We view Akers as a low-end No. 2 running back worthy of a pick in the Round 5 or 6 range of Fantasy drafts, but he finished 2022 much better than that. Akers produced 408 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns in his final three games and was the No. 4 running back in Fantasy for the final six weeks of the season. If that was him finally regaining form after his 2021 Achilles injury, then we are way too low on Akers. But this isn't the first time Akers finished with a flurry; he posted 608 yards from scrimmage in his final six games of his rookie season. We are discounting Akers a bit because of the uncertainty surrounding the Rams offensive line and offense in general, but he'll have upside beyond his ADP.
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said Wednesday that he plans to have Akers active for Sunday's game in Carolina, Matthew Coller of PurpleInsider.com reports.
The Vikings acquired Akers last Wednesday and made him a healthy inactive for Sunday's loss to the Chargers. O'Connell said last week that he still views Alexander Mattison as the team's lead back, something that's unlikely to change in the immediate future after Mattison rebounded from a rough start to the season with 25 touches for 125 yards this past Sunday. A benching down the road is still possible, of course, and if nothing else, Akers will face soft competition for backup touches. The relatively unproven Ty Chandler represents the only other back currently on the roster.
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Vikings' Cam Akers: Not playing Week 3
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Akers (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Chargers.
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell suggested Friday that Akers wouldn't dress this weekend, so the running back's inactive status comes as no surprise. Minnesota wants to give Akers -- who was acquired from the Rams on Wednesday -- more time to get acclimated to his new organization, so he'll turn his sights toward making his NFL debut next Sunday at Carolina after getting in a full week of practice. Akers will likely be ticketed for a depth role initially, but he could emerge as the Vikings' lead back if Alexander Mattison's early season struggles continue.
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Vikings' Cam Akers: Unlikely to play Sunday
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Coach Kevin O'Connell said Friday that Akers isn't expected to suit up Sunday against the Chargers, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Given that he was dealt from L.A. to Minnesota on Wednesday and passed a physical Thursday, Akers didn't have much time to get up to speed with his new squad, despite his previous experience working with O'Connell on the Rams in 2020 and 2021. Akers thus will set his sights on making his Vikings debut Sunday, Oct. 1 at Carolina. In the meantime, Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler will lead Minnesota's backfield.
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Vikings' Cam Akers: Passes physical Thursday
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Akers passed a physical Thursday, completing the trade made between the Vikings and Rams on Wednesday.
Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Akers will be present at Thursday's practice, giving him two chances to get some on-field work with his new team ahead of Sunday's game against the Chargers. It remains to be seen how much Akers may be utilized out of the Vikings backfield this weekend, assuming he's active. If he does suit up, he'll likely play second fiddle to Alexander Mattison off the bat as he vies with Ty Chandler for secondary RB reps. Still, Akers' experience working with coach Kevin O'Connell in 2020 and 2021 in L.A. should serve him well in his transition to Minnesota.
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Vikings' Cam Akers: Could play Sunday
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Akers is likely to be available to play at least some snaps in Sunday's game against the Chargers given his familiarity with Minnesota's offense, which is modeled after the Rams' scheme, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips told ESPN.
Akers was traded to Minnesota along with a conditional seventh-round 2026 draft pick from the Rams on Wednesday for a conditional sixth-round 2026 draft pick. While Akers may play this week, it's hard to see him having much of a role given he'll have been with his new team just a few days. However, it seems likely he'll quickly move ahead of Ty Chandler to No. 2 on the depth chart given Chandler has been little used (just seven touches in two games). It's also not hard to envision Akers soon moving into a time share with starter Alexander Mattison given his struggles (a lost fumble in Week 2 and just 62 yards rushing on 19 carries for a paltry 3.3 YPC). However, Akers still has much to prove after his own underwhelming performance to start this season (29 yards rushing on 22 attempts in Week 1).
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Vikings' Cam Akers: Moving to Minnesota
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The Rams traded Akers to the Vikings on Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Pelissero noted that the deal involves a swap of late-round draft picks in 2026. Akers fell out of favor in the Rams backfield after just one game this season, following up an ugly 22-carry, 29-yard effort Week 1 by going on the inactive list Week 2. Upon joining the Vikings, it may take some time for Akers to fit into a running back rotation with Alexander Mattison -- the clear top option -- and Ty Chandler. Akers will at least have prior experience with head coach Kevin O'Connell working in his favor, as O'Connell was the Rams' offensive coordinator during Akers' first two seasons in the NFL. Akers' first chance to suit up with his new squad arrives Sunday against the Chargers, though he may hold only a limited role if he's active for the contest.
