Cam Aker’s dynasty outlook in 2022
By: Jake Rajala
The Los Angeles Rams missed the presence of Cam Akers last season, but the cyborg RB returned healthy for the playoff gauntlet. The Rams starting RB didn’t quite lift off in the playoffs, as he averaged 2.6 yards per carry and registered zero touchdowns. Nonetheless, there are still sky-high expectations for the special athlete in a Rams uniform.
The Rams ball-carrier that recently switched his jersey number to “3” is 22 years old (23 years old in June) is expected to be a major factor in the Rams dream team offense for at least a few seasons. Akers had a modest rookie season (625 yards and 4.3 YPC in 13 games), but he was still scratching his surface in a crowded backfield. His upside is more robust with a bigger role in Sean McVay’s offensive attack.
Cam Akers has a fine floor in the Rams offense, as McVay’s patience picks him to be the bell-cow RB moving forward. It’s worth noting that Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown combined for 246 rushing attempts in his rookie season. I absolutely expect the healthier RB to be leaned on his third season. His divisional competition will also be weaker. The Seahawks witnessed Bobby Wagner turn to the dark side and join the Rams, while Carlos Dunlap (8.5 sacks in 2021) is out of a Seahawks uniform at the moment. The Arizona Cardinals failed to retain their top defender in Chandler Jones, too.
The ceiling of Akers could be scary, to be honest. If the hungry RB can show fresh legs in his potentially second full season of performance, he should keep climbing the ladder in prominence. The Rams RB1 is currently listed as the 12th ranked RB in dynasty PPR (ahead of Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry). It’s clear that FF managers are static about the potential of Akers right now. The former Rams RB Todd Gurley won Offensive Player of The Year and Kupp blew everybody’s mind by eventually winning OPOY. Could Akers really be McVay’s next weapon to win the very prestigious OPOY award?
