The Los Angeles Rams entered the regular season with low expectations coming off a 5-12 season in 2022. WR Cooper Kupp was placed on IR prior to the team’s matchup vs. the Seahawks in Week 1. In a surprising upset, the Rams offense performed great in a 30-13 win over Seattle. QB Matthew Stafford was solid and the Rams ran the ball 40 times. Those carries were split between Kyren Williams and Cam Akers. During fantasy drafts, Akers was the one going higher than Williams. It appears the backfield may shake out differently than we predicted. We go over Williams’ prospects as a waiver wire add in Week 2.
Fantasy football waiver wire, Week 2
Kyren Williams — Available in under 10 percent of leagues
Williams had seven fewer carries than Akers, which is really the only positive for him. It helps that Akers was able to score but Williams found the end zone twice and was much, much more productive with his carries. On 15 carries, Williams produced 52 yards with the two scores and was targeted twice in the passing game. Akers had no targets. Tutu Atwell and Puka Nucua led things at receiver with a combined 23 targets.
The Rams had a massive lead and that’s likely why Williams got additional work. He’s worth an add if you have Akers as a handcuff. If something were to happen to either player, you’ll want to be ready, especially if L.A. is going to be good on offense. The bigger question is would you add Williams over other RBs on the wire.
If you’re in a shallow league, any number of these backs will be available:
Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles
Tyler Allgeier, Falcons
Joshua Kelley, Chargers
Justice Hill/Gus Edwards, Ravens
Roschon Johnson, Bears
If you’re picking between Williams and any of those players, Gainwell appears to have the least amount of competition for carries. He’d be a lean over Williams. Allgeier is paired with Bijan Robinson. Kelley was great with 16 carries for 91 yards and a TD. Austin Ekeler was better, though. The Ravens situation could be tough to gauge with Hill and Edwards splitting once JK Dobbins went down. Johnson looked like the better back over Khalil Herbert in Week 1. That may not always be the case, plus Herbert had one more touch (12-11) over Johnson.
Gainwell feels like a better add but Williams may be easier to come by in deeper formats. If you have a high waiver claim, snagging any of the above backs would be wise. Johnson isn’t a bad pickup in a keeper league.