Kyren

Williams

The biggest takeaway from Week 1 for Williams was his continued workhorse status in a Rams backfield that came into the season with some question marks following the selection of Blake Corum in the third round of this year’s draft. Corum was active but did not see a running back opportunity, instead ceding backup work to Ronnie Rivers. Williams saw 21 of a total 23 running back opportunities and should see better fantasy days ahead against opponents not as stout against the run as the Lions. One such occasion occurs in Week 2 when the Rams travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals.

The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue followed up with McVay on the matter, reporting via social media that McVay said “Corum may possibly return kicks.” The news comes after McVay announced the team’s lead RB, Kyren Williams, will also return punts this year. Williams’ punt return announcement initially led to speculation regarding his rushing and receiving workload but Corum’s kick return news muddies the waters. It may indicate that McVay is simply focusing on getting the ball to his most talented playmakers whenever possible.

McVay told reporters on Tuesday that Williams will be the Rams’ punt returner. It’s not necessarily a new job for Williams, who returned three punts for 21 yards last season, but it’s interesting that he was named the punt returner with Tutu Atwell and Xavier Smith also in the mix. This also shows the Rams having confidence in Blake Corum and Ronnie Rivers to spell Williams, indicating he may not be a complete workhorse for 2024. Fantasy managers are likely uneasy hearing this news, but Williams is a mid-to-late range RB1. Corum is cemented as a valuable backfield backup with the potential to see major usage this season.

Specifically, the Rams hope to allow Williams to “stay fresh.” Williams himself admitted to initial worry when the team used a third-round pick on Michigan RB Blake Corum, but the Rams’ exact intentions remain unclear. They have talked up the similarities between the two backs, leading to a belief that coach Sean McVay can “stay in the rhythm and how he calls the game.” That quote is via RBs coach Ron Gould. For his part, Williams seems to be preparing for a different workload this season. “Obviously it’s not going to be good for me (if I take every carry),” Williams admitted. We aren’t entirely sure how to guide fantasy managers here — it’s dangerous to over-interpret summer comments — but at the very least, it seems as if all parties are at least preparing to spell Williams more than they did during his fantasy dominant 2023. He’s a high-reward, moderate-risk proposition as a mid-range RB1.

Robinson has been present at Rams camp and believes Williams will “carry the load if healthy” this season. This aligns closely with what The OC Register’s Adam Grosbard said on the Rotoworld Football Show earlier this month when he said that he believes rookie Blake Corum was brought in to be a breather back for Williams rather than take a significant share of the backfield touches. Corum remains a high-end stash in fantasy leagues this season, but it sounds like Williams could be in line for another elite opportunity share this season as Corum’s arrival continues to be downplayed by observers.

Grosbard, in an interview with Rotoworld’s Patrick Daugherty and Denny Carter, said Williams’ foot-related absence from spring workouts won’t affect his role as LA’s clear-cut lead back. Grosbard described rookie Blake Corum as more of a breather back for Williams, adding the team drafted Corum with the 83rd pick in the 2024 draft because they wanted a “Kyren clone” to fill in for him should he once again miss time with injury. Rams head coach Sean McVay, according to Grosbard, “loves Kyren Williams.” “They see Kyren as the starter,” he added. Williams in 2023 was third in rushing yards and fifth in rushing touchdowns despite missing five games. His health will be worth monitoring during training camp.

The Rams added Corum to a backfield dominated by Williams last season. Williams has been dealing with a foot issue in the offseason while Corum has been asked to develop a three-down skillset. The two backs could complement each other in the Rams offense. It is most notable that Williams said Corum’s addition as a runner could help him showcase even more as a pass-catcher after catching 32 passes for 206 yards last season. Though Corum’s addition has Williams optimistically thinking about their complementary roles, Williams has a notable injury history and is a risky gamble at cost for fantasy football with the added competition for touches. Corum will see the field next season, but expect Williams to be the lead back. If his comments are any indication, Williams’ pass-catching upside could see a bump for 2024.

Corum, the 83rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, has drawn consistent praise from LA coaches over the past couple months as incumbent starter Kyren Williams deals with a lingering foot injury that has cost him all of OTAs and minicamp. “On the offensive side, I’ve been pleased with a lot of guys but Blake Corum has really stood out,” McVay said. “Mature beyond his years. I love the way that he handles himself. I love even more how when there’s been a couple of things that didn’t go the way we wanted, how he responded the next play. The mental toughness that you see from him.” It would be something of an upset if Corum didn’t at least split backfield work with Williams to start the regular season — assuming Williams is fully recovered. Williams remains one of the riskiest picks in all of fantasy football.

The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue reports the Rams are asking Corum to develop his route running, pass-catching and pass-protection skills with starter Kyren Williams sidelined (foot) in OTAs. Corum was already expected to contribute as a rotational rusher and potential goal-line vulture after scoring a positional Power Five-high 23 green zone rushing touchdowns via a second-ranked 61.0% conversion rate (min. 15 attempts). Establishing a passing-game role significantly increases Corum’s fantasy-scoring potential, should Williams miss time.

“It’s nothing to worry about,” coach Sean McVay claimed. “He’ll be ready to go for training camp, but there’s a little issue when he was training, and (I’ll) kind of just leave it at that. But nothing to be concerned about.” McVay can say he’s not worried all he wants, but his actions speak louder than words. McVay already seemed to be losing faith in Williams’ ability to stay healthy when he made Michigan RB Blake Corum the third overall running back off the board at No. 83 in April’s draft. Williams, of course, also has a history of foot issues, to say nothing of last year’s ankle injury. He broke his hand in the Wild Card Round. GM Les Snead spoke of wanting to avoid Williams becoming “totally run down.” Williams is shaping up as a risk/reward RB1 after last year’s phenomenal, albeit abbreviated, campaign.