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Rams' Cam Akers: Coach confirms trade talks
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Head coach Sean McVay confirmed Monday that the Rams are "headed" toward trading Akers, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.
Leading up to Akers being a healthy inactive for the Rams' Week 2 loss to the 49ers, multiple reports had already indicated that the fourth-year running back was headed for the trade block while Los Angeles prepared to install second-year player Kyren Williams as its new lead back. McVay backed up those reports Monday, noting that general manager Les Snead had already spoken with "a handful of teams" about acquiring Akers. Until a trade is executed, Akers will likely continue to remain inactive, but look for the Rams to work quickly to find a new home for the 24-year-old in order to maintain roster flexibility. Since tearing his Achilles' tendon in July 2021, Akers has largely struggled to return to peak form, aside from a three-game stretch late in the 2022 season in which he cleared 100 rushing yards in each contest.
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Rams' Cam Akers: Inactive for Sunday's game
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Akers is inactive for Sunday's game against the 49ers.
Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic relays via Jay Glazer of Fox that the Rams are reportedly attempting to trade Akers, who is a healthy scratch Sunday. With Akers not in the team's backfield mix versus San Francisco on Sunday and possibly beyond, Kyren Williams figures to lead the Los Angeles backfield in Week 2, with Ronnie Rivers and Royce Freeman also candidates to mix in.
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Rams' Cam Akers: Set to be healthy inactive
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Akers is expected to be inactive for the Rams for Sunday's game against the 49ers and could be on the trade block, Jay Glazer reported Sunday on "Fox NFL Sunday."
Akers drew the start in the Rams' Week 1 win over the Seahawks, but he gained just 29 yards on 22 carries. Despite Akers' poor efficiency, the Rams' decision to drop him down the depth chart comes as a surprise after he finished the 2022 season with three straight 100-plus-yard rushing games. Kyren Williams will step up into a bigger role as a result of Akers apparently losing hold of the top backfield job.
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Rams' Cam Akers: TD saves inefficient day
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Akers rushed 22 times for 29 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 30-13 win over Seattle.
Akers was having trouble passing the line of scrimmage Sunday, posting an abysmal mark of 1.3 YPC. A late touchdown from the 24-year-old saved this from being a horrendous fantasy performance. Kyren Williams (15-52-2) clearly outperformed Akers out of the gates while also receiving two targets to the latter's none. Akers' fantasy managers can only hang their hats on the sheer volume Akers received Sunday, but the Rams are unlikely to run the ball 40 times every week. It will be interesting to see which Rams tailback gets more run against the 49ers in Week 2 after Sunday's results.
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Rams' Cam Akers: Having strong offseason
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Akers, per coach Sean McVay, is "going to be a central figure in this offense," Cameron DaSilva of TheRamsWire reports.
The end of the 2022 season saw the one-time second-round pick finally flash some of his tantalizing potential with back-to-back-to-back 100-yard rushing games, three touchdowns and an impressive 5.5 YPC over the Rams' final three contests. Akers has been putting in the work in the offseason with new running backs coach Ron Gould to protect what turned into a three-down role as the lead back, and while coach Sean McVay also complimented Kyren Williams on his progress this offseason, McVay noted that Akers is "going to be a huge part of what we're doing moving forward." Between McVay's comments and Akers' performance down the stretch last year, it seems much more likely the Rams will utilize the fourth-year veteran as the primary ball carrier rather than lumping him into the mostly ineffective committee approach the team used for the first half of last season.
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Rams' Cam Akers: Ends on three-game 100-yard streak
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Akers rushed 21 times for 104 yards and caught all three of his targets for 24 yards in Sunday's 19-16 overtime loss to Seattle.
Akers had a falling out with the Rams earlier in the season, but he and the team got back on the same page as the 2020 second-round pick finished the campaign with three consecutive 100-yard performances on the ground. Akers rushed 188 times for 786 yards and seven touchdowns overall, and he could open the 2023 season as the Rams' lead back.
