Kyren Williams's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams turned in a decent performance, all things considered, in the team's 41-10 loss at Arizona on Sunday afternoon. The Rams' lead back scored a touchdown, which ended up aiding him to a so-so outing in a disastrous day for L.A. in the desert. Williams carried 12 times for 25 yards and a touchdown and caught four passes for 27 yards on five targets out of the backfield. The involvement in the passing game is a good sign moving forward. The 2.1 yards per carry is not a good look for Williams. Backup running back Blake Corum (eight carries for 28 yards), while also inefficient, was more involved this week. The Rams' offense has been bit heavily by the injury bug, with top receivers Puka Nacua (knee) and Cooper Kupp (ankle) banged up. Williams will likely be the focal point of the depleted offense now with the team potentially down its top two receivers moving forward.

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams found the end zone in Week 1 at the Lions against Detroit's very stout run defense. The touchdown salvaged an otherwise subpar night for the talented running back. Williams rushed 18 times for 50 yards (2.8 yards per carry) and caught three passes for four yards. The Notre Dame product is a very versatile back and the good thing for his fantasy managers is he saw a massive snap share in the backfield compared to Ronnie Rivers and rookie Blake Corum. The Cardinals were gashed on the ground by the Bills in Week 1, making Williams a strong play in Week 2 in the Rams' game at Arizona. Look for Williams to find pay dirt and remain involved in the passing game as well. His upside is extremely high in this matchup and his volume makes his floor pretty high as well.

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams dominated the workload out of the Rams' backfield against the Lions on Sunday night and found the end zone. Overall, Williams recorded 18 carries for 50 yards and a rushing score and caught all three of his targets for four yards. The most important note, however, was that Williams saw 67 snaps in the backfield compared to just seven for Ronnie Rivers and none from Blake Corum. That works out to 91 percent of snaps for the Notre Dame product, who was expected to see some of his workload cut into by Corum, the rookie out of Michigan. Against a tough Lions run defense, Williams struggled to 2.78 yards per carry, but the outlook is rosy for the talented and versatile running back because of the extremely large snap-share. While it is natural to think Corum will become more involved as the weeks go on, if Williams dominates touches like this he should be in line for some huge fantasy weeks.

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams is one of the best fantasy options at his position but faces a tough matchup against the Lions in Week 1. In what should be a high-scoring game, the Rams figure to exploit the passing game against Detroit which allowed 15.79 fantasy points to opposing running backs last season, the best mark in the NFL in that category. Put another way, the Lions were the stiffest test for fantasy running backs last season. That could continue into this season. Williams made some plays in the passing game last season so that could help him a bit in this matchup. The other wild card is the unknown usage of rookie Blake Corum, who theoretically could take away goal-line carries from Williams. Add it all up and this is not an ideal matchup for Williams. Fantasy managers will still likely want to start Williams without a better option in most cases. But expectations should be lowered in Week 1.

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said that running back Kyren Williams will be the team's punt returner this year. While this could boost Williams' fantasy value slightly in leagues that count return yardage, it's another sign that the Rams could be preparing to lessen Williams' load as a three-down RB out of the backfield after they added rookie Blake Corum out of Michigan. It's also another way for Williams to get injured. However, although the news isn't ideal, it shouldn't keep Williams from remaining a low-end RB1 selection in upcoming drafts. The 24-year-old will still open the 2024 season as the Rams' primary RB after breaking out in 2023 with 1,144 rushing yards, a league-leading 95.3 yards per game and 12 touchdowns in just 12 regular-season games. Williams also had 32 catches for 206 yards and another three scores.