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 Cam Akers' soft-tissue injury is not considered serious, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "Rams taking preventative measures by holding him out of preseason practices but that’s the extent of it," Fowler adds. He makes no mention of the severity of RB Darrell Henderson's injury. We'll see when the Rams backs are able to return to practice.
Rams RBs Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson are dealing with “soft tissue” injuries, per HC Sean McVay. Neither guy will practice until they can be “full speed” in team drills, per reporter Sarah Barshop. No timeline was given by McVay. We’ll track this situation, but it’s at least a bit worrisome considering the injury histories on both guys. We’ll let you know when they’re back in action.
Rams HC Sean McVay spoke about QB Matthew Stafford's right elbow issue on Thursday. McVay called it "a tricky deal," "abnormal for a QB” and "things that MLB pitchers deal with," per The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue. McVay added that the team explored different treatment options to alleviate the pain this offseason and that the team wasn't caught off guard by the situation when camp opened. “Could he (push through)? Yes. Is that the best thing? We didn’t think so," McVay said. Here's Rodrigue's take after listening to McVay: "While arm pain is never NOT a concern my sense is after some treatment early spring they decided to go with this onload/deload plan which has been on schedule per McVay." Until we hear that the pain in Stafford's elbow is gone -- or at least know exactly what he's dealing with -- he'll carry some elevated risk in fantasy drafts. His situation, of course, also impacts Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson and the rest of the Rams' skill-position guys.
Rams HC Sean McVay talked up RBs Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson over the weekend. “I look at it as we’ve got two starting backs,” McVay said. “Those guys are great complements (to) one another, but I see them as both starting-caliber players. We need to get them involved. They need to be on the field. I think it’s healthy for them to be able to supplement one another.” This, of course, doesn't tell us anything about the Rams' specific plans for splitting the backfield work between Akers and Henderson. But The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue says Akers and Henderson have been "splitting first-team snaps pretty evenly so far" in training camp. We'll continue to keep a close eye on the situation through the rest of camp and preseason action. Akers is 7 rounds ahead of Henderson in recent ADP.
Per beat writer Jourdan Rodrigue, Rams RB Cam Akers said he feels “100%” healthy at minicamp. Recall that Akers suffered a torn Achilles last July, then shockingly made 5 appearances late in the year (1 in the regular season; 4 in the postseason). Rodrigue writes that Akers should be “worked into the passing game at an even higher volume than he was previously.” Currently, Akers’ ADP has settled into the late 3rd/early 4th round.
Rams HC Sean McVay expressed confidence in RB Cam Akers following a 2-fumble day at Tampa Bay. "[I] still have tremendous faith and confidence in Cam Akers, he's going to be a great player -- there will be a couple plays that he wants back. Then we had a little miscommunication on the one snap after we end up getting the turnover in their territory," McVay said via NFL.com. "Those are things that [we] can't have, but we were able to overcome it, and I'm excited for those guys." Akers fumbled once last year and 10 times in 36 career college games, so it’s an area to monitor going forward. Still, the fact that L.A. fed him 24 carries -- vs. just 1 for Sony Michel — says all we need to know about the team's plans in the NFC Championship.
Rams RB Cam Akers is expected to have a "limited role" vs. the 49ers today in his 1st game since tearing his Achilles this summer, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Schefter adds that Akers will have "an increased role" in the playoffs. We'll see how Akers looks today and what that means for his postseason volume. But he's not a viable Week 18 fantasy option. RB Sony Michel remains a strong play.
Rams HC Sean McVay said Wednesday that he's looking forward to seeing RB Cam Akers (Achilles) make his season debut vs. the 49ers this weekend. McVay said early last week that Akers was on track to play vs. the Ravens, so take this with a grain of salt. We'll see if Akers ends up active on Sunday, but we don't expect him to see more than a handful of touches if he is.
Rams HC Sean McVay said Friday that RB Cam Akers (Achilles) is not likely to play vs. the Ravens this weekend. Akers wasn't a realistic fantasy option this week anyway, but his absence just makes RB Sony Michel an even bigger lock to dominate backfield work. Jake Funk will be Los Angeles' #2 RB.
Rams HC Sean McVay said RB Cam Akers (Achilles) could play vs. the Ravens this weekend. Akers was just designated to return to practice last week after his mid-July Achilles tear. The Rams were originally planning to get Akers back for the playoffs, but they have a need at the position with RB Darrell Henderson headed to IR. We'll see if Akers ends up active on Sunday, but we wouldn't expect him to see more than a few touches. Sony Michel should continue to dominate backfield work.
The Rams "plan" to have RB Cam Akers (Achilles) back for the playoffs, GM Les Snead told NFL.com. It'd cap a remarkable recovery from Akers' mid-July Achilles tear. We'd be surprised if Akers had a big role in the playoffs -- but he'd turn Los Angeles' backfield into a 3-man committee alongside Sony Michel and Darrell Henderson.
The Rams have activated RB Cam Akers from IR. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports, however, that the team did so go help him receive pension credit for the season. A player apparently needs to be on the active roster for at least 3 games. Schefter adds that Akers is not expected to play in the regular season but could "contribute this post-season." Any level of involvement would be impressive for Akers after he suffered an Achilles' tendon tear in July. We wouldn't bet on him for significant fantasy impact even in NFL playoffs leagues, though.
Rams RB Cam Akers (Achilles) has been designated to return from IR. It's remarkable considering he tore his Achilles just about 5 months ago. The Rams now have 21 days to place Akers on the active roster. We certainly don't expect him to play before most fantasy seasons are over, but we'll keep an eye on Akers' progress. Perhaps he returns for the NFL playoffs.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that Rams RB Cam Akers suffered a torn Achilles' tendon while training. That should obviously mean the end of his season, less than 2 months ahead of the opener. It clears a path for Darrell Henderson to lead a backfield that let Malcolm Brown walk in free agency. Behind Henderson on the current depth chart sit Xavier Jones, Raymond Calais and rookies Jake Funk and Otis Anderson. We'd bet on L.A. adding to that group via a trade or the pool of cut players as teams whittle their rosters this summer. Regardless of upcoming moves, Henderson should be in for a large workload and could remain a nice temporary value in best-ball drafts as fantasy football players digest the news and reset his ADP.
Rams HC Sean McVay believes RB Cam Akers is capable of taking on more in the passing game this season. “He’s obviously a great runner, but he’s got ability as a pass-catcher coming from the backfield, and we can displace him and put him in the slot or the outside receiver location,” McVay said. “There’s not any limitations, but we’ll see how it comes to life.” This jibes with beat writer Jourdan Rodrigue saying last month that Akers is in for a bigger pass-catching role this season. His ultimate upside is what RB Todd Gurley did in McVay's first 2 seasons with the Rams: average 18.4 carries and 5.8 targets per game. A workload in that vicinity would likely make Akers a top-5 fantasy back.
Search
