CamAkers

News: 7 days agoCoach Sean McVay recently said Akers has been "getting more comfortable" and "caught up to speed" after dealing with an Achilles tear last year, ESPN's Sarah Barshop reports.

Spin: Akers surprisingly made it back for the playoffs after tearing his Achilles in mid-July, but he didn't look like the same player that ran for 221 yards and two TDs in two playoff games the previous year. The strong finish to his rookie season had Akers going in the second round of fantasy drafts before his injury last summer, and he still has potential to justify that price (or higher) if he can handle a three-down role in McVay's offense. On the other hand, he'll lose a lot of work to Darrell Henderson and/or other backs if he looks like he did in January and February.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Akers is expected to enter 2022 as the high-scoring Rams' lead back after missing the entire 2021 regular season with a torn Achilles. The 2020 second-round pick first took on lead-back duties in Week 13 of the 2020 season and, since that point, he's played a substantial role in 10 games. During those outings, he's averaging 19.9 carries and 2.4 targets per game. Akers failed to impress off his surprising return from the Achilles injury during the playoffs (2.6 YPC), but he's only 23 years old and figures to be much closer to full strength come Week 1. Akers may be limited as a pass-catcher (especially with Darrell Henderson Jr. in the fold), but he's the lead back in an offense that is second in the league in carries inside the 5 since Sean McVay joined the team in 2017. Akers is a major breakout candidate.