INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 17: Cam Akers #23 of the Los Angeles Rams runs with the ball in the first quarter of the game against the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at SoFi Stadium on January 17, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
As fantasy football drafts approach, there are always players who perform well below their draft position. Avoid reaching for these five guys in drafts.
For many, fantasy football is just as exciting as the real life sport being played. It’s a weekly grind that takes a combination of skill and luck. You can set yourself up for as much success as you can, but it takes a lot of luck to take you over the top.
With fantasy drafts soon starting to ramp up, there are many of players who will be drafted well below what they will end up doing during the season. There is also the opposite: players who will be drafted too high for the production they eventually give.
These five players have a higher chance of being a bust this year.
Fantasy Football: Top bust candidates for 2022
5. Cam Akers, RB, Los Angeles Rams
It is still bizarre that Cam Akers returned from a torn Achilles in less than six months. He was able to play in the playoffs and the Super Bowl the same season in which he suffered the injury. It is definitely a feat in itself. But how did he do when he returned?
Akers ran 67 times for 172 yards, which is just under three yards per carry. The good news? He acted as the Rams’ workhorse and dominated running back snaps. The bad news? He didn’t look good. Granted, he did just come back from the injury. But the fact that he didn’t look good, and that they retained Darrell Henderson and drafted Kyren Williams in the fifth round, gives me at least some pause while drafting him as an RB2.
Rams’ coach Sean McVay also recently stated that “I look at it as we’ve got two starting backs,” when talking about Akers and Henderson, per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic. Rodrigue also mentioned that the two backs have been splitting first-team reps pretty evenly.
Akers may end up being a good real-life player for the Rams, but his usage and potential committee scares me away from drafting him as a solid RB2.