The running back market in Dynasty has experienced another shakeup. The Los Angeles Rams have traded Cam Akers to the Minnesota Vikings. We knew on Sunday there was a real possibility of him being traded this week after he was a healthy scratch, but now we have some actual answers. So now we have to figure out what this means, not only for Cam Akers but also for Alexander Mattison and Kyren Williams.
Cam Akers’ Rollercoaster Ride
The central piece to this is probably where we should start: Cam Akers. Normally, a running back traded on Wednesday would not be ready to run the full offense by Sunday, but this situation is an exception. Cam Akers has worked with Kevin O’Connell before with the Rams. The peak of Cam Akers’ Dynasty value came with O’Connell as the offensive coordinator for the Rams. At the very end of his rookie year, Cam Akers broke out, causing a massive spike in his Dynasty value. This continued into the playoffs, where Akers put up 46 rushing attempts for 221 yards and two touchdowns while also catching all three of his targets for 51 yards.
The following season, Akers tore his Achilles working out in preparation for his 2nd year. Somehow, he was able to return to play towards the end of the season, but his effectiveness was minimal. Going into his third year, O’Connell took the job with the Minnesota Vikings. The early part of the year was odd for Akers. He was seemingly in head coach Sean McVay’s doghouse. Akers was a healthy scratch for a couple of games and was circled by trade rumors. After all that, Akers ended the season like his rookie year, on a high note. Cam Akers finished the 2022 season as RB4 in weeks 13 through 18, winning a lot of managers a fantasy championship.
So, coming into the 2023 season, of course, Akers will be awesome, right? RIGHT?!? WRONG! This season, Cam Akers has been running behind Kyren Williams (we will get to him in a minute).
Akers or Mattison?Â
From the other side, we have Alexander Mattison, the big winner from the offseason, with a clear runway to dominate with Dalvin Cook finally gone. Wrong again. A couple of weeks ago, both Mattison and Akers had some real tangible dynasty value. This is how fast the Dynasty running back market can change. So, what do we do with this backfield now?
At this point, both players’ values will vary dramatically from league to league. If someone is selling either of them for a 4th round pick out of frustration, it might not be the worst investment. Chances are, whoever has either of those players has a sunken cost fallacy situation. Regardless of what they paid for them, they lost out on chances to get something for them. If you are the one holding them, you are probably stuck with them. Akers might be easier to sell, but that is pushing it. What makes me disinterested in either of them is how awful the Minnesota Vikings offensive line has looked this season. Then again, the Vikings have played back-to-back games against stout front sevens, so things may be better in future weeks, but the fear of a bad committee is real.
Kyren Williams to the Moon?
I cannot just be negative, though. There are some positives from this. I would like to be the first to welcome everyone to Kyren Williams SZN. While the efficiency has not been there, the volume has been. Kyren Williams sits only behind Christian McCaffrey in fantasy points for a running back thus far. At one point, you could have acquired him for free with a 4th round pick or a waiver claim, but now he is a new hot commodity. If you are contending this season and lack depth at running, just go with it. If you are rebuilding or loaded at running back, I would try to flip Williams now. I did like what he did on tape despite the 4.65 40-yard dash, but as we have seen today, the Dynasty running back market is volatile.
Other RBs Affected
We still have some more guys to discuss: Royce Freeman should now be rostered in most Dynasty leagues unless they have more shallow benches. If anything happens to Kyren, he will be a usable piece. While Freeman has been a bust as a 2nd round pick, he is still a capable NFL running back, and that’s all you need if you can get the volume. This also is likely a small uptick for Zach Evans, but not enough to be able to do anything with him. If you have him, hopefully, he is on your Taxi squad, and you can wait it out. A lot of people, myself included, liked his tape. It wasn’t long ago that Kyren Williams was in Zach Evans’ situation on this same depth chart.
I am not through with the negativity, unfortunately. Dwayne McBride was another prospect that many analysts liked in the late rounds of rookie drafts. This trade completely buries him so deep on the practice squad that he is not likely to see an NFL field for a while, and if so, it’s not likely with the Vikings. Ty Chandler was beginning to gain a little value as Mattison continued to struggle, but this likely makes him a cut candidate in all but the deepest of Dynasty leagues. McBride should be cut but may be on a Taxi squad, at which point there is no incentive to cut him.
Non-Elite RBS
It is age-old advice in Dynasty, but it needs to be repeated here. Non-elite running backs are the most volatile asset in Dynasty. Even elite ones (looking at your Jonathan Taylor) can have a massive swing in value. If you do not move them when they peak, you risk holding the bag like many managers are now with Cam Akers and Alexander Mattison. If you are a contender, you may be obligated to hold onto them for the points or depth, but if you can afford to flip them, it’s usually good practice. Imagine if you traded Alexander Mattison for Kyren Williams and a 2nd over the summer. That’s how you keep your Dynasty team winning for a long time.
Thanks so much for reading. If you want to discuss more reach me on Twitter, find me @DougHarrelson on there. Also don’t forget to sign up for our Dynasty Football Factory Membership to get all things Dynasty, Redraft, DFS, Sports Betting, Devy, and IDP. Annual Subscribers also get access to our discord server where you can get access to our entire staff!
