As we inch toward the new season, the ever-changing NFL landscape has player fantasy values constantly on the move. Whether you’re used to the dynasty platform or are still learning the rules, let’s dive into the latest dynasty fantasy football value of Cam Akers.
Cam Akers’ Dynasty Outlook and Value
It has been a tumultuous start to Akers’ career. After a strong close to his rookie season, he was atop my must-draft list heading into the 2021 season. Unfortunately, he tore his Achilles in the summer.
Miraculously, Akers was able to make it back for Week 18 and reclaimed the Rams’ lead-back role during their Super Bowl run. The problem is Akers looked awful. Of course, that wasn’t exactly surprising, given he was less than six months removed from tearing his Achilles.
Entering the 2022 season, there were significant concerns surrounding Akers. Why was he so terrible in the playoffs? Was it because of the injury and quick return? Even so, would he ever regain his burst and agility? The track record for running backs returning from Achilles tears is not great.
Many fantasy managers cut bait on Akers ahead of the season, opting to trade him away rather than find out if he still had it. For 12 weeks, they all looked like geniuses.
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From Weeks 1-12, Akers averaged 3.9 ppg. Not only was he completely useless for fantasy, but he was also droppable in redraft leagues and borderline droppable in dynasty leagues.
Then, in Week 13, everything changed. Akers, who had averaged a sub-40% snap share throughout the season, became a three-down back.
Over the season’s final six weeks, Akers averaged over a 75% snap share. In Week 18, he played 100% of the snaps. Akers sure looked to be fully healthy, and his performance certainly supported that.
From Weeks 13-18, Akers averaged 17.7 ppg. He looked every bit like the guy I wanted to draft everywhere ahead of the 2021 season. And he did this on a terrible offense with no real passing-game threats.
Cam Akers’ Fantasy Ranking
Akers is still just 24 years old. But he’s also in the final year of his rookie contract. He’s shown enough to prove he can be a starting running back in the NFL. There’s just no guarantee it will be with the Rams. If LA has another down year, they will probably just blow it up and rebuild. Extending a running back would not be part of their plans.
Even if that happens, Akers will get a job somewhere. He has far more value now than he did at this point a year ago. With so many of the top running backs of the past generation nearing the end of their careers, Akers looks more appealing than he probably should be. But that doesn’t mean fantasy managers should try to sell him.
We have Akers as our RB24 (No. 79 overall) in our dynasty Superflex rankings. Consider Akers a low RB2 with high RB2 upside. He could reach RB1 levels if he finds himself on the right side of touchdown variance.
I’m definitely more bullish on Akers than I previously was, but I’m not going out of my way to acquire him, either. Whether I’m interested in Akers in dynasty startup drafts comes down to his price.