Some offenses are very conducive to running back scoring. The Los Angeles Rams appear to be one of them. Kyren Williams has been the star waiver wire pickup at the RB position. Unfortunately, he’s now likely sidelined until Week 11. So is backup RB Ronnie Rivers. That leaves the Rams with Zach Evans, practice squad guy Royce Freeman, and two recent signees. Should fantasy football managers add Myles Gaskin from the Week 7 waiver wire?
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Should Myles Gaskin Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 7?
Before we even get into Gaskin’s fantasy outlook, we need to touch on this entire backfield quickly … or what remains of it.
Kyren Williams has had the single best role in all of fantasy football at the RB position. He leads all RBs in snap share and routes run. While the Rams don’t throw to running backs often, Williams’ usage is still as good as it gets.
Sean McVay has historically used one running back, dating all the way back to Todd Gurley. Whoever ends up being the RB1 while Williams and Rivers are out will likely have fantasy value. The challenge is going to be figuring out who that is.
There are only so many roster spots on your bench that you can dedicate to a single backfield. It’s hard to imagine anyone being able to stash more than two of these guys.
Evans is a sixth-round rookie with an unimpressive prospect profile. While the team drafted him this year, and he’s been there all season, that doesn’t mean he’s simply the next man up.
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When Evans was forced into action last week, he managed just 10 yards on four carries. Of course, that is an extremely small sample size. But it’s certainly not encouraging.
It’s entirely possible that Evans is a sub-replacement-level player. If that ends up being true, the Rams will not hesitate to turn to someone else.
The next guy, in theory, should be Freeman. He’s been around the league a long time, bouncing from team to team. He mostly rests on the practice squad but has been active for three games this season, playing exclusively on special teams. His next offensive snap will be his first.
Freeman’s career started off on the wrong foot when he lost his presumptive starting job to UDFA Phillip Lindsay on the Broncos. He never recovered. Freeman could still end up being the guy, or at least the passing-down back, but it seems unlikely that he’d succeed.
With the Rams down both of their running backs, they had to sign two guys to replace them. First, they brought back Darrell Henderson. Then, they added the former Miami Dolphin, Gaskin.
Gaskin Has Had Success Before
Gaskin is a former seventh-round pick who surprisingly broke out in his second season with the Dolphins. In 2020, Gaskin was a very effective receiver, commanding a 13.5% target share.
While Gaskin played well enough, it’s always a challenge for Day 3 picks. He lost his job during the 2021 season, barely played in 2022, and was cut.
Gaskin has spent the first six weeks of this season on the Vikings practice squad. It is likely the Rams poached him because he has experience and could play in a pinch.
At the same time, Henderson has been an every-down back for this team before. The Rams may have spent three years doing everything in their power to avoid putting Henderson on the field, but injuries seem to befall this backfield constantly. Henderson has succeeded in the past.
Is Gaskin Worth Adding Off the Waiver Wire?
If you’ve reached this point in the article and feel like I haven’t given you an answer on what’s going to happen, that’s because it’s true. I don’t know how this backfield will shake out. No one does.
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What I do know is out of all four of the Rams running backs, Gaskin and Henderson have had the most success.
No outcome here would shock me. Evans was almost certainly claimed in your league when waivers cleared Wednesday morning. In deeper leagues, Freeman was likely the next guy added. It’s possible, if not likely, that both Gaskin and Henderson remain out there.
If you have a free roster spot and nothing to do with it, there’s no harm in throwing Gaskin on the back of your bench just to see what happens. He could be the guy. Someone else could get hurt, forcing him into action next week. Who knows?
Both Williams and Rivers have run well behind this Rams offensive line. Neither of them is a special player. If they can do it, so can Gaskin, if given the opportunity.
I would not drop any player of consequence for Gaskin. But the Rams have three games to play before Williams or Rivers return. Anything can happen. At this point in the season, just about every potential impact player is already rostered. Embrace the uncertainty of this backfield.