When the Los Angeles Rams selected former Michigan star Blake Corum with their third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, expectations began to rise immediately for the rookie.
Many pundits expected the halfback to push starter Kyren Williams and challenge for the lead back role in Los Angeles. However, Corum has spent most of the season with a very small role in the Rams’ offense, though that may be on the verge of changing soon.
The rookie running back logged a season-high eight rush attempts in Week 13. What should fantasy managers make of this increased usage?
Analysis
His resume so far
Corum was selected by the Rams at 83rd overall back in April. He played four seasons at Michigan, where he played a significant role in his junior and senior years. Despite a meniscus tear ending his junior campaign, he still recorded 1,463 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns in 12 games. While he didn’t meet the same yardage total in his return from injury as a senior, Corum totaled 1,245 rushing yards and led the FBS with a staggering 27 rushing touchdowns.
With such impressive statistics, plus multiple AP All-American and All-Big Ten selections to his name, it’s easy to see why the Rams were fascinated with the 24-year old running back. It was also a natural assumption that he would play a decent share of the snaps for Los Angeles, even with the incumbent Kyren Williams coming off a standout season.
However, Corum has been more of an afterthought than most anticipated. Without a single appearance logging over 19% of snaps, plus multiple weeks as a healthy scratch, it’s been a disappointing campaign so far for the rookie. On the season, he’s taken just 37 carries for 148 yards, plus four catches for 31 more yards through the air.
A glimmer of hope
In Week 13, Corum logged a modest performance of eight carries for 42 yards. While not the most impressive stat line, it’s important to note the rookie handled a season-high 32% of backfield snaps. He was on the field for 28 total plays, four more than his previous high-mark of 24 set back in Week 5.
Does this alone mean Corum is in line for an increased snap share moving forward? Not necessarily, though his involvement is an encouraging sign moving forward. With an average rush of 5.3 yards, he was efficient on limited volume against the Saints and may be earning the trust of head coach Sean McVay.
His backfield mate, Kyren Williams, has handled the fourth-most carries of any halfback to this point. While Williams has been healthy this year and hasn’t missed a game yet, he’s shown to be a bit of an injury risk in the past and could potentially be wearing down with such a heavy workload.
With that in mind, it seems the Rams could potentially be trying to keep their primary running back healthy by spelling him with Corum.
What to do with Corum in fantasy
While Corum probably isn’t going to usurp Williams when both are healthy, he’s a high-end stash for fantasy lineups down the home stretch of the season. If Williams were to miss time, whether it be due to injury or a team decision to sit him if eliminated from postseason contention, Corum would step into the primary halfback slot for the Rams
If he’s available on waivers, try and pick Corum up and stash him just in case. Making savvy moves in the finals weeks of the season can be the difference between a championship run and an early playoff exit, and the rookie running back could become a league-winner if he gets the starting nod.
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