Cam Akers Fantasy 2020
Cam Akers couldn’t have found a better landing spot to start his NFL career than with the Los Angeles Rams. At 5’10 217 lbs, Akers put up impressive numbers during his collegiate career at Florida State, finishing with 2,875 yards on the ground averaging 4.9 yards per carry with 27 rushing touchdowns. Akers also had 69 receptions with 486 receiving yards with an additional seven receiving touchdowns. The passing game numbers aren’t going to blow anyone away, but it’s worth noting that his usage increased year over year. He’s got some quickness, running a 4.47 40 at the combine which is slightly above the average 4.49 and is more than capable of being productive at the next level. The Rams cut ties with Todd Gurley this past off-season, leaving a void in the running game. Current backs on the roster are nothing to get excited about in Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown so Akers path to playing time is in his own hands. Brown isn’t good enough to be an every-down back and Henderson is more a change of pace running back. Akers should have no issues overtaking these two for playing time as he is already the most talented runner on the roster. Another catalyst for Akers and the Rams is playing in the NFC West where the Cardinals and Seahawks both ranked in the bottom 11 in rushing yards allowed for the 2019 season. Akers gets four games a year against bottom tier rushing defenses.
The incoming class of rookie running backs is stocked with talent, however, most of them have some type of competition in front of them. Akers currently has an ADP 61.4 RB30 which puts him in RB2/FLEX territory depending on roster construction. I believe he offers way more value and can be taken later in drafts with more upside potential than any of the other rookie backs going ahead of him. Here we have the ADP values of the top rookie running backs off the board with a quick peek at their situations and players they are sharing time with.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire Chiefs ADP 6.7 RB6. No real competition. The sky-high asking price for a rookie RB in an offense loaded with weapons is insane. He was handpicked by Andy Reid and no doubt has a bright future, but there’s a steep asking price for a rookie without a true off-season.
Jonathan Taylor Colts ADP 38.7 RB22. Marlon Mack is still on the roster in the last year of his contract and the coaching staff recently came out and said they are going with Mack out of the gate. Taylor will be eased into things barring a Mack injury of some sort. The Colts coaching staff have a history of favoring one running back.
D’Andre Swift Lions ADP 57.2 RB28. Kerryon Johnson is still in the mix and the Lions tend to lean on the passing game more. The Lions have never run the ball well and tend to play from behind or find themselves in shootouts often in both cases abandoning the run.
J.K. Dobbins Ravens ADP 72 RB32. Love the player and no one runs more than the Ravens, but he doesn’t have a shot at making an impact this year. Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram, Justice Hill, and Gus Edwards are all established in the league’s best running game. Dobbins will get a shot to make an impact, it just won’t be this year.
Each of the players above has some sort of obstacle in front of them to compete for playing time (with CEH it’s just a matter of stomaching the asking price which I’m not willing to do). Akers in my opinion landed in the perfect spot where an immediate impact can be made. CEH, Taylor, and Swift are all being drafted ahead of Akers at this point, and the only one starting from day one is CEH. If you’re going to gamble and take a rookie running back you need to know the coaching tendencies and depth charts of the teams that drafted them. They’re all talented players and Akers isn’t even the best of the bunch, but the competition he has to beat out is less talented than what other teams already have established on their rosters. Opportunity is everything in the NFL, and you can never bank on an injury to happen so when you’re putting your team together try to minimize the risk exposure. Akers is the least risky option on the list and has the chance to come in and start day one. Even if he ends up in a timeshare to start the season it won’t take long for him to take over as the every week starter. As drafts start to ramp up this time of year ADP data shifts and I expect Akers to climb a little before the start of the season in September as we start getting some news as teams open facilities.
“Cam Akers ran the new ‘Duce Staley Drill’ at the Combine so well that I had an NFL executive text me to say they should re-name it the ‘Cam Akers Drill.’ I can tell you the @RamsNFL were ecstatic how things worked out; landing the lone FSU player drafted this year.” – @PSchrags pic.twitter.com/llbTgNOCbL
— GMFB (@gmfb) April 27, 2020
Photo Credit: Feature Image from TheRams.com
