With Joe Mixon (ankle) continuing to miss time, the Houston Texans’ backfield is influx. A true bell-cow role doesn’t appear to be available in the veteran’s absence, and the long-term outlook is cloudy at best. Yet, many fantasy football teams need wins now to make the winter matchups matter, and Cam Akers might well be a means to that end.
Should Cam Akers Be Added Off the Fantasy Waiver Wire in Week 6?
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Akers, over Dare Ogunbowale, profiles as the cleaner replacement for Mixon’s role and volume in an offense that we all like and has the potential to be valuable in a meaningful way.
shoutout the 11.7% of people who started Cam Akers pic.twitter.com/ihODf1Vduh
— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) October 6, 2024
The downside of Akers, however, is multifaceted. He, of course, has his own health history, which caps how high I can responsibly push Akers’ touch projection, regardless of his standing on the depth chart.
Even if you are willing to take Akers’ health for granted in the short term, there’s a production component that needs to be considered. Not once in his NFL career has Akers finished with a positive production over expectation rate, something that is fueled by 20.9% of his career carries failing to gain yardage.
Everything needs to go right for Akers to return RB2 value, especially when you consider his limitations in the passing game for an offense that wants to operate through the air.
For his career, Akers has recorded 10.4 carries per reception, a damning rate in this C.J. Stroud-led offense. Through five weeks, the Texans rank ninth in pass game EPA (expected points added) and 29th in rush EPA. This is an offense that is likely to lean into its strengths, and with Mixon sidelined, there’s no question as to what portion of the offense the Texans trust most.
Coming up, the Texans get the Patriots, Packers, and Colts. That’s two games against top-12 rush EPA defenses, the exception being a Green Bay team that has the potential to put points on the board and script out Akers’ role.
Akers is still the running back in Houston I want while Mixon is on the shelf, something that sounds more like an extended stay with each passing day. However, blindly assuming that you have yourself a top-20 fantasy RB is a bit optimistic for my liking.