Who won Rams RB battle between Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson

Update: As Henderson and Akers look to get healthy, rookie Kyren Williams appears to be the third option right now. And it also looks like Henderson is closer to returning than Akers at the moment.

Last season was a wash for Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers. One of the more hyped players in fantasy football in the spring, a torn Achilles cost him all but one game of the regular season. Instead, the Rams leaned on Sony Michel and Darrell Henderson, the latter having dealt with injuries as well. But with Akers’ return just in time for the postseason last year, the backfield in Los Angeles should have a clear favorite, right?

Verdict

Injuries, albeit minor ones, have limited work for both Akers and Henderson through camp and the preseason. When they did practice, reports said that the two were splitting the first team reps evenly. That would make sense given Akers’ return from a major injury, and it’s worth remembering that he didn’t look very good once he did get back on the field last year. To open the season, the two might be sharing the workload more evenly, but as Akers gets comfortable on his legs again, the most likely outcome is that he takes lion’s share of the work as the season rolls on.

Fantasy football implications

Akers has more fantasy value over the course of the season, which is reflected in an average draft position considerably higher than his teammate. Henderson, however, is a decent rotational player for fantasy lineups to start the year, and if Akers is still bothered by his injury, Henderson will be in line for more work.

Preseason Stats

Neither player has seen the field so far in the preseason, through two games.