:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72677978/1679469212.0.jpg)
The Minnesota Vikings will face the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3 of the NFL season. The Vikings acquired former Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers to try and spark some new life into their backfield. With the short turn around on a new team, Akers is not expected to make his team debut this week. This would leave Alexander Mattison as the starting RB, with Ty Chandler serving as the backup.
O’Connell said it’s too soon for Cam Akers to play this week; he’ll likely be inactive, with an eye toward playing next week against Carolina.
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) September 22, 2023
Fantasy football implications for Week 3
Akers may have some fantasy football value in the future, so he is worth rostering. He couldn’t get going in Week 1 for the Rams despite a high workload. Akers had 22 carries but only 29 yards and a one-year score. Still, he has a good chance at factoring into the backfield work for the Vikings, as Mattison has been underwhelming so far.
Mattison is averaging 3.3 yards per carry this season. He hasn’t had more than 11 carries or 34 carries in a game this season. The Chargers did allow 80 rushing yards last week to Derrick Henry, but it was on 25 carries. If Henry is averaging 3.2 yards per carry, I can’t think Mattison will fare much better how he has been playing. Mattison needs to ride the bench unless you are in 14-team leagues or higher this week.