Once given the reins of the Los Angeles Rams’ backfield in 2020, RB Cam Akers showed he can be one of the best backs in not just fantasy football but also in the NFL. As he enters the 2021 season with a full head of steam and praise from his coaching staff, could Akers be on his way to a breakout fantasy season and excel once again?
Although successful, Cam Akers could have been even better in 2020
2020 was a frustrating season for both Akers and fantasy managers who bought into the rookie out of Florida State. We saw what he could do behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NCAA and knew with a bit of daylight he could be a massive hit in the NFL. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and it had nothing to do with him.
For the majority of the season, head coach Sean McVay ran the backfield with a committee approach. Although the Rams were seventh in rushing attempts (473), they were split between Darrell Henderson (138), Malcolm Brown (101), and Akers (145).
Henderson played on 33% of the snaps, Brown on 42%, and Akers saw 32%. It took Akers until Week 13 to see over 60% in a single game. As a result, all of their potential ceilings were mitigated. Through Week 11, Henderson was the RB24 (10.5 PPR), Brown was the RB33 (9.4 PPR), and Akers was RB76 (4.5 PPR).
Once Akers was finally able to break through the mind-numbing timeshare, however, he absolutely dominated for fantasy.
Akers ended 2020 as one of the hottest RBs in the NFL
It all changed in Week 12. Although Akers only saw 9 carries and 27% of the snaps, he turned those into 84 yards and a touchdown on his way to an RB16 finish (13.9 points). The secret was out, and McVay had no other option than to let the rookie eat.
Akers took control of the Rams’ backfield starting in Week 13. Over the final five weeks (four games), Akers rushed 86 times for 340 yards and a touchdown. He also caught 8 passes on 11 targets for 96 yards.
He was the RB23 (13.9 PPR) over this stretch, and the only fault was the lack of touchdowns. It is also why his 0.57 fantasy points per opportunity came in as low as it did. However, it is not for lack of trying. In their last five games, the Rams ran the ball on 64% of their red-zone attempts. Akers saw 22 of those carries (67%), including 7 totes inside the five-yard line.
While not a help to fantasy, this success and trust carried into the playoffs. If you include his two playoff games, Akers averaged 24.3 opportunities per game (0.67 pts/opp) and 118 total yards after becoming the lead back. It is worth remembering that Henderson missed Week 17 and the playoffs on injured reserve.
Could Cam Akers see a similar volume in 2021 as the Rams’ lead back?
If you listen to McVay, apparently so.
“[Akers is] obviously a great runner, but he’s got ability as a pass catcher coming from the backfield, and we can displace him and put him in the slot or the outside receiver location,” McVay said, via Kevin Modesti of the LA Daily News. “There’s not any limitations, but we’ll see how it comes to life.”
Come on, coach — don’t tease me by telling me Akers will get receiving work. That’s not fair. However, there might be some veracity to those claims now that Brown is no longer in the picture. Brown, a 2021 free agent, signed with the Miami Dolphins in the offseason after leading the Rams’ backfield in targets last season with 33.
It would be naive to expect Akers to receive 26+ opportunities per game as he did in the final stretch of 2020. After all, this is the same team that ran the literal knees off Todd Gurley, averaging 20.3 opportunities per game from 2015 to 2019 while playing on 74% of the snaps over the last four seasons.
Even while leading the NFL in touches with 397, Derrick Henry averaged “just” 24.8 per game, and he had a backfield to himself. For as great as he can be, Akers will not out-touch King Henry in 2021…or ever.
Will Cam Akers excel for the Rams and fantasy in his second year?
In short — yes. I believe Akers will excel, but his value is quickly reaching a tipping point. Akers already was on the rise during the offseason as fantasy managers crunched the data. The Rams’ offseason moves only pushed his stock higher.
First, there was the undeniable upgrade from Jared Goff to Matthew Stafford. After years of success dumping off to Gurley, Goff completely went away from it last season, targeting RBs on just 12.6% of his attempts (30th in the NFL). In contrast, Stafford has shown his entire career the willingness to take what the defense allows and dump off to a checkdown.
That’s a huge deal for Akers’ potential fantasy value. Of the top 20 RBs in 2020, only two had less than 20 receptions — Nick Chubb (RB11) with 16 and Henry (RB3) with 19. That’s more than Akers was on pace for in targets last season (17).
Throw in Brown leaving, the Rams not drafting a running back, and everything McVay has said, and Akers is now the RB9 in PPR drafts on NFC. Could Akers end the season as the RB9 or even higher? Sure, but it would all have to go right from the increased targets to the Rams moving off a committee approach. The latter of which I have a hard time seeing.
Akers will undoubtedly lead the backfield for fantasy in 2021, but the floor could be just as low as the ceiling is high on a weekly basis. He is someone I would draft with caution at his current ADP, but for the right price, I am all in should he slip a bit.
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Tommy Garrett is a writer for Pro Football Network covering the NFL and fantasy football and a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers Association). You can read more of his work here and follow him at @TommygarrettPFN on Twitter.