Fantasy Alert: Kyren Williams to Serve as Rams' 2024 Punt Returner, Sean McVay Says

Fantasy football players beware.

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams may see his workload decrease because he will return punts this season.

Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters Tuesday the plan is for the starting running back to also return punts. He said the reason is because of his belief in backups Blake Corum and Ronnie Rivers to spell Williams at times, especially if he is working in other roles as a punt returner.

That should raise alarms for fantasy players for multiple reasons.

The biggest one is the belief in the backups, which will surely lead to fewer carries for Williams. Few things in fantasy football can undercut a running back's value more than becoming part of a backfield committee, even one as talented as the presumed starter.

It is also fair to worry about Williams' health, as returning punts could expose him to further risk after he was limited to 10 games as a rookie in 2022 and 12 games last season.

Despite missing time, the Notre Dame product still enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2023 with 1,144 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground to go with 32 catches for 206 yards and three touchdowns as a receiver.

Thanks to that effort, he is seen by many as a top running back candidate in fantasy circles for the 2024 season.

According to NFL.com, Williams' average draft position of 20.86 is eighth-highest among all players at his position and behind only marquee names Christian McCaffrey, Breece Hall, Bijan Robinson, Saquon Barkley, Jonathan Taylor, Jahmyr Gibbs and Derrick Henry.

But those running backs aren't expected to return punts for their respective teams.

For the rare league that grants points for punt return yardage for individual players, that makes Williams even more valuable. However, most will surely greet McVay's revelation with a healthy dose of concern, at least from a fantasy perspective.