Cam Akers

As a fifth round pick, Kyren Williams was not supposed to become this successful and even the Los Angeles Rams could not expect the career he’s had. Fans have seen general manager Les Snead draft so many running backs in the first three rounds that a fifth rounder would have had relatively low expectations starting his career off. But Williams immediately made a stronger impression as a rookie than day two picks Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson , prior to a season-ending injury. By year two, Williams had completely eliminated the need for either of those backs. In year three, he rushed for a career-high 1,299 yards and 14 touchdowns in 16 games. In just the past three seasons alone, Williams has scored 44 touchdowns, third-most in the NFL among all players, behind only Jahmyr Gibbs and Derrick Henry . But he didn’t play in as many games as either of those two running backs. With a full complement of tight ends blocking out of 12 and 13 personnel next season, and more intent to keep Matthew Stafford fresh for 17 games and playoffs, could a healthy Kyren Williams top 2,000 TOTAL yards in 2026? What is his ceiling for total yards? Could Williams rush for 1,600 yards (300 more than his career-high) and receive for 400 yards (100 more) over 17 games? That would put him in the conversation for a first-team All-Pro. Can you imagine Williams, considered to be one of the least-athletic and improvisational backs in the NFL, being touted in the same company as Saquon Barkley and Henry? Or will Blake Corum , who came onto the scene strong in the second half last season, steal away too many opportunities? Put your votes into Friday’s survey below and give your reasoning behind the answer in the comments

Kyren Williams

RB · LAR

Blake Corum

RB · LAR

+5 players

general

The most divided backfield we’ve seen in the Sean McVay era?

Yahoo Sports NFLMay 19, 2026, 4:39 AM+8 stories · 30dSource ↗

Kyren Williams Blake Corum Todd Gurley

This year’s backfield split between Kyren Williams and Blake Corum could be the most shared workload we’ve seen over Sean McVay’s time with the Los Angeles Rams. It’s one of the most interesting dynamics across this refreshed roster. In his early years, McVay seemed adamantly opposed to a shared backfield. Todd Gurley shouldered an outsized burden on his way to an Offensive Player of Award in 2017. The Rams ran Gurley’s wheels off, and 2019 concluded his career with the team. Even as Gurley’s effectiveness dipped in his last season in Los Angeles , the Rams were committed to giving him a larger workload. By necessity LA varied its approach in 2020-2o22. Sony Michel , Darrell Henderson , Cam Akers , and Malcolm Brown all took turns to prove they were the guy, and ultimately none were successful in the long term. The Rams returned to a stable backfield in 2023 a year removed from identifying Williams in the fifth round. LA loved Williams so much they drafted his clone in the third round of the 2024 class in Blake Corum. While Corum was relegated to the bench for most of the 2024 season before suffering an injury that held him out of the playoffs, he bounced back in a big way during his second year. 2025 brought the most mixed backfield we’ve seen in the McVay era outside of injuries forcing their hand. Season Primary Running Back Share of Total RB Carries 2017 Todd Gurley 78% 2018 Todd Gurley 69% 2019 Todd Gurley 75% 2023 Kyren Williams 73% 2024 Kyren Williams 76% 2025 Kyren Williams 54% Split backfields provide an inherent advantage in real football. If your primary back is injured, your offense won’t change much because it’s already used to the other guy. While Williams and Corum are overall similar players, they are just different enough that things feel varied when the more fleet of foot Corum steps onto the field. It took the Rams and McVay a long time to finally reach a modern NFL backfield. They’ve now arrived. This approach is certain to play dividends and keep Williams and Corum fresher than they’d otherwise be into the postseason. That is important for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. But fantasy football heads hate split backfields. Despite rushing for more than 1,200 yards, 10 touchdowns, and hauling in 30 receptions in each of his last two seasons, Williams enters 2026 as just the 17th ranked back for fantasy football purposes . Corum remains one of the best bargain gambles in all of fantasy with a #38 ranking. This projects him as one of the best backups across the NFL. Will the backfield of Williams and Corum in 2026 be the most mixed we’ve seen since Sean McVay joined the Rams in 2017?

Justin Jefferson

WR · MIN

Kirk Cousins

QB · LV

+6 players

general

Justin Jefferson: Would be great to have same QB for years, but it's difficult in this league

Pro Football TalkMay 15, 2026, 6:44 PM+10 stories · 30dSource ↗

Justin Jefferson Kirk Cousins Sam Darnold

Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson had a consistent starting quarterback for his first four seasons in Kirk Cousins. While Sam Darnold played well for the Vikings in 2024, Minnesota started three QBs in 2025 with mainly poor results: J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer. Minnesota went 9-8 last season, but the quarterbacks combined to throw for just 2,802 yards with 17 touchdowns and 21 interceptions on a 61.4 percent completion rate (running back Cam Akers also had a 32-yard touchdown pass). That level of play is part of why Jefferson finished with just 1,048 yards and two touchdowns, despite playing all 17 games. The only other time in his career he finished with fewer than 1,400 yards was in 2023, when he appeared in just 10 games. The Vikings signed Kyler Murray in free agency, and he’s widely expected to be the team’s Week 1 starter. But McCarthy, Wentz, and Brosmer are all back — and ostensibly all have eyes on that QB1 spot. In a Friday interview with NFL Network’s Good Morning Football, Jefferson was asked what he’d like to see from Minnesota’s QB derby this offseason. “Just competition, for real,” Jefferson said. “Just to see who’s going to be that last man standing, who’s going to be that dog, who’s going to be that leader to carry us throughout this season — because that’s definitely a missing piece that we’re looking for and something that’s very important to our team, which is the quarterback spot. So just seeing that competition, battle — seeing those guys come every single day leading the team and trying to spark, especially the offense, is definitely something I’m looking forward to. And just going out there and just connecting with any quarterback who’s throwing the ball, that’s the main, important thing this training camp.” No matter who ends up starting this year, Jefferson would like to have a consistent QB1 throwing him passes for years to come. “Yeah, that’s definitely something that is… I want that, for sure,” Jefferson said. “It’s definitely difficult for those types of things to happen. But just like me being with Kirk for those first four years of my career, just building on that connection, building on that relationship, that’s something that’s unbroken. That’s something that you just don’t find anywhere. “So it definitely would be great to have a quarterback — the same quarterback — for these next couple years going down the line. But we already know that’s something that’s very difficult to do in this league. But for sure, to keep on that quarterback for these next couple years, and build that relationship, and create that spark, that’s definitely the plan.” In his six stellar seasons, Jefferson has recorded 579 receptions for 8,480 yards with 42 touchdowns

Cam Akers

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