The Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in similar situations as the season progresses, with both teams trending downward. The Rams are 3-4 and attempting to avoid falling below.500 for the first time under Sean McVay’s leadership.
Kyren Williams will play for the Buccaneers
On Oct. 26, the Los Angeles Rams opened a 21-day window for Kyren Williams. At the time, head coach Sean McVay stated that Williams was not yet ready to play in Week 8, but was getting closer. McVay told reporters on October 31 that Williams could be activated this week.
The issue for Williams is that he would be returning to a very muddled picture in the Rams’ backfield. Darrell Henderson was out with an illness on Sunday, so Ronnie Rivers took over. Henderson, on the other hand, remains an important part of the backfield. In addition, veteran running back Malcolm Brown saw work near the goal line. Then there’s Cam Akers, whose status is unknown as of this writing after failing to be dealt by the league’s trade deadline.
When asked if Williams would play on Sunday, McVay said, “There’s a chance.” “I thought he did a good job last week; he had a good prep week. I probably wouldn’t rule it out from activating it this week.”
“We’re going to use the training week to really see where he is,” McVay said. “He’s a playmaker, he’s a guy I really trust a lot. But he has yet to play in another NFL game other than the one-kick return against Buffalo, where he gets rolled up.
Williams, a 5-9, 199-pound running back for Notre Dame, led the Fighting Irish to consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, was named ACC Player of the Year in 2020, and rushed for 2,153 yards on 419 carries in 26 games over the course of more than two seasons. In 2021, he added 151 yards on 14 kick returns, averaging 10.8 yards per return.
He’ll try to bring some of that potential to bear as early as Sunday, though Williams will probably need a few weeks to get going.
You may need to wait a little longer if you’ve been stashing Williams and waiting for him to return. To see fantasy value, the rookie RB will most likely need to prove he deserves the opportunity. While we could see him on the field this week, starting him as anything more than a deep-league desperation swing would be risky.
