2 min read • May 29, 2022
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As the defending-champion Rams convene for voluntary OTAs this week, one notable absence is that of third-year running back Cam Akers.
This time last year, Akers was coming off of an eruptive final seven games of his rookie season and pegged by most of the NFL and fantasy football community as the league's next breakout back.
He suffered a torn right Achilles tendon in July that derailed that hope, and despite a surprise return for the Super Bowl run, he lost a prime season in his career.
The Pro Football Docs believe that Akers is now back to his pre-injury level and is once again a true breakout candidate in the Rams’ high-octane offense.
The Docs give Akers an SIC health score of 88 coming into the 2022 season, a score that will likely improve as the season progresses.
His current fantasy redraft ADP as the No. 17 running back, according to FantasyPros, is a veritable discount for a dynamic back in a championship offense.
While the 23-year-old’s rehab and return was fantastic, the Docs say, his performance suffered and it was unreasonable to expect that he would be effective less than six months after the traumatic leg injury.
He played in all four playoff games, leaving briefly in the NFC Championship with a shoulder injury, but totalled 172 rushing yards and zero touchdowns on 67 rushes for a miniscule 2.57 yards per carry with a long rush of 15 yards.
His sabbatical from OTAs is not concerning to the Docs, or the Rams, who are consistently cautious with key players returning from significant injuries.
He showed big-play and workhorse ability over the final third of the 2020 season, posting 5.6 yards a touch on in the playoffs and rushing for 122 yards in one half against the Seahawks.
The noted departures of Robert Woods and Odell Beckham Jr. and the struggles of Darrell Henderson Jr. will open up the offense even more for Akers to step into a Todd Gurley-like role in Sean McVay’s offense.
The lone concern for Akers is the known danger of suffering an injury to his left Achilles tendon. Once one side ruptures, the chance of the other side rupturing goes up significantly, as the human body is built – and functions – relatively symmetrically.
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