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Rams' Cam Akers: RBs to Start
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Akers is on fire and should stay hot for one more week against the Seahawks in Week 18. He has either 100 total yards or a touchdown in five games in a row, and this streak started against Seattle in Week 13 when he had 17 carries for 60 yards and two touchdowns, along with one catch for no yards on one target. In his past two games against Denver and the Chargers, Akers has combined for 241 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 42 carries. The Seahawks have allowed nine total touchdowns to running backs in their past six games and six running backs to score at least 12 PPR points over that span.
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Rams' Cam Akers: Contrarian DFS Play
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Expect a third consecutive game over 100 yards for Cam Akers in Week 18. He's working his way into the Round 3 conversation in 2023 if the Rams don't make a significant acquisition at running back.
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Rams' Cam Akers: Eclipses century mark in loss
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Akers rushed 19 times for 123 yards and brought in one of two targets for 10 yards in the Rams' 31-10 loss to the Chargers on Sunday.
Akers saw backfield mate Malcolm Brown vulture the Rams' only touchdown, but he otherwise continued a highly encouraging stretch of play that's boosting his fantasy stock for 2023. The third-year back now has back-to-back 100-yard performances for the first time in his career, and although his passing game involvement took a slight hit after multi-reception efforts in Weeks 15 and 16, Akers still delivered nicely for fantasy managers riding his late-season surge. The 2020 second-round pick will have a solid opportunity to head into the offseason with some momentum against the Seahawks' inconsistent run defense on the road in Week 18.
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Rams' Cam Akers: RBs to Start
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Despite the Rams falling apart this season, one bright spot has been Akers turning into a star down the stretch. Let's hope he can stay hot for one more week. He comes into Week 17 with either 100 total yards or a touchdown in four games in a row. He just destroyed the Broncos in Week 16 with 23 carries for 118 yards and three touchdowns and two catches for 29 yards on two targets, and he has five catches on five targets in his past two games with Baker Mayfield. The Chargers are No. 8 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs this season, and three running backs in their past five games have scored at least 20 PPR points. Akers has top-15 upside in all leagues in Week 17.
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Rams' Cam Akers: Goes off for three scores
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Akers rushed 23 times for 118 yards and three touchdowns while catching both of his targets for 29 yards in Sunday's 51-14 win over Denver.
Akers appeared to be in the holiday spirit after gifting his fantasy managers three scores on Christmas Day. This was easily the 23-year-old's best performance of his career, which is especially impressive considering it came against one of the league's top defenses. Akers started the year in head coach Sean McVay's doghouse, but he has come on strong in recent weeks to rescue a Rams rushing attack that was on life support. The 2020 second-round pick is averaging 71.3 rushing yards with six total touchdowns in four games since taking over as the team's lead back. Akers can safely be viewed as an RB2 heading into a matchup against the Chargers on Jan. 1.
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Rams' Cam Akers: RBs to Sit
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Akers has been a bright spot for the Rams of late, scoring at least 12 PPR points in two of his past three games, with three total touchdowns over that span. And I like that he had three catches for 35 yards on three targets in his first start with Baker Mayfield in Week 15 at Green Bay. But his three quality outings have come against the Seahawks, Raiders and Packers, and the Broncos run defense has been tougher than those teams this season. Denver has allowed one rushing touchdown to a running back since Week 8, and Akers could be in trouble if he doesn't score in this matchup. I would only use him as a flex option in Week 16 in the majority of leagues.
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Rams' Cam Akers: Finishes with 90 total yards Monday
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Akers rushed 12 times for 65 yards and brought in all three targets for 35 yards in the Rams' 24-12 loss to the Packers on Monday night.
Akers was about the only bright spot for the Rams' mostly moribund offense, with the third-year back making an impact from his team's very first play. Akers ripped off a 15-yard gain on that initial carry, and he was also responsible for 23 total yards on Los Angeles' third possession, which culminated in the team's first points of the game, a 33-yard Matt Gay field goal. Akers ultimately finished with team highs in both rushing and receiving yards in a game where he saw multiple targets for only the second time all season, and he'll head into a Week 16 home matchup against the Broncos on Christmas Day with a trio of tallies of at least 60 rushing yards in the last five contests.
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Rams' Cam Akers: Sleeper RBs
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Akers has scored three touchdowns in his past two games, and he could become a reliable option in non- and 0.5-PPR leagues. He only has four catches for 19 yards on the season, so he's not going to help you much in PPR, especially if he doesn't score, but can be a flex option moving forward, especially in Week 15 at Green Bay. The Packers have allowed six touchdowns to running backs in their past four games, which should bode well for Akers this week.
