In 2021, the Los Angeles Rams reached the apex of professional football, hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LVI. Last season, everything fell apart. LA’s offense looked like a shadow of its former self, topping 24 points just twice all year, and the injuries piled up, leaving a skeleton crew that barely resembled the championship club.
While the ground game didn’t have the steep drop off that the rest of the offense did, that was because the Rams weren’t a good running team in 2021 when expected lead back Cam Akers missed nearly the entire regular season due to an Achilles injury. Having Akers and Darrell Henderson available to begin LA’s title defense didn’t help matters, and Henderson ended up getting waived in late November.
Beyond the backs, the offensive line was decimated by injury. The team will be counting on bounce-back years from offensive tackle Joe Noteboom, who played in six games before tearing his Achilles, and center Brian Allen, who appeared in eight games, as well as offensive guard Logan Bruss, a third-round pick that missed his entire rookie campaign with a torn ACL. OG Steve Avila, a second-round selection back in April, and holdover tackle Rob Havenstein, the lone healthy returning lineman, should round out the starting five.
While the Rams need this group to gel and stay healthy to maximize the potential of the running game, there’s always fantasy appeal in backs. That means it’s a good time to look at LA’s backfield to see what they have with which to work.
Cam Akers
As noted, Akers missed basically all of 2021 recovering from an Achilles tear sustained during the offseason. Fully healthy entering last season, Akers had a lot of positive buzz with fantasy owners. He struggled mightily out of the gate, however, playing second fiddle to Henderson and being called out by head coach Sean McVay. The relationship soured to the point that Akers was shopped around before the trade deadline and was even a healthy scratch.
Ultimately, the two sides reconciled, and Akers served as the primary back over the season’s final six weeks. That included three straight 100-plus-yard efforts in Weeks 16-18 as he turned 63 carries into 345 yards and three touchdowns. It was an encouraging performance, and McVay saying that Akers would be a “central figure” in the offense is another step in the right direction. Entering a contract year, Akers has plenty of extra motivation to deliver in 2023.
Kyren Williams
Williams’ NFL career began with a rocky start. He suffered a broken foot that required surgery in June, and then he endured a high-ankle sprain in Week 1 that landed him on IR. The Notre Dame product logged his first carry on Nov. 13 but played sparingly, totaling 35 carries in eight games. While he caught just nine passes, Williams is considered a solid receiver out of the backfield, something that Akers has yet to show any aptitude for. McVay identified Williams as a standout during offseason workouts, and with a full offseason under his belt, the second-year back should be in line for a larger role.
Sony Michel and Zach Evans
LA used one of its many Day 3 selections on Evans, who led the SEC with 6.5 yards per carry last year. The rookie has good speed and could hit on some big plays if he gets in the open, but he’s a work in progress as both a receiver and a pass blocker.
Just in case the team isn’t happy with Williams and/or Evans, they re-signed Michel, who led the team in rushing back in 2021 with 845 yards on 208 carries (4.1 YPC). The veteran failed to impress in limited work with the Los Angeles Chargers last season, but he knows the system and has proven he could make some plays within it. That said, a strong offseason from Williams and/or the rookie could put Michel on the bubble.
Fantasy football outlook
While there’s a lot to like about Akers’ situation — he is clearly the lead back, he’ll be a free agent after the season, and McVay has hyped up his importance to the offense — we haven’t seen sustained production out of him, or the Rams’ running game in general.
Akers looks to be on the border of top-25 status and would make a decent RB3 with a little juice. After that, you’re looking at watch-list fodder based on who breaks camp as the backup, which is most likely Williams at this point thanks to his PPR upside. With a good offseason, Evans could emerge as a late-round flier, or an insurance buy for Akers owners.
