Cam Akers was a polarizing figure in the 2020 NFL Draft class. I mean, there were analysts telling managers to take Zack Moss over Akers.
Come on.
Akers was the fourth RB selected as the 52nd overall pick in the draft. Akers was headed to play for an offensive genius in HC Sean McVay but had to deal with third-round selection Darrell Henderson ahead of him on the depth chart. The Los Angeles Rams were seen as an “ok” landing spot and would ultimately fall on Akers to separate himself.
2020 SEASON RECAP
To say Akers started slowly would be an understatement. Much like Henderson did in 2019, Akers didn’t find fantasy relevance until Week 13 of the NFL season. Akers did not see a snap in three games before taking the lead role in Week 13. In the games Akers did get on the field, he did not see a snap share above 27%.
Whether it be Akers figuring it out, Henderson dealing with an injury, or the Rams coaching staff finally trusting Akers more, something worked, and Akers blossomed. In Week 12, Akers averaged over nine yards per carry and found the end zone. Akers followed that performance with a 21 carry, 71 yards, and a TD game in Week 13.
And then the New England game happened. In primetime on a Thursday night, Cam Akers arrived. Akers ran wild, finishing with 29 carries for 171 yards, and caught two passes for 23 more yards. A star was born.
Or so we thought.
Akers then slipped back to score 7.2 PPR points in Week 15 and didn’t play in your Week 16 title game. He was able to return in Week 17 but let many managers down throughout the season.
Akers missed three games due to injury in 2020 and appears to have to fight the “injury-prone” label going forward with his limited touches.
| Attempts | Yards | Rush TDs | YPC | Targets | Rec | Yards | Rec TDs | PPR Total | RB Finish |
| 145 | 625 | 2 | 4.31 | 14 | 11 | 123 | 1 | 101.8 | RB46 |
THE WAY FORWARD
Akers flashed at points in 2020. The game against the Patriots was a lot of what I saw when I did my rookie evaluation for this site—a supreme athlete who can find yards. Unfortunately, Akers could only do this one time in 2020 and only had three fantasy performances over 10 PPR points. Much like fellow rookie J.K. Dobbins, Akers was limited by volume. If Akers can be the lead back in 2021, he has a shot to finish as a top 20 PPR RB. I am not confident the Rams want to hand the keys to Akers alone and fear this backfield may develop into a committee with Henderson and Akers. Akers is the more talented player, and if he can take control early in the 2021 season, he could take off.
