessed though 🤷🏾♂️
— Cam akers (@thereal_cam3) September 17, 2023
Should you play Kyren Williams against the 49ers in fantasy?
The 49ers' nasty defense absolutely erased the Najee Harris and the rest of the Steelers' backs in Week 1. The matchup is not good at all against San Francisco's front, and the game script won't be as positive as it was last week in Seattle.
Deeper-leaguers in non-PPR formats can take a shot on Williams based on workload, hoping for a TD, but he's hard to play in half-point and full-point PPR because of uncertain work in the passing game.
Kyren Williams' fantasy outlook for rest of the season
For now, Williams is the "hot hand" and preferred main back for McVay, but don't forget the team also has promising rookie Zach Evans and veterans Ronnie Rivers and Royce Freeman on the depth chart. Williams also is a smaller sixth-rounder from Notre Dame at 5-9, 194 pounds. It will be hard for him to hold up to a pounding of 20 or more touches per game.
Given the Rams don't throw to their backs often by design, it's a run-heavy role and something with which the other backs are more comfortable. Trust Williams now as a volume-based RB2, but by no means think you can set it and forget it with him going forward.
