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Los Angeles Rams RB Cam Akers had a bizarre and difficult 2022 season. He was demoted to a backup role, was away from the team for a few weeks due to a disagreement with the coaching staff and then finished the season as an above-average running back in the last month or so.
Heading into the upcoming season, Akers is once again penciled in as the starting running back for Los Angeles. The Rams held him out of all 3 preseason games to keep him fresh and healthy, a sign that he’ll be a big part of the offense.
Below, we look at Cam Akers‘ 2023 fantasy football average draft position (ADP) and where you should draft him.
Entering his 4th year in the NFL, Akers should have his best season yet and help the Rams bounce back from a terrible 2022 season that saw them finish 5-12.
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Cam Akers’ ADP: 59.36
(ADP data courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com; last updated at time of this publishing – ADPs continually change as more drafts occur)
Akers has an ADP of 59.36 in redraft leagues, which puts him in the range of the 5th to 6th round, depending on the size of your league. Just ahead of Akers in terms of ADP is Arizona Cardinals RB James Conner (59.17) and just behind him is Carolina Panthers RB Miles Sanders (59.41).
The 50s is a popular spot to pick up mid- and lower-tier running backs. Houston Texans RB Dameon Pierce (53.74), Minnesota Vikings RB Alexander Mattison (55.99) and Denver Broncos RB Javonte Williams (60.42) are all in a similar range as Akers in terms of ADP.
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Cam Akers’ 2022 stats
Games: 15
Carries | rushing yards: 188 | 786
Rushing touchdowns: 7
Receptions | receiving yards: 13 | 117
Receiving touchdowns: 0
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Where should you draft Akers?
Akers is a tough player to project in fantasy football. On one hand, he’s entering the final year of his contract and could carry over some momentum from the end of last season when he had 345 yards and 3 touchdowns in the final three games of the year. On the other hand, he only had 176 yards in the first 7 games and missed 2 weeks because of a dispute with the team.
He’s in a much better place now and said he bulked up a bunch this offseason — in a good way — which should help him bounce off tacklers and pick up yards after contact. He’s always been a pretty elusive runner but he could add some power this year.
What could hurt Akers is the presence of RB Kyren Williams. The 2nd-year back had a great performance in training camp, consistently helping out as a receiver. That may take Akers off the field on 3rd downs, which limits his upside in PPR leagues. He’s never been much of a receiver anyway.
Akers is worth a flier in the 5th or 6th round because he’s one of the last starting running backs left at that point and Williams isn’t a massive threat to eat into his carries — not initially, at least. Take him ahead of Conner but I would probably prefer Pierce, Williams and Sanders over Akers.
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