Tag: Cam Akers

Rams injury report: Cam Akers, Leonard Floyd questionable vs. Cardinals

Leonard Floyd had abdominal pain Friday and is questionable for the season finale.

There are question marks galore as the Rams get ready to face the Cardinals in Sunday’s season finale. In addition to being without Jared Goff, Cooper Kupp, Michael Brockers and Darrell Henderson, two other starters are also questionable.

Sean McVay said Friday that Cam Akers is questionable for Sunday’s game, with his status likely coming down to a game-time decision. Leonard Floyd was a new addition to the injury report Friday after he experienced abdominal pain before practice, causing him to sit out the session.

He’s also questionable for this weekend’s game, which would be a big blow to a Rams defense that’s already missing one of its top run defenders, Brockers, against Kyler Murray and the Cardinals’ ground game.

Despite being activated off IR, Micah Kiser has been ruled out for the season finale, too.

Rams RB Cam Akers unlikely to practice all week but won’t be ruled out vs. Cardinals

Akers is getting extra mental reps and the team will decide on Sunday whether he will be able to go.

The Los Angeles Rams are going to miss several players this weekend in Week 17 against the Arizona Cardinals. One player, rookie running back Cam Akers, is uncertain in his status, as he is dealing with a high ankle sprain.

He has not practice yet this week and might not practice at all, but Rams head coach remains optimistic he will be able to play.

“He looked good moving around early on,” McVay told reporters on Thursday. “He didn’t participate in practice, but he was getting a workout in. You guys saw him on the early parts of the field, so he’s feeling good. I certainly am not ready to rule my man Cam out by any stretch.”

Akers has been getting extra “above-the-neck mental reps” with running backs coach Thomas Brown. McVay wants to avoid Akers having any setbacks leading up to the game.

“If he is able to go, it’ll be one of those deals that we’ll find out on game day, but don’t expect it to be any physical reps for him this week throughout
the course of practice,” McVay explained.

Starting quarterback Jared Goff is out after thumb surgery. Running back Darrell Henderson is on injured reserve for a high ankle sprain. Receiver Cooper Kupp is on the COVID list. Akers rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown in 21 attempts against the Cardinals in Week 13.

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Sean McVay isn’t ready to rule out Cam Akers ‘by any stretch’

Cam Akers is doing what he can to be ready for Sunday’s season finale after spraining his ankle two weeks ago.

In the last two weeks, both of the Rams’ top running backs suffered high ankle sprains. First, Cam Akers got hurt in Week 15 against the New York Jets, though he was still able to finish the game in what was a valiant effort by the rookie. Then a week later, Henderson went down, with his injury landing him on injured reserve – a minimum three-week absence.

Henderson is obviously out, but Sean McVay isn’t ready to declare Akers out, too. There’s still hope the rookie will be able to play in the season finale against Arizona. Akers missed the first two practices of the week, but he’s been working on the side and has looked good, according to McVay.

“He looked good moving around early on,” McVay said. “He didn’t participate in practice, but he was getting a workout in. You guys saw him on the early parts of the field, so he’s feeling good. I certainly am not ready to rule my man Cam out by any stretch.”

Practice is critical for young players, especially for rookies who didn’t have a normal offseason of work. That made things more difficult for Akers throughout the summer, but he’s since emerged as the team’s best running back.

McVay isn’t minimizing the importance of practice, but he would feel fine with Akers playing Sunday even if his time on the practice field this week is minimal. In all likelihood, Akers will be a game-time decision, based on the coach’s comments.

“You’d ideally like that, but I think with the amount of experience that he’s gotten as of late, if you can have him in any capacity, you feel good about that,” McVay said. “I do trust the way that he’s preparing, and I know (RBs coach) Thomas (Brown) is meeting with him and getting some above-the-neck mental reps. So, you’d like to be able to get him some physical reps, but I think the approach that we’ll take this week will be, use every moment that we have leading up to game time to make sure that you get him as healthy as possible and let’s not put him at risk for any potential setbacks. So, if he is able to go, it’ll be one of those deals that we’ll find out on game day, but don’t expect it to be any physical reps for him this week throughout the course of practice.”

