Fantasy Football Outlook

Cam Akers’ career with the Rams has truly been an enigma. From anticipated starter to benchwarmer to trade block suitor to productive bell cow (and that’s just his ‘22 season), following Akers’ career is like riding one of those rotating roller coasters where your seat flips you back and forth while the coaster itself barrels around in twists and loops. At the end of it, you’re left stumbling and fumbling for a sense of reality.

The reality of Cam Akers is that last year, in the final six weeks of the regular season, when he had finally patched things up with head coach Sean McVay, he averaged over 100 total yards and 1 touchdown per game. Those numbers made him the RB3 (in STD; RB4 in PPR) in Fantasy Points Per Game during that stretch.

This is quite the accomplishment for a player who we thought, just two months earlier, would never reach relevant fantasy status again. Instead, he turned out to be a late-season darling, one who helped owners get to their title game with the RB1 performance in semifinals week — 147 total yards, and 3 touchdowns.

2023 Fantasy Football Outlook

What does the future hold for Akers? That’s still to be determined, but here’s what we know that’s different from last year: his offensive line will be better. Their line was ravaged by injuries; only one player started in all 17 games last season! This year, their line will come into the season healthy with the added piece of their first draft pick in the second round in TCU guard Steve Avila. This 6’3”, 332 lb. stud, who gave up zero sacks in 540 pass-blocking snaps in 2022, will certainly help to stabilize a unit that was desperate for continuity and protection.

Another knock on him is his lack of passing game involvement. In 29 games with the Rams, he’s caught 27 passes on 35 targets; he’s averaged less than one catch a game! Sadly, Akers will never be a McCaffrey or Ekeler when it comes to catching passes out of the backfield (but not many are).

However, it should be noted that almost one-third of his career targets came in that redeeming, final, six-game stretch, where he caught 11 of his 27 career catches. Perhaps they discovered something with him in the back third of the season and that trend could continue into this year. Regardless, he’s going to get the rock a ton this season, and his rushing attempts will offset what he lacks in targets.

The Rams have had plenty of opportunities to replace Akers this offseason and they haven’t done it. Their actions, or lack thereof, tell me that they believe Akers is their guy this year. But if their actions weren’t enough, McVay had some words too: “He’s really capitalized on a lot of the momentum he built up toward the latter part of the year. And he’s going to be a huge part of what we’re doing moving forward. Cam is going to be a central figure in this offense. I think he’s priming himself to have a great year.”

Most of the time, when coaches praise their players during the offseason, their comments should be taken with a grain of salt. The reason I think these comments hold more water is because of the falling out Akers and McVay appeared to have at the beginning of last year. At one point, Akers looked like he wouldn’t play another snap for the Rams at all because of the descension between the two. Now, McVay is saying that Akers will be “a huge part” of their offense. That, to me, is saying something, and I am fully bought in on Akers’ role in this offense.

Given the expectation of an improved offensive line, a potentially increased role in the passing game, his coach’s confidence, and his modest 6th-round draft cost (62.8 overall) according to FantasyPros’ PPR ADP, I would be thrilled to have Akers as my RB2 to go alongside five or six other studs. He would be an easy auto-start in my flex if I was fortunate enough to have at least two other high-end backs. Give me the RB1 potential in my flex spot every day of the week.

Dynasty Outlook

Akers is age 24 entering the final year of his rookie deal with the Rams. Oftentimes, a player will play their heart out in the last year of a deal to earn a contract extension or to hopefully sign a deal with a new team. Akers falls firmly in that category, and you can be sure he’ll be putting up the best numbers he can. Whether he is extended or signs somewhere else is anyone’s guess, so his future does leave him a bit risky.

I would view Akers as a short-term play with the potential to have another few years of meaningful fantasy impact.  Currently, Akers sits as the RB22 (68th overall) in our 2023 Dynasty Rankings. That’s a pretty accurate representation of where I think his value lies in the fantasy landscape. He’s a good backend RB2 for dynasty purposes, with backend RB1 potential for this year.

If your eye is on a title this year, Akers could be an underrated cog in that machine. Go out and see if you can get him. If you’re in a rebuild, he’s not the type of player that I could confidently hang my hat on for the future. His talent and youth are there, but his opportunity remains undetermined, and that makes him a risky proposition. I’d sell now and get a rookie or pick in return to have more confidence in the future of my dynasty squad.

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