Fantasy Football Winners and Losers After Cam Akers Gets Traded to Vikings
Running back Cam Akers has finally found a new home. After starting in Week 1, sitting in Week 2 and experiencing a roller coaster of team- and trade-related drama dating back to last fall, Akers has been traded from the Los Angeles Rams to the Minnesota Vikings.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Vikings will receive Akers and a conditional 2026 seventh-round draft pick for a conditional 2026 sixth-round selection.
In the real world, the deal should immediately help the Vikings, who have struggled on the ground tremendously this season and head into Week 3 ranked 30th in yards per carry and 32nd in rushing yards.
In the fantasy world, there stand to be several winners and losers after Wednesday's trade.
Winner: Cam Akers
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Akers will be a winner on the fantasy front, and his progress could come quickly. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell was the Rams' offensive coordinator during Akers' first two seasons, and the 24-year-old should already be familiar with a lot of Minnesota's concepts and terminology.
The Vikings will, presumably, also be quick to give Akers the sort of opportunities that Sean McVay was not. Akers spent part of last season away from L.A. amid trade chatter and was a healthy scratch this past Sunday.
"I have tremendous respect for Cam Akers, but I felt like for our football team today and in this game and as we move forward, that was going to be the best decision for us," the Rams head coach said, per ESPN's Sarah Barshop.
How quickly Akers will get a full workload remains to be seen, but the sort of production we saw at the end of 2022—six receptions, 408 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns in his final three games—could be on the close horizon. At a minimum, he'll see more work than he was bound to get under McVay moving forward.
Now is the time to see if Akers is available on waivers.
Loser: Alexander Mattison
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While the Vikings gave up surprisingly little to acquire Akers, managers should expect him to creep toward the lead-back role within the first few weeks. Current starter Alexander Mattison has been ineffective in the post-Dalvin Cook era, averaging just 3.3 yards per carry with just a single receiving touchdown this season.
If Minnesota believed that Mattison was capable of continuing on as the starter, it probably wouldn't have made this trade. The Vikings met with Kareem Hunt—who signed with the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday—in the offseason, and other backup-caliber options are available.
Current free agents include Ronald Jones II, Leonard Fournette, J.D. McKissic and Mark Ingram.
The motive behind acquiring Akers was simple. O'Connell knows him and knows that he can be a capable NFL starter. Mattison is likely headed back to a change-of-pace role making him a handcuff or low-end spot starter in most formats.
Winner: Kyren Williams
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With Akers out of the picture in Los Angeles, the door is completely open for Kyren Williams. The 2022 fifth-round pick got the start against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2 and had a decent outing.
Williams only averaged 3.7 yards per carry but tallied 52 rushing yards along with six receptions for 48 yards and two touchdowns.
While Williams' efficiency can be questioned—he's averaging 3.6 yards per rush this year—his fantasy upside shouldn't be. He's the Rams starter, and he's going to get opportunities because opposing defenses are more focused on slowing Matthew Stafford, budding star Puka Nacua and the L.A. passing attack.
According to Next Gen Stats, Williams has yet to face a front with eight-plus defenders this season.
As long as opposing defenses aren't stacking the box, McVay is going to use Williams to test their fronts. The 23-year-old is already a quality RB2 or flex option, and there's no real danger of that changing.
With Akers gone, Ronnie Rivers becomes the handcuff to target among Rams backs with rookie Zach Evans possibly gaining value in dynasty formats..
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Loser: Opposing D/ST Units
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The Vikings haven't been the easiest matchup for opposing fantasy defense/special teams units this season because they do score points. However, turnovers and poor pass protection have made them a middle-of-the-road matchup.
Minnesota has averaged 22.5 points per game in 2023. The Vikings have also had seven turnovers and allowed four sacks.
According to FantasyPros, Minnesota has allowed the 14th-fewest fantasy points to opposing D/ST units (tied with the New Orleans Saints).
The Vikings' reliance on the pass this season—they rank fourth in pass attempts and 32nd in rush attempts—has left quarterback Kirk Cousins vulnerable to pressure, miscues and game-altering mistakes.
If Akers adds more consistency in the backfield and a little more balance offensively, Minnesota could become a legitimately tough fantasy matchup for opposing defenses.
Winner: Kirk Cousins
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If opposing defenses aren't constantly in Cousins' face, it will naturally benefit the Vikings quarterback. The 35-year-old has faced tremendous pressure this season, not just from opposing defenders, but also from his role as the centerpiece of Minnesota's offense.
"The ability to execute play-in-and-play-out, for about 75-ish plays week-in and week-out, will always be the challenge," Cousins said, per the team's official website.
While Cousins hasn't been at the heart of 75 plays per game, it has felt like it at times. He has attempted 88 passes through two weeks and has carried the ball three times.
The results have often been good. Cousins is tied for the NFL lead with six touchdown passes. He's also been under pressure on 24.7 percent of his dropbacks—according to Pro Football Reference—and committed four turnovers.
If Akers yields a more dependable ground game, Cousins may see a few fewer attempts each week, but he should show better ball security and have more time in the pocket to make plays down the field.
Those benefits should trickle down to targets for Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson, who could each see a target or two fewer each week but will have more opportunities for chunk plays and fantasy bonus points.
RB-Needy Managers Not Already Invested in Akers
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A few fantasy managers should win big from the Akers trade, specifically those who have already spent time and effort on rostering the running back. For other RB-needy managers, however, Wednesday's deal provides more questions than answers.
Is Mattison still worth a roster spot? That completely depends on how Minnesota plans to utilize its backfield rotation. He's probably worth hanging onto for a couple of weeks, but he could become a waiver-wire candidate in the not-too-distant future.
Vikings backup Ty Chandler is no longer worth a waiver-wire flier. He's only seen four carries and three targets in 2023, and with Akers in the rotation, managers can probably stop holding out hope that he'll eventually supplant Mattison.
Rivers is the new backup in Los Angeles, but he hasn't been used much this season either (zero carries, one target). Instead of agonizing over Chandler, managers now must consider whether or not to take a chance on Rivers in the coming weeks.
Managers must also face the growing reality that there just aren't many second-tier backs who can be dependable weekly. Players like Christian McCaffrey and Bijan Robinson provide common-sense lineup decisions, but the fantasy world is running out of middle-round RBs who see a consistent enough workload to stay in the starting lineup.
Mattison, who averaged 12.5 touches and just under 10 carries per game, was one of the few remaining volume plays. Only 29 players have seen more touches this season. Until and unless Akers does become an every-down back in Minnesota, managers will have one less RB to start in season-long leagues or target as a budget DFS option.
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