If Akers is unable to go, Malcolm Brown and Xavier Jones will have to step up behind John Wolford. Brown is experienced, but Jones is an undrafted rookie. Ideally, Akers will be RB1 on Sunday. But in the event that he’s sidelined again, the Rams feel good about Brown and Jones – and maybe even Raymond Calais – coming through in his absence.

Rams injury report: Cam Akers making progress but uncertain for Sunday

Cam Akers was held out of practice on Wednesday as he continues to recover from an ankle injury.

The Los Angeles Rams took the field on Wednesday to open Week 17 and held a walk-through instead of a regular practice. As a result, the first injury report is just an estimation of participation had the Rams practiced in full.

Jared Goff has already been ruled out due to a thumb injury, so he was a non-participant. Cam Akers is battling an ankle injury and was also listed as DNP. Sean McVay said Wednesday that Akers is “making great progress,” but his status for Sunday’s finale “still uncertain.”

The Rams are already without Darrell Henderson Jr., who’s on injured reserve, so having Akers would be a huge boost if he’s able to play.

As for the rest of the injury report, Micah Kiser was a non-participant after being activated off IR. Malcolm Brown and David Edwards were limited, but they should be OK for Sunday.

Andrew Whitworth returned to practice but hasn’t been activated off IR yet, so he isn’t required to be listed on the injury report. McVay suggested he won’t play this week, nor will Kiser.

Rams to play Cardinals without Jared Goff, Darrell Henderson, perhaps Cam Akers

Goff is out, Henderson is headed to IR and Akers only has a possibility of playing.

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The Arizona Cardinals did not fare well against the San Francisco 49ers last weekend facing a backup quarterback and backup running back. They will likely to have the opportunity to redeem themselves against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17 in a win-or-go-home contest for Arizona.

The Rams will be without starting quarterback Jared Goff, running back Darrell Henderson and perhaps running back Cam Akers.

While early reports said that Goff was only “unlikely” to play, Rams head coach San McVay indicated Goff won’t play this weekend. Goff “got some screws put in there and he actually should be available if we’re able to handle business, for the playoffs,” McVay said.

Henderson suffered a high ankle sprain and will be put on injured reserve. Henderson had 49 rushing yards, including a 38-yard touchdown run, against the Cardinals in the Rams’ 38-28 win in Week 13.

Akers, who is also dealing with a high ankle sprain, did not play in Week 16 in the Rams’ 20-9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. His status is a little more optimistic.

“He’s really made great progress,” McVay said on Monday. “He is a physically tough guy and so there is a possibility that we will get Cam Akers back this week.”

Akers had 72 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries against the Cardinals in Week 13.

If Akers cannot go, it means Malcolm Brown will lead the way. He had three carries for minus-three yards in the two teams’ first meeting.

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Report: Darrell Henderson unlikely to play vs. Cardinals due to ankle injury

The Rams will be shorthanded against the Cardinals in the season finale.

The Rams were already without Cam Akers on Sunday against the Seahawks after he suffered a high ankle sprain in last week’s loss to the Jets. Then, they lost Darrell Henderson to an ankle injury of his own in the third quarter, leaving Malcolm Brown as the lead back.

Henderson was unable to return and heading into Week 17, he’s unlikely to play. According to Ian Rapoport, Henderson is believed to have suffered a high ankle sprain like Akers and isn’t expected to play against the Cardinals in the season finale.

High ankle sprains are typically multi-week injuries, so if that’s what Henderson has, it’s hard to imagine him playing against Arizona.

The Rams haven’t provided an update on Akers’ status for Week 17, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s ruled out, too. That would be a huge blow to the Rams offense in the biggest game of the season, especially if a broken thumb keeps Jared Goff out of action, as well.

It could come down to John Wolford and Malcolm Brown leading the offense against the Cardinals with a playoff berth on the line. A win gets the Rams in, as does a loss by the Bears to the Packers.

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Rams will be missing Cam Akers when they play Seahawks in Week 16

The Los Angeles Rams will be missing their star rookie running back Cam Akers in their Week 16 game against the Seattle Seahawks.

The Los Angeles Rams will be missing their star rookie running back Cam Akers when they play the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16.

Akers, who has been ruled out with a high ankle sprain, has racked up 591 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in 12 games so far this season. He has been especially productive over the past few weeks and his absence, although brief, could limit the Rams’ chances of claiming the NFC West crown.

