Cam Akers Out for the 2021 NFL Season
Just as NFL training camps are about to open for the 2021 season came word that Los Angeles Rams sophomore superstar RB Cam Akers suffered a torn Achilles and will miss the entire 2021 NFL season. After a brilliant late-season run as LA’s featured back, Akers was considered a potential top-10 fantasy player and had a red-hot ADP. His absence will have huge ramifications in both the NFL and fantasy football.
Akers was injured while training ahead of next week’s training camp. After averaging 113 scrimmage yards and scoring five touchdowns in LA’s final seven games of the 2020 season (including the playoffs), Akers was poised to take over as the club’s three-down star and contend for top-5 fantasy numbers.
The only silver lining to pull out of this unfortunate injury is that it occurred ahead of the vast majority of fantasy football drafts. That gives fantasy enthusiasts plenty of time to react. The question now is, how?
Impact on Akers
We know that Akers will not play in 2021, so he has no value in redraft formats. But with the widening popularity of dynasty leagues, that doesn’t mean Akers has no value. While Akers can be stashed on most league’s IR spot, a torn Achilles is a devastating blow for quick-twitch athletes, particularly running backs.
Nearly three-fourths of NFL players who rupture an Achilles are able to suit up again but the outlook for running backs has been poor. There was a 78% drop-off in production in the first three seasons following a ruptured Achilles for running backs.
That’s terrible news for people that invested early on Akers, but not dire. Akers is an impressive athlete who played through injuries at Florida State. Some veteran NFL wide receivers have returned from an Achilles injury and done just fine.
Considering the investment made on Akers, the only play for dynasty enthusiasts here is to hold Akers and hope that he’s able to overcome the odds. If he’s fully healthy in time for the 2022 season, Akers could still be a borderline RB2.
Darrell Henderson SZN
The Rams allowed Malcolm Brown to head to Miami this offseason, which made Darrell Henderson the unquestioned RB2 in LA. Now that Akers is gone, Henderson will take on an expanded role and for the Rams, there might night be a huge drop-off.
Looking back at last season, Henderson was only slightly less effective in games with double-digit carries than Henderson. In those contests, Akers averaged 14.8 PPR points per game, while Henderson came in at 12.6, which was a top-30 average among all running backs.
And as impressive as Akers was down the stretch, both Brown and Henderson were much better in short-yardage situations.
Before Akers was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Henderson was viewed as a potential RB2 following Todd Gurley’s departure. Although Akers eventually took over that job in the second half of last season, Henderson still posted some impressive numbers in FantasyData’s advanced RB Metrics.
Despite seeing just 138 rushing attempts, Henderson ranked 20th with a breakaway run rate of 4.3% and 12th with 5.42 fantasy points per target. While Akers has deservedly accrued substantial hype, Henderson appears fully capable of posting superb fantasy numbers with a three-down skill set.
However, Henderson has not showcased featured back ability like Akers did down the stretch, so it is likely that head coach Sean McVay will bring in a veteran back or two to add to his team’s depth chart which now consists of Henderson, a pair of seventh-rounders in Raymond Calais and Jake Funk, and un-drafted free-agent Xavier Jones.
Now poised to potentially take over as the starter in a potent Rams’ offense, Henderson is an intriguing RB2 target in the middle rounds whose ADP is about to shoot up several rounds, perhaps as high as the fourth round.
Available Veteran Reinforcements
Although the Rams are already in bad shape via the salary cap, McVay will likely bring in some of the available veteran runners that are currently free agents. At the very least, the club will scour final rosters cuts after the preseason, but reinforcements are essential.
Which running backs make sense for the Rams?
Todd Gurley – Gurley had a ton of success in this system with McVay in his first six seasons and is currently an unsigned free agent. However, Gurley has been hampered by a declining skillset and injuries and has appeared to be a shell of his former self since 2019. However, Gurley can still contribute as a change-of-pace option and was still a plus touchdowns scorer for the Falcons a year ago before being phased out down the stretch.
Le’Veon Bell – Bell is still only 29 and was misused by a bumbling Jets’ coaching squad last season. While Bell has done little since 2019, there were times when he looked like his old self last year in New York. Bell has excellent hands, power, and would be an excellent all-around fit in McVay’s system.
Adrian Peterson – Although Peterson is now 36, he is known to keep himself in excellent shape and covets one more chance to earn a Super Bowl ring. Peterson appeared to still be capable of playing last season in Detroit, where he punched in seven TDs and finished 12th among all backs with 1.56 yards created per attempt. AP could have double-digit TD upside if he were to sign with the Rams and take over as the team’s short-yardage back and played for Rams’ offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell two years ago in Washington.
Other veteran options: Frank Gore, Duke Johnson, DeAndre Washington, Chris Thompson, Ito Smith, LeSean McCoy
