On the eve of the fantasy football playoffs, it’s a bad time to have lineup conundrums. If you’re a Kyren Williams owner, it’s the worst possible time to consider that Blake Corum may be stealing the Los Angeles Rams’ RB1 job. With how the last few weeks have gone, questions need to be answered. Most importantly, do you trust Corum or Williams next week against the Detroit Lions in the first week of the fantasy playoffs?
Analysis
Week 14’s win over the Arizona Cardinals showed us a few things about this Rams backfield. Perhaps the most important takeaway is that there’s room for everyone to eat.
In LA’s 45-17 victory, Williams led the backfield with 13 carries, turning that work into 84 yards and a score — a solid RB1 week through and through. But it was Corum who looked like the star of the two, taking 12 carries for 128 yards and two scores. He consistently ripped off chunk gains, looking faster and stronger than his counterpart.
It would appear that the Rams are catching on to his utility. Corum did not see the field for 30% of the offensive snaps until Week 7; since then, he’s cleared 30% in six of seven games. That has come with an increase in volume as well. All of Corum’s games with double-digit carries have come in that seven-game span.
That is eating directly into Williams’ workload. His snap share, on average, is 62.5% since Corum started getting serious work in Week 7. That’s a far cry from his dominant 77% snap share in their first six games. Williams remains an efficient runner, but Corum is starting to pass him. It’s no fault of his own; Williams sits ninth in EPA (estimated points added) per rush among backs with 50+ carries, while Corum is first.
So, what do we make of this two-headed snake?
The Verdict
It’s a difficult matchup with the Lions for the first week of the fantasy playoffs. Detroit is top 10 in any rush defense metric you can find. But this Rams offense has proven itself to be largely matchup-proof this year. Corum and Williams will both get their work and plenty of opportunities to score touchdowns. That makes them both RB2 plays at a minimum, and they have good RB1 arguments each.
It’s not what you wanted if you’re a Williams owner. But this offense has been so good that he will have RB1 weeks, and his status as a fantasy starter has not been threatened. Both are strong plays for this first week of the playoffs.
