Fantasy football season is in the air, and the unique offseason is causing more questions than answers as we enter our fantasy football drafts. Today we focus on Los Angeles Rams RB Cam Akers and his fantasy football potential this year.
Cam Akers’ Fantasy Football ADP
Akers’ current ADP is 44.93 –19th among running backs on MyFantasyLeague.com.
Reasons to draft Cam Akers
- Akers enjoyed two 1,000-yard seasons on the ground during his three years at Florida State, averaging 4.9 yards per carry and scoring 34 touchdowns from scrimmage in that time (including 18 in 2019).
- The role filled by former featured back Todd Gurley, whom the Rams cut before he signed with the Atlanta Falcons, accounted for 250-plus touches over the past five years. Akers is a prime candidate to take at least a heavy percentage of that workload.
- The one-cut back is a near-seamless fit for the Rams offense’s zone-blocking running scheme.
- He has been lauded as a good-to-great pass-blocker, which could give him an advantage in this unusual preseason – during which rookies often have to convince coaches that they can protect their quarterback to earn more time on the field.
- Though the Rams offensive line was one of the worst in 2019, the quintet was elite in 2018. Plus, if you consider the shoddy offensive line behind which he worked at Florida State, it’s all uphill from here.
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Reasons not to draft Cam Akers
- Unfortunately, why I previously said Akers is a “candidate” for that job calls back to a familiar fantasy issue: Rams head coach Sean McVay has teased using a committee of three – or even four – running backs.
- Los Angeles’ 2019 third-round pick Darrell Henderson will be the biggest concern; the RB’s hamstring injury could keep him out of the Week 1 discussion, but barring a worsening prognosis, he won’t disappear.
- RB’s Malcolm Brown and John Kelly could stick around and steal a handful of touches per game, though they may be fighting over only the RB3 role with the other a possible cut candidate.
- Rookie running backs in general may face more scrutiny than ever, given their shorter time around the team’s playbook and pass-blocking work. Though I mentioned Akers’ acclaim in that skill, failing to get up to speed out of the gate could cost him time on the field and the coaching staff’s trust that he can protect QB Jared Goff.
Where should I draft Cam Akers in fantasy football drafts?
I’m not going to take McVay’s coach-speak as gospel.
When the ADP starts sinking into the committee-level backs, I’d grab Akers among the first options. Henderson, when healthy, may take over in many passing downs due to his experience as a receiver. Brown and Kelly are less worrisome.
If Henderson is set to miss Week 1, Akers’ price may rocket upward past the point of much profitability in redraft (single-season) leagues, but Akers’ floor for however long Henderson would need to sit would considerably increase.
I’ve seen many formats where Akers has fallen to the sixth or seventh rounds – an absurd value that could remain that way if your draft room remains wary of the Rams backfield distribution.
Among the many potentially useful 2020 rookies, Akers can most often be drafted a modest cost with a high immediate ceiling for production.
He’ll have much more demand for dynasty leagues, probably as a top-five pick in many rookie drafts.
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