Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update: Cam Akers, RB LAR
The NFL Draft is behind us, rookie drafts are taking place, and as dynasty owners, we are looking ahead to the upcoming season. In the Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update series, we break down all the incoming fantasy-relevant rookies, looking at their profile and where they fit.
Name: Cam Akers
Position: Running back
Pro Team: Los Angeles Rams
College Team: Florida State Seminoles
Draft Status: Round two, 52nd overall
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
COMBINE REVIEW
- Height: 5’10”
- Weight: 217 pounds
- Arms: 30 5/8”
- Hands: 9”
- 40-yard dash: 4.47 seconds
- Vertical jump: 35 1/2”
- Broad jump: 122”
- Bench press: 20 reps
STRENGTHS
- A tough runner who doesn’t go down to arm tackles.
- Former high-school quarterback who posted video-game numbers as a senior.
- 3.9 of his 4.9 yards per carry occurred AFTER contact last season.
- Solid in pass protection and willing to take on pass rushers.
- Compact and powerful build.
- Solid contact balance – able to bounce off defenders and go through them.
- Great footwork in traffic and able to get defenders off balance setting up subtle moves.
- Good hands and vision as a receiver. Understands where to be in the screen game for success.
- Quick feet that make dynamic cuts and a strong spin move.
- Good acceleration for a back his size.
WEAKNESSES
- Bad habits from running behind a poor offensive line. Gets off-script and tries to do too much, leading to negative plays.
- When he attempts to play beyond his limits and off-script, he can get off balance.
- Vision. He needs to learn to trust his line and blockers.
- Needs to improve at slipping contact rather than inviting it at times.
OPPORTUNITIES
If you’re on Twitter, I am certain you have seen the “age-old” discussion about Cam Akers and how the Florida State line impacted his rushing stats. It’s a chicken or egg debate.
Many have spent time arguing that it was the line’s inability to run block that impacted Akers, while some have claimed he is a lower-tier prospect as evident by his stats.
Regardless of the film, Akers had a rather pedestrian combine performance that seemed to have little impact as the Rams made him the 52nd overall player selected in the draft. He posted a solid – but not great – Speed Score (that looks at 40-yard dash time and a player’s size).
The Rams parted with running back Todd Gurley this off-season before $10.5 million of his contract became guaranteed. This move left the team with a dead cap hit of $20.15 million. Even while dealing with knee issues, Gurley dominated the Rams backfield in 2019 with nearly 71% of the offensive snaps.
With the selection of Akers, it marked back to back years that the Rams had taken a running back with day two draft capital. In 2019, they drafted Darrell Henderson with the 70th overall selection in the third round.
The missing snaps mentioned above mean Akers has a great opportunity to step into a large role in the offense. The 71% from Gurley was good for 787 snaps in the Rams offense in 2019.
THREATS
Henderson represents one hurdle that Akers must overcome in his competition for playing time.
Also, the Rams signed Malcolm Brown to a two-year contract in March of 2019 that ends at the end of the 2020 season. Brown was the second back in the LA offense last year, as he earned nearly 20% of the team’s offensive snaps (222). With numerous issues along the line and having limited draft capital, the team spoke volumes about their affinity for Akers taking him with their first draft pick.
However, they did little to address that offensive line which has suffered numerous injuries and continues to be one of the older lines in the league.
SHORT-TERM EXPECTATIONS
Akers has a chance to step in immediately and see a large percent of the team’s snaps. Brown is little more than a plus change-of-pace back. Henderson failed to gain traction in 2019 and was only on the field for 93 offensive snaps. After having spent decent draft capital on Henderson, it is concerning that the team did not take more significant steps to get him involved so Akers could step straight in.
LONG-TERM EXPECTATIONS
The Rams will be able to move on from Brown when his contract runs out at the end of the 2020 season. Henderson is under contract through 2022 and John Kelly, who only received three snaps in 2019, is under contract through 2021. Akers is yet to sign his contract but likely will be signed through 2023 when his deal is official.
Akers steps into a great opportunity if he can secure the position as the lead back in the offense. With Sean McVay at the helm and a capable quarterback in Jared Goff, he will be in a much better position to succeed than during his time in college.
The team needs to start investing in the line long term and use future draft capital on it for the team to get back to its Super Bowl offense of 2018.
NFL PLAYER COMPARISON
One of the comparisons for Akers that I have heard is Mark Ingram. I think Akers is a much better athlete than Ingram. Both are of similar build. Ingram had the advantage of running behind a dominant offensive line in Alabama on a much better offense. Both are physical backs with great contact balance, and they have enough explosive speed to break long runs.
PROJECTED ROOKIE DRAFT RANGE
According to our Rookie ADP, Akers was going at 5.7 in the May rookie mocks. He is currently the fifth running back being taken during rookie drafts. In superflex rookie draft ADP, Akers was going 7.5 on average thus far in May ADP.
With a group of very talented running backs coming out in 2020, Akers is a solid value available near the middle of rookie drafts. Don’t let his stats fool you – he is a strong talent who was in a bad position to succeed during his collegiate career. Akers is one of the more pure runners in this class and can quickly ascend the ranks of running backs on the Rams offense.
Pete is a Western Washington University (Go Vikings! Undefeated at Football since 2009!) History grad with a doctorate in dynasty football, from a certificate he bought online. He prefers stats and analytics but realizes film grinding is an important part of the process. Dabbles in "Mild Takes" and believes in the process.