However, it is certainly no guarantee the Seahawks will win just because one of their opponent’s key weapons is missing. The Rams will be just as motivated to win next week, if not more, considering they just suffered a soul-crushing loss to the Jets, of all teams. In addition, Los Angeles still has plenty of competent players and a solid coaching staff.

The Rams will want to take out their frustration on the next team they come across, which just happens to be Seattle.

The Seahawks will win the NFC West if they beat the Rams next week. If they lose, they will need to beat the 49ers in Week 17 and simultaneously count on Los Angeles losing to the Cardinals.

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Fantasy Football Targets, Touches and TDs: Week 16

Three key lessons to learn from a wild 2020 season.

Believe it or not, we’re down to championship week in the majority of fantasy leagues.

The uncharted road has been rocky and uncertain, and there has been ongoing doubt on whether we would ever reach this point. But still here we are, ready to determine league champions in the usual fashion in the most unusual of seasons.

Many, understandably, are ready to move on and forget anything and everything from Fantasy 2020, but there were lessons to be learned and others that were reaffirmed this season, and they’re worth a review before we completely turn our sights toward the offseason and 2021 draft prep.

Here are three lessons to take from Fantasy 2020, starting with …

Patience, please, with rookies, particularly the running backs

Remember back at midseason when the likes of Jonathan Taylor, Cam Akers, D’Andre Swift and J.K. Dobbins were fantasy non-factors?

Many of these mid-round rookie running back draft picks were relegated to the ends of benches or could even be found on the waiver wire after their original fantasy teams simply gave up on them.

And, looking back at some of the numbers, it’s easy to see why:

  • Over the season’s first 10 weeks, Taylor was fantasy’s 28th-ranked running back with an average of only 12.1 (point-per-reception) fantasy points per game. And, at the time (heading into Week 11), he was coming off a three-game span in which he produced a grand total of 102 total yards and one touchdown on 30 total touches.
  • Through Week 11, Akers’ season-long stat line (in eight games) consisted of 50 rushes for 201 yards, three receptions for 27 yards and one total TD. That was a grand total of 31.8 PPR points.
  • In the season’s first eight weeks, Swift had only two games with 15 or more fantasy points and had received 11 or more touches in a game only twice.
  • In the Baltimore Ravens’ first six games leading into their Week 7 bye, Dobbins was third among the team’s running backs with only 36 total touches, including 25 rushing attempts, and had totaled 228 yards and two TDs — good for 45.8 fantasy points.

Patience proved to be the key, however, as each of the four has become a fantasy factor in the season’s second half.

Let’s go again to the numbers …

  • Since Week 11, Taylor has been fantasy’s third-best running back, with only David Montgomery (26.5) and Derrick Henry (25.6) averaging more fantasy points than Taylor’s 22.0 per outing. The Indy rookie has rushed for 414 yards (sixth among RBs) and three TDs over that span and has added another 95 yards and a TD on 13 receptions.
  • After producing the aforementioned 201 yards and one TD on 50 carries in his first eight games, Akers has rushed for 390 yards and two scores on 74 attempts in four contests since. Only Dalvin Cook (96) and Henry (92) have logged more rushing attempts than Akers during that span.
  • In his three most recent games, Swift has had 11 or more touches and at least 15 fantasy points in each, including two of his three best games (25.9 points in Week 10 and 24.2 Sunday). He’s found the end zone in all three games for a total of four TDs in that span.
  • Since the Ravens’ Week 7 bye, Dobbins has paced the team with 92 touches and trails only QB Lamar Jackson with 460 yards from scrimmage, including 414 rushing, while scoring four TDs — one in each of the last four games he’s played in.

In season-long fantasy league, knowing when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em is an integral part of a winning strategy, but not all of the commodities carry equal weight.

Some rookies, like the Jaguars’ James Robinson, shine from the start. Most, though, require fantasy patience, especially at running back, where productive — and potentially productive — players are at a high premium, and young legs are inherently primed to thrive late in a season when it matters most.

Remember that and think twice next season when you’re tempted to send that highly touted but under-performing fourth-round rookie back packing at Halloween.

Hot and cold late-season QBs swing fantasy fortunes

Timing is everything in season-long fantasy leagues.

A scorching starter in the season’s first 13 weeks can flame out overnight come fantasy playoff time.

A pre-Thanksgiving pedestrian fantasy producer suddenly can erupt on a late-season tear and earn unexpected league-winner distinction.

