It’s been a difficult year for fantasy football managers. It seems like every star player has spent some time on the injury report this year, and that list — surprisingly — includes Los Angeles Rams RB Kyren Williams.
Williams was an afterthought in fantasy football drafts, but he was a key piece in winning matchups before his ankle injury. What’s the latest on the talented RB, and will he be set to return in Week 12?
Latest Injury Update on Kyren Williams
It’s been quiet on the injury update front for Williams as the team was focused on their Week 11 opponent, the Seattle Seahawks, and the fact that Williams wasn’t eligible to return from injured reserve this past week.
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However, all signs recently have pointed to Williams returning to practice after his ankle sprain, and he should be activated off of injured reserve. We’ll need to await further injury news and make sure that the young RB doesn’t suffer any setbacks coming back to practice, but there’s a high probability that he’ll be available in Week 12.
Will Williams Play This Week?
At the time of writing, it’s uncertain whether or not Williams will be ready to play in Week 12 against the Arizona Cardinals. L.A. will need to return to the practice field, and we’ll get better clarity on Williams’ status on Wednesday when we have the full practice reports.
As long as Williams is logging at least limited practices to begin the week, fantasy managers should feel confident that he’ll return and be eligible to be plugged into starting lineups.
Editor’s note: The Rams have officially activated Williams off of injured reserve. He will play in Week 12.
Williams’ Rest-of-Season Outlook
Williams was the workhorse option for this Rams offense before he suffered his ankle injury back in Week 6 against the Cardinals. In that game, Williams carried the ball 20 times for 158 yards on the ground while also finding the end zone.
In his absence, the Rams have been forced to turn to a committee of Royce Freeman and Darrell Henderson due to other injuries at the position. While they’ve performed admirably for being asked to step into a large role this late in the season, fantasy managers shouldn’t be concerned about the number of touches that Williams sees once he returns.
In speaking to reporters last week on Wednesday, head coach Sean McVay said, “I’ve been pleased with the job that Royce (Freeman) and Darrell (Henderson) have done kind of filling in in his absence, but you look at where he was playing amongst these other really good players in the league, and he had a stretch where he is playing some really good football.”
The Rams’ offense needs him — especially now, with Cooper Kupp potentially dealing with a larger injury — and he seems set to inherit his previous workload from the minute he returns. As long as he’s fully healthy, which we’ll know from the practice reports later this week, Williams is going to vault right back up the fantasy rankings.
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If you’ve been able to stash Williams on your bench or your IR spot the past several weeks, you may be getting back one of the few remaining workhorse RBs in fantasy football at just the right time.
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