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Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams enjoyed a breakout campaign last season as he amassed 1,144 rushing yards and 206 receiving yards, with 15 total scores en route to finishing as the RB7 in PPR scoring last season.
However, on Tuesday evening, Head Coach Sean McCvay expressed that the former Notre Dame product will be returning punts this season, which is quite alarming for a potential workhorse running back.
What is Williams' fantasy football outlook, given this recent news, and when should you draft him in 2024? Let's take a look.
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Kyren Williams Fantasy Football Outlook
His massive 2023 season established him as a top running back in football, and he was consistently being drafted toward the back end of the first round in most drafts this summer. Even as the Rams brought in former National Champion Blake Corum in the third round of this year's NFL draft, fantasy managers felt confident investing in Williams as he looked poise for another big season in 2024.
Gonna have to change his name to Kyrun.
TD No. 2 for @Kyrenwilliams23 | 📺 @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/3K3fkjDFAV
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 17, 2023
However, seeing that the 24-year-old will now serve as the punt returner in Los Angeles could be a telling sign that he may not be the "three-down" back he was projected to be.
While returning punts does not prevent him from being a top fantasy contributor, it will put him in more unfavorable situations in terms of injury risk and could open the door for Corum to take on more work than previously expected.
When Should I Draft Kyren Williams in Fantasy Football?
Drafting Williams in the second round does not seem as enticing anymore. While many fantasy managers will gladly buy the dip and take a potential workhorse on a great offense, it may be best to let another league mate take Williams this season.
Even though McVay did express that Williams taking punt returns will provide him even more opportunities to have the ball in his hand, it opens the door for higher injury risk and the potential to be in a timeshare, which is not worth investing in at that part of the draft.
Instead, sharing an almost identical Yahoo! ADP, risk-averse fantasy managers could look into selecting Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco who is in the driver's seat to lead the backfield and should have plenty of scoring opportunities playing with Patrick Mahomes.
3 TDS FOR KYREN WILLIAMS
WINNING FANTASY CHAMPIONSHIPS pic.twitter.com/IzfycuCri3
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) December 31, 2023
However, if Williams continues to fall in drafts over the next few days, fantasy managers who are willing to take the gamble may hit the jackpot and secure a potential RB1 at a significant discount.
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