Why fantasy football owners should flock to LA Rams RB Kyren Williams in 2024

The addition of rookie RB Blake Corum and veteran RB Boston Scott has raised the alarm from some NFL analysts who view LA Rams feature RB Kyren Williams as an injury risk this season. Even if that were the case, you only have to turn the page back to 2023 to see just how dominating Williams can perform in just 12 NFL games. That's right, third best running back in the NFL.

1,144 yards and 12 touchdown in just 12 games.

No other running back in the NFL's Top-5 rushers had fewer carries. No other running back in the NFL's Top-25 played in fewer games. Only six players in the NFL carried the football 100 or more times and averaged more yards per carry than Williams, and two of those players were quarterbacks. The truth is that no NFL player (other than teammate rookie WR Puka Nacua) burst onto the NFL scene with such positive impact in 2023 than RB Kyren WIlliams.

Williams was expected to contribute in 2023, not to lead a reinvigorated rushing attack by the LA Rams offense last season. It was that unexpected 'out of nowhere,' success that truly powered the team on many fronts. Not only did a renewed rushing offense gain yards and put up points, but it enabled the team to control the game clock. It also kept defenses honest, forcing them to hold back on rushing Stafford to see whether the team would run the ball.

That sudden ability to run the football breathed new life into a very young defense too.

So why wouldn't fantasy football team owners line up to grab him early for the 2024 season? Well, three reasons hold them back: Injury history, risk of roster dilution, and inadequate production in the passing game. So let's take the time to shoot down those unfair reasons not to be all-in on RB Kyren Williams for your Fantasy Football League in 2024:

FF III: Injury History

If you hesitate to add LA Rams feature running back Kyren Williams to your team in 2024, then you are outthinking the obvious. A guy who missed nearly one-third of the 2023 NFL season still managed to dominate the NFL in terms of running the football. Here is what NFL analyst Adam Rank had to say about Kyren Williams's 2024 season:

"I know, many people are going to be drafting rookie running back Blake Corum, and that is not a bad strategy. But Kyren was so good down the stretch in 2023. On the season, he led the NFL in rushing yards per game (95.3) and, despite missing five games, finished third in total rushing yards (1,144). Sean McVay typically gives the bulk of the carries to one back, and Williams should have plenty of chances to eat in an offense that ranked 11th in rushing in 2023"

Adam Rank

Now, that was in a season when Williams backed up RB Cam Akers, was held out in the final fame to rest for the playoffs, played behind a frequently shifting offensive line, missed multiple games mid-season due to injury, and was without a strong commitment to running the football early in the season.

All of that began to change as the team began to rely on Williams to handle rushing the football. Williams came into his own in October 2023, when he converted three games into 58 carries for 314 yards and three touchdowns. But he suffered an injury in the middle of the month, and did not return to the offense until the last game of November 2023.

Yet he still managed to end the year among the league's Top-Three running backs. That is itself a very impressive feat.

FF II: Roster Dilution

While we can hmm and haw over the additions to the team's running back room, the track record of HC Sean McVay has trending to sticking with what works. It was that trend that worked against the team when attempting to feature the fragile feature RB Darrell Henderson Jr. in the offense in past seasons. And it was that failure to get consistent production out of Henderson that likely pointed the team to former Notre Dame versatile RB Kyren Williams.

Even as the team added rookie RB Blake Corum and veteran RB Boston Scott to this roster, the team has plenty of carries to distribute in 2024. Williams carried the football 228 times in 2023, which is less than half of the team's 477 carries. Because the Rams roster was in flux throughout 2023, the team actually handed the football off to six running backs over the course of the season. Three of those running backs: Darrell Henderson Jr., Royce Freeman, and Cam Akers, are no longer on the team.

While Scott could contribute on offense, I expect his role will primarily be in returning punts and kicks. And with the arrival of Blake Corum, I envision the roles of both Zach Evans and Ronnie Rivers to be relegated to the practice squad, held in reserve in the event that the team's two runners suffer injuries.

So what about the risk of losing snaps, carries, and red zone scoring opportunities to rookie Blake Corum?

The Rams typically do not just plop rookies onto a football field in high-pressure circumstances like short-yardage, goal line, or red zone scenarios. So that risk of Corum syphoning off scores like a vampire are pretty remote. But what will likely happen is that the offense will have a competent option to employ throughout the season.

Used wisely, Corum's presence in this offense could have a positive effect on Williams' season in terms of keeping his teammate fresh and healthy throughout all 17 games. That is a bonus. But there are other benefits to Corum lining up in the backfield.

FF I: Passing Game Production

The production of RB Kyren Williams, despite his ability to catch passes, has been a bit one-sided so far in his two years in the LA Rams offense. He has accounted for 263 runs for 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground. As a receiver, Williams has been less effective, catching 41 of 60 targets for 282 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

The challenge in deploying Williams as a receiving threat has been the downgrade to the running attack, and that is counter-productive to the reason to use Williams as a receiver.

But with the option of rushing rookie Blake Corum in 2024, the offense has a renewed chance to deploy Williams as a receiving threat. And with that option, the formations and motions that the team can conduct to dictate mismatches are numerous. With Williams now available to motion out of the backfield to the slot or even to the outside, his receptions should increase dramatically in 2024.

Of course, the true logjam in that type of strategy hinges on whether the offense tries that type of play, and how often the offense will run that type of play. Like many plays that are attempted in the playbook, it will depend on how effective the play might be.

I believe that using two running backs and sending one out to run routes could be quite productive for the team in 2024. Not only does in create new and unique challenges for defenses, but it allows the offense to get two very dangerous offensive weapons onto the football field at the same time. The team could even create a variety of options from that base set by sending either RB out to run a route, or to run with the football.

If Kyren Williams improves as a receiver in 2024, he could be the top running back in the NFL in terms of fantasy football points. Don't hesitate to take a chance on Kyren Williams upside this season. We've already witnessed his downside in 2023. His upside could be extraordinarily potent.

As always, thanks for reading.