The Los Angeles Rams chose exciting Cam Akers in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft, the fourth running back overall and a potential Todd Gurley II replacement, but a confusing timeshare and a rib injury kept the Florida State product under the proverbial radar. After all, he entered Week 5 with 52 rushing yards, behind 81 other players, and he was among the most dropped at his position in ESPN standard leagues. Hey, not all rookies work out, right?
Well, this one should work out and fantasy managers had better plan ahead for Week 6 when the Rams are scheduled -- anything can happen with the schedule, as we see weekly -- to visit the sputtering San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. Akers broke off a cool 46-yard run in Sunday's 30-10 romp over the hapless Washington club, and after the game coach Sean McVay told reporters an increased workload is pending. This is a potentially valuable player, chosen in most preseason average live drafts and since dropped in 40%, so now is the time to reverse that trend.
Contrarians might say Akers proved little running in garbage time against beleaguered, one-win Washington, but Darrell Henderson Jr., the third-round pick from Memphis in 2019, averaged 2.5 yards per rush on Sunday and has turned his 23 rushing attempts into a paltry 59 yards the past two weeks. Henderson was sharing touches with Malcolm Brown, who continues to live off his multitouchdown performance against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1, but since then, he has neither scored nor contributed much statistically. He remains rostered in 50% of leagues.
It is true that not all rookie running backs work out, with Henderson a cautionary tale from the 2019 season, and other than the 46-yard jaunt it is not as if Akers romped all over the Washington defense. His other eight carries resulted in 15 yards, and he saw nary a target in the passing game. McVay can reveal preliminary intentions for Week 6, but Akers still has to produce. The point is opportunity is coming and often we find out after the fact. Not the case here. Akers does not have to be in your active lineup for the NFC West matchup, but he should be rostered in all leagues.
Speaking of the 49ers
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo returned from a two-week absence from a high ankle sprain and with a seemingly tasty home matchup against the Miami Dolphins. It went rather poorly, as Garoppolo completed 7 of 17 passes for 77 yards and threw two interceptions in the first half of the stunning 43-17 loss, ceding second-half responsibilities to C.J. Beathard. Who starts against the Rams? Well, let us just say none of the options will come particularly recommended. Garoppolo led the 49ers to the Super Bowl earlier in 2020, but the quarterback was not exactly a fantasy stalwart.
Running back Raheem Mostert, however, certainly had his moments late in the 2019 season, and it was good to see him return after a knee injury cost him two weeks, as he delivered 119 total yards on 14 touches. It is true that fantasy managers would much prefer a healthy, productive running back such as Mostert to a quarterback most rely on merely in emergency or bye weeks, but still, the 49ers are a bit of a mess entering a key divisional matchup.
The new Cowboys
The big story in Dallas on Sunday should have been former longtime Cincinnati Bengals starter Andy Dalton coming off the bench to lead the Cowboys to an inspiring victory over the winless New York Giants. However, this occurred only because of the serious ankle injury to starter Dak Prescott, who needs surgery that will likely end his season. Prescott was playing at an historic statistical level, entering the weekend on pace for more than 6,700 passing yards, but now there is no guarantee he plays another contest for the Cowboys.
Dalton will start in the Week 6 Monday Night Football contest -- the second game scheduled for Oct. 19 -- against Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals, and some will make the case for him as a fantasy starter due to the myriad weapons at his disposal, options he never had to this degree in Cincinnati. The point is somewhat valid, but it is a bit difficult to call Dalton a must-add in fantasy, even with Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup on his side. Still, with several unsettled quarterback situations around the league -- the 49ers, Jets, Washington, perhaps the Bears -- and every starting quarterback worth a look in deeper formats, perhaps coveting Dalton in your particular format makes sense.
Raven not running
There is no debate about how awesome Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was during the 2019 season, when the league MVP carried fantasy managers to championships with his 36 touchdown passes and a record 1,206 rushing yards with seven more touchdowns on the ground. However, the current version of Jackson entered Week 5 eighth among quarterbacks in average fantasy points per game, and in Sunday's demolition of the Bengals, he scored only 13.5 fantasy points, the third time in four games he failed to reach 18 points.
Perhaps Jackson did not need to carry his team statistically, but he was far from accurate, completing 51% of his 37 passes, and rushed for 3 yards on two carries. Last season, Jackson topped 100 rushing yards in five games and finished with under 60 rushing yards three times. This season, he has already rushed for fewer than 60 yards in four of five games. None of this means fantasy managers should sit Jackson against the sieve-like Philadelphia Eagles defense in Week 6, but it seems apparent the Ravens want to keep Jackson out of danger more often, a common summer theme few wanted to take seriously. This version of Jackson is a fantasy starter but hardly a fantasy MVP candidate, and this will be reflected in the next end-of-season rankings.
Pittsburgh passing fancy
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver Chase Claypool torched the Eagles for four touchdowns Sunday and will surely be among the most added players entering Week 6. The Steelers host the upstart Cleveland Browns, fresh off topping the Indianapolis Colts to raise their mark to 4-1. The Steelers, Ravens and Browns are 12-2 so far, and head-to-head tiebreakers seem likely to matter.
However, Claypool entered Sunday with six receptions in three games, though one was an 84-yard touchdown in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos, and he certainly benefited from teammate Diontae Johnson leaving prematurely with a back injury. Johnson's status should not deter fantasy managers from adding Claypool, but it will play a role in viability as a potential fantasy starter in Week 6, as JuJu Smith-Schuster remains a fantasy starter. Whom Ben Roethlisberger targets the most versus the Browns will be intriguing.
Sidelined Panther
Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey missed his third consecutive game Sunday with a high ankle sprain but he is eligible to return from the injured list for Week 6 against the Chicago Bears. The Panthers beat the winless Atlanta Falcons on Sunday for their third consecutive victory and backup Mike Davis -- a former Bear, incidentally -- has stepped right into the McCaffrey role and produced RB1 statistics for fantasy managers. Who gets the numbers in Week 6?
This is obviously a situation to watch closely in fantasy, and since Davis has performed so well, the Panthers can exercise caution and patience with McCaffrey's return, things that are foreign to most fantasy managers. Most high ankle sprains need more than three weeks' recovery time, but McCaffrey has been vocal about an earlier return, so perhaps we get some clarity in the coming days.