That’s especially true at quarterback, fantasy’s highest-scoring position.

Following are two lists.

The first runs down fantasy’s top-12 quarterbacks from Weeks 1-11 (minimum six starts), their average fantasy points per start, and then how they’ve fared since — i.e. their respective ranking and fantasy-point average over the last month (Weeks 12-15, minimum two starts):

  1. Kyler Murray, 30.4 (12th, 21.5)
  2. Russell Wilson, 28.4 (23rd, 17.9)
  3. Josh Allen, 26.5 (third, 27.4)
  4. Patrick Mahomes, 26.4 (fourth, 26.3)
  5. Justin Herbert, 25.9 (20th, 18.1)
  6. Aaron Rodgers, 24.6 (eighth, 24.6)
  7. Deshaun Watson, 23.4 (seventh, 24.6)
  8. Tom Brady, 21.5 (11th, 21.9)
  9. Lamar Jackson, 21.5 (first, 31.3)
  10. Carson Wentz, 21.1 (32nd, 12.9)
  11. Gardner Minshew, 21.0 (NR, one start)
  12. Ryan Tannehill, 20.9 (sixth, 25.6)

Now, here’s the inverse: the top 12 fantasy QBs from the last four weeks (min. two starts) and their respective rankings, averages from the first 11 weeks

  1. Jackson, 31.3 (ninth, 21.5)
  2. Jalen Hurts, 29.6 (NR, no starts)
  3. Allen, 27.4 (third, 26.5)
  4. Mahomes, 26.3 (fourth, 26.4)
  5. Baker Mayfield, 25.7 (29th, 14.2)
  6. Tannehill, 25.6 (12th, 20.9)
  7. Watson, 24.6 (seventh, 23.4)
  8. Rodgers, 24.6 (sixth, 24.6)
  9. Kirk Cousins, 23.5 (21st, 19.0)
  10. Tua Tagovailoa, 21.9 (NR, 12.8 in 4 starts)
  11. Brady, 21.6 (eighth, 21.5)
  12. Murray, 21.5 (first, 30.4)

First, a nod to the consistency and reliability of Allen, Mahomes, Watson, Rodgers and Brady, who have continued to produce at a near-steady weekly QB1 level throughout the season.

On the flip side, though, reside the likes of Hurts, Mayfield, Cousins and Tagovailoa who have blossomed as weekly late-season QB starters after being fantasy non-factors and Wilson, Herbert and Wentz who have gone in the opposite direction.

Wentz, of course, was benched in favor of the rookie Hurts in Week 14, and all the latter has done is put up 21.3 and 37.8 points in his first two pro starts while rushing for 169 yards and accounting for five total TDs. Up next for the Philly freshman is a Week 16 date with the Cowboys, the eighth-most favorable matchup for fantasy QBs.

Jackson, meanwhile, is finally performing as the elite QB he was drafted to be (neck-and-neck with Mahomes this past summer as the top quarterback coming off the board) with at least 27.7 points in each of his three games since sitting out Week 12 due to a positive COVID-19 test.

And can it really be that Wilson, fantasy’s No. 2 QB over the first 11 weeks, is producing at a low-QB2 level while failing to score more than 19.02 fantasy points in three of the last four weeks?

We’d write it off as an aberration, but then again we saw almost the exact same pattern a year ago at this time when Wilson averaged the 27th-most points (15.5) at the position from Weeks 13-16 in a season in which he started hot and still finished with the fourth-most fantasy points at the position.

Matchups can certainly matter in the fantasy postseason

Here in this space three weeks ago, we ran through the easiest and toughest fantasy playoff schedules (Weeks 14-16), according to The Huddle’s handy Fantasy Strength of Schedule tool.

Using the same tool and adjusting the range of weeks, here are of some of the notable quarterback and running back Weeks 13-15 fantasy projections looking forward from Week 12. We’re focusing on the QBs and RBs as they seem to be the positions most affected by defensive matchups.

The Titans, Ravens and Vikings were all projected to have top-10 most favorable fantasy QB schedules over the last three weeks, so maybe the recent surges for Ryan Tannehill (fourth at the position in average fantasy points during that span), Jackson (first) and Cousins (10th) shouldn’t be all that surprising.

Tannehill is enjoying a late-year boom for the second straight season and is tied with Allen with a position-most 10 total TDs (eight passing, two rushing) over the last three weeks. He’s averaged 27.7 fantasy points (fourth among QBs) during that span and has taken full advantage of matchups against the Browns, Jaguars, three of seven defenses surrendering the most points to fantasy QBs.

There seems to be even more projection-to-performance correlation at running back as the SOS forecast pinpointed the Colts, Bears and Titans as having the top three most favorable Week 13-15 fantasy RB slates.

And your No. 1, 2 and 4 fantasy backs over that span? The Bears’ David Montgomery, the Colts’ Taylor and the Titans’ Henry, respectively.

Montgomery has totaled a position-most 80.8 PPR points, including five TDs, over the last three weeks after compiling 137.7 points and three TDs over the Bears’ first 11 games. But facing the Lions (most points allowed to fantasy RBs), Texans (second-most points allowed) and Vikings (17th-most points surrendered) in back-to-back-to-back weeks outings has vaulted the formerly pedestrian Montgomery into league-winning territory.

Now, certainly, matchups are not the end-all, be-all. And they usually don’t matter too much for locked-in fantasy studs or players suddenly receiving a high-volume of work at a low-volume position.

The Texans’ Watson, for instance, just got done feasting (1,034 yards of total offense, 65.4 fantasy points) on what was supposed to be the league’s third-most unfavorable Weeks 13-15 fantasy QB slate, while the league’s third-most unfavorable fantasy tight end itinerary similarly didn’t exactly hinder Washington TE Logan Thomas, who’s caught 28-of-31 targets over the last three weeks and averaged 19.4 fantasy points per outing.

But heed the Montgomery example above and definitely use matchups as one of the top tiebreakers when deciding between two-or-more similar players to fill the last spot in your starting postseason lineup or when evaluating a seemingly dead-even, do-I-do-it-or-do-I-decline midseason trade proposal.

Henderson and Brown will both be ‘heavily involved’ for Rams with Akers out

Cam Akers will miss Sunday’s game against the Seahawks, which opens the door for Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown.

Just when the Los Angeles Rams seem to find their workhorse running back, stud rookie Cam Akers goes down with an injury. He suffered a high ankle sprain against the Jets and finished the game, but he’ll be forced to miss at least one week.

Not having Akers, who’s rushed for 306 yards on 65 carries in his last three games, is a big blow to the offense, but the Rams are deep at running back. Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown have all played meaningful snaps this season, and their roles will grow again on Sunday against Seattle.

Sean McVay hasn’t decided on the roles for Henderson and Brown, but he did make it clear that both players will be involved on offense in Akers’ absence, however long that is.

“I mean they’ll both get work,” he told reporters Monday. “As far as the specifics, I’m not really sure. We’re just getting into the initial parts of the game plan. I mean, literally we just got that information about Cam probably a couple hours ago, so it’s all relatively new. We’ll talk to those guys first and we’ll develop a game plan, but I can tell you that both those guys will be heavily involved.”

Henderson has been the more effective and explosive of the two, rushing for 562 yards on only 126 carries. He’s scored six total touchdowns and racked up 721 yards from scrimmage despite only touching the ball 142 times.

Brown has only carried the ball 16 times for 58 yards in his last six games, which doesn’t even match his production from Week 1 alone. But he’s valuable in pass protection, proving to be the Rams’ most reliable back when asked to block for Jared Goff.

Akers was hitting his stride before getting hurt, but let’s not forget that Henderson was Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded running back at one point this season and is averaging a healthy 4.5 yards per carry. Hopefully that lessens the drop-off with Akers out of the lineup.

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Cam Akers out at least a week with high ankle sprain

Cam Akers suffered the injury on Sunday against the Jets.

As if losing to the Jets wasn’t frustrating enough for the Rams, they also lost their starting running back. Sean McVay announced on Monday that Cam Akers will miss the Rams’ next game against the Seahawks due to a high ankle sprain.

Akers battled through the injury and finished the game, but he’ll need time to let his ankle heal for at least a week.

This news is a sign of the rookie’s toughness. High ankle sprains typically sideline a player at least a couple of weeks, but Akers fought through the pain and carried the ball 15 times for 63 yards against the Jets, with three carries for 50 yards being called back due to penalties.

In Akers’ place, Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown are expected to get more work.