It's been a busy week in the NFL when it comes to the running back position, starting with the season ending injury to Nick Chubb, to Kareem Hunt signing with the Cleveland Browns this afternoon and now with the latest headlines being dominated by the news that the Los Angeles Rams have traded running back Cam Akers to the Minnesota Vikings for a swap of draft picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. 

The story between the Rams organization and Cam Akers has been an odd one to follow after the team tried to trade him last season as the league approached the trade deadline but ultimately did not find a suitor and Akers finished the season on a high-note. But what now comes of Akers in his new home? What impact will this move have on the Minnesota Vikings offense, and in particular, Alexander Mattison? Lets dive in!

 

Cam Akers Trade Impact 

The Rams have already settled on Kyren Williams as their lead back and he looked great in Week 2 against the 49ers, rushing for 52 yards and a touchdown while adding six catches for 48 yards and another score. So, with the Rams running back issues settled lets take a look at the Minnesota Vikings offense.

Through two games this season the Vikings rank dead last in the NFL in rushing, totaling just 69 yards while averaging 2.7 yards per carry. Lead back Alexander Mattison is averaging just 3.3 yards per carry on the season in what was supposed to be his year to shine after the Vikings released Dalvin Cook during the offseason. 

With this trade Cam Akers is reunited with Kevin O'Connell who was the Rams offensive coordinator when the team drafted Akers in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. A familiarity with the O'Connell system along with the struggles of Alexander Mattison should give Akers an initial leg up when it comes to opportunities to take over as the lead back in this Vikings offense.

Now, there are plenty of metrics that would suggest that fantasy football managers should not be too excited about the prospects of either running back making an impact in this offense but it's difficult to ignore the random streaks of elite production we've seen from Cam Akers, when healthy, over the years.

Akers finished the 2022 NFL season with three straight 100-yard rushing games, totaling 345 yards and 5.48 yards per carry. In 2021 he missed all but one regular season game due to a torn achilles but as a rookie he finished equally as strong, totaling 424 yards and averaging 4.46 yards per carry over the final five games.

So, what does this trade ultimately mean for fantasy managers? In my opinion, the stock is going up on Cam Akers while the stock is going down for Alexander Mattison.

Make sure you check out the latest player projections and rankings as it pertains to this Cam Akers trade as we head into Week 3 of the NFL season!