One Achilles injury can be very problematic for a running back in the NFL; a second could prove to be catastrophic. What is the dynasty fantasy football value of Minnesota Vikings RB Cam Akers after suffering a torn Achilles for the second time in his NFL career? Let’s take a closer look.
Cam Akers’ Dynasty Outlook
The NFL journey of the former Florida State Seminole has been a volatile roller coaster ride filled with ups and downs. His breakout performance came as a member of the Los Angeles Rams against the New England Patriots back in Week 14 of the 2020 NFL season when he exploded for 171 rushing yards on 29 carries.
MORE: Fantasy News Tracker
Unfortunately, injuries and confusing usage would plague the rest of Akers’ tenure with the Rams. He suffered a torn Achilles heading into the 2021 season but miraculously made it back onto the football field in the regular-season finale and contributed to the Rams’ run to a Super Bowl title.
After his arrow appeared to be pointing up heading into the 2022 season, Akers confusingly fell out of favor with the coaching staff, and it looked like his days as a member of the Rams were done after losing work to Darrell Henderson through the first half of the season.
But just when Akers seemed like he was on his way out, he finished the 2022 campaign with three straight 100-yard rushing performances. The strong finish with a dominating snap share gave fantasy managers hope once again that Akers could be a legit RB1 option in the Rams offense.
Well, history repeated itself when Akers lost his job to RB Kyren Williams, which led to his trade to the Vikings after just one game with the Rams in 2023. And just when Akers started to see a significant amount of work in this Vikings backfield, tragedy struck again in the form of a second torn Achilles for Akers, which puts his NFL career in serious jeopardy after a second catastrophic lower-body injury before the age of 25.
I’m not trying to say it can’t be done, but the list of players who have seen significant fantasy after suffering two torn Achilles during their NFL career isn’t very long. If you can get anything of value for Akers at the moment, I would take it.
Should You Trade Akers?
Are you considering trading Akers? Our PFN Trade Analyzer allows you to find the best trades to make in seconds! It also allows us to see trending searches, and we’ve compiled a few of the most popular below.
Should You Trade Akers for Chase Brown?
Chase Brown has been a nonfactor in the Cincinnati Bengals offense during his rookie season and is currently on injured reserve (IR) with a hamstring injury.
MORE: PFN Consensus Rankings
However, starting RB Joe Mixon is getting up there in age and hasn’t been overly efficient this season, which could open the door for Brown in the near future. I would trade Akers for Brown.
Should You Trade Akers for Zamir White?
The talented RB prospect from the Georgia Bulldogs has failed to make much of a fantasy impact through his first two seasons playing behind Josh Jacobs but still has some value as his fantasy handcuff. White has an early-down skill set, which could be valuable if Jacobs were to go down with an injury.
With Jacobs on a one-year deal that is set to expire at the end of this season, White could be in line to compete for a leading role in this backfield in 2024, while the free agent value of Akers will be unknown because of the second Achilles injury of his career. I would trade Akers for White in your dynasty league.
Should You Trade Akers for Cedric Tillman?
The two receptions for eight yards through the first half of the 2023 season for Cleveland Browns rookie WR Cedric Tillman may not be an exciting stat line, but his season-high 74% snap rate gives dynasty managers some room for optimism.
The Browns also dealt WR Donovan Peoples-Jones to the Detroit Lions at the trade deadline, which opens up more snaps for Tillman. While the production hasn’t quite been manufactured yet, Tillman is the more valuable dynasty asset right now. I would deal Akers for Tillman in a heartbeat.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!
Read More 2024 Dynasty Profiles
Using the table below, browse our 2024 dynasty profiles for more than 170 players so you can dominate your dynasty drafts!
You can sort by player, team, or position. For mobile users, this table is best viewed in landscape mode.