The Athletic's Nate Atkins writes that Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams and Blake Corum will be "in a timeshare of carries," with Ronnie Rivers serving as a versatile special-teams player who is adequate as a rusher, receiver, and pass protector. Williams is still the clear lead back in L.A. and is coming off his third straight 1,000-yard rushing season in 2025 in which he ran for 1,252 yards and 10 touchdowns on 259 carries, adding a career-high 36 receptions for 281 yards and another three TDs as a receiver in 17 regular-season starts. Corum could have an even bigger role alongside Williams, though, after the Rams used the two more interchangeably down the stretch in 2025. The 26-year-old Williams will continue to be utilized near the goal line and as a pass-catcher, but it could be a much tougher ask for him to finish as a top-12 fantasy back in 2026. If you can get Williams as a high-end RB2 in upcoming drafts, you will be looking good at the RB position. But if you are forced to use Williams as your RB1, you could be worse off than with a highly productive running back in one of the best offenses in football
Los Angeles Rams running back Dean Connors rushed for 22 yards on six carries during Saturday's preseason contest against the Kansas City Chiefs. He also caught all four of his targets for an additional 29 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. Throughout his collegiate career at Rice and Houston, Connors' top trait was his ability to catch passes and produce as a receiver. Over his last three NCAA seasons, he had a whopping 139 catches, 1,142 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns. He had at least 1,000 scrimmage yards in each of those three seasons, and he totaled 30 touchdowns during that span. While Connors may not be the most efficient runner, the undrafted free agent may be able to sneak onto the back end of the Rams' roster because of his pass-catching skills. Ronnie Rivers and Jarquez Hunter represent his biggest competition for the No. 3 running back role behind Kyren Williams and Blake Corum
A fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Los Angeles Rams running back Jarquez Hunter appeared in just five games and did not record a single carry during his rookie season. With Rams running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum both appearing in all 17 games for Los Angeles, Hunter never had an opportunity to prove himself. Entering 2026, Williams and Corum remain atop the Rams running back depth chart and are coming off a season in which they combined to record over 2,300 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns. Hunter may not even be guaranteed to win the RB3 role in Los Angeles, as veteran back Ronnie Rivers is also on the team's roster entering training camp. Hunter recorded 1,356 scrimmage yards and nine touchdowns in his final collegiate season at Auburn, so he could have some untapped upside. However, his path to playing time in Los Angeles is hard to see. Dynasty managers may want to consider moving on from Hunter ahead of 2026
With Los Angeles Rams OTAs winding down to next week’s finale, a mandatory three-day mini camp, L.A. is officially in pursuit of Super Bowl LXI. This season’s extravaganza will be held on the Rams home field, SoFi Stadium, February 14, 2027. Having just come up short in the past two seasons, the Rams continue pursuit, making off season moves to solidify weak areas of the roster and hopefully, get them over the top. OTAs are mostly about scheme change installations, getting the the team acclimated to new teammates, and preaching the “Rams way”. Still it’s not too early to project who will be the Rams opening 53 players. There may be a lot of time left until final cut downs, but the depth of the roster only leaves a handful of open spots. Here’s how I would fill them and some of my preseason thoughts. Opening roster in bold. Starter: Matthew Stafford Primary backups: Ty Simpson , Stetson Bennett Cut/practice