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Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers had the look of a surefire fantasy RB1 heading into the 2021 campaign before he suffered a torn Achilles tendon which held him out until Week 18 of the regular season, where he carried the ball just five times for a total of three yards.
It was shocking to see Akers come back when he did, but it wasn't much of a surprise that he didn't look 100% in his return to action. During the postseason, the sophomore averaged just 2.6 yards per carry and failed to find the end zone in the team's Super Bowl run despite handling 67 carries over that span.
Now, Akers has another full offseason of rehab and looks primed to have a much more productive season in the Rams' high-powered offense.
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Is Cam Akers the RB1 in Los Angeles?
Reports out of training camp are that Akers and Darrell Henderson Jr. have seen a 50-50 split in first-team reps during team practices. Akers figures to be the "RB1" of the Rams, but that is not to suggest that Henderson won't be taking away meaningful playing time from the former Florida State star.
Head coach Sean McVay has gone on record saying he believes the team has "two starting-caliber players," so it wouldn't be a surprise to see them steer away from their past of having a workhorse back this season.
Henderson was very productive in his time as the starter, as he finished with 864 total yards and eight touchdowns in 13 games. Still, with a healthy Akers in the mix, Henderson figures to be more of a "1B" this season and shouldn't be considered the No.1 RB on the depth chart.
The reports out of camp should be taken with a grain of salt. It could be the coaching staff wanting to limit the workload of Akers given his injury history rather than this backfield, in fact being a dead-even split. Considering the Rams spent a second-round draft pick on Akers in 2020, the team obviously had big plans in place for him to replace their former superstar Todd Gurley.
Cam Akers
More coaches speak about Darrell Henderson Jr....
Sure to drive Cam Akers’ ADP down.
His Underdog ADP is already dwindling (46th overall).
We are potentially entering “Sean McVay’s RB1 is available in Rd 5” territory.
Buy.
— Andrew Erickson™ (@AndrewErickson_) August 6, 2022
Now, these plans could have changed given that he suffered a devastating injury, but let's not forget Akers averaged almost 17 carries a game in the playoffs after returning far earlier than expected.
Where Should Fantasy Managers Draft Cam Akers in 2022?
Akers is a bit of a risky pick considering the data on running backs with a torn Achilles is not very encouraging, but the high-powered offense he is in and the fact he had another offseason to rehab makes him an RB2 option for fantasy managers.
The SMA algorithm projected Cam Akers at 75% when he returned last year (he went from 4.3 to 2.6 ypc). It forecasts ~90% to start Week 1.@DBro_FFB makes the strongest case I’ve seen for Akers. He’s been a recovery outlier so it’d not be crazy to see him outshine the data again.
— Deepak Chona, MD. SportsMedAnalytics (@SportMDAnalysis) August 14, 2022
McVay has mentioned that running the ball "has been a big point of emphasis" in the Rams' offense during training camp. With their No. 1 running back in the mix, it shouldn't shock anyone they want to have a more balanced attack on offense, as they finished in the top-10 in terms of passing attempts per game last season.
Sean McVay knows the Rams have to run the ball better in 2022, whether it’s with Cam Akers or Darrell Henderson Jr. – or both. https://t.co/Aq26P3kqHd
— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) August 13, 2022
He isn't going to be a pick that will win you your league, but he doesn't seem like one that will lose you your league either given his current ADP of 34.2.
Akers figures to have more value in non-PPR leagues, as touchdowns are very valuable for running backs in this scoring format, and he figures to get those high-value goal-line touches in an offense that should have a ton of scoring opportunities.
The Rams had the second-fewest targets go to their running backs last season, so Akers' appeal in PPR formats is much lower considering this information. It may be best to target backs that will catch passes in this format, but nonetheless, Akers can still return value regardless of the scoring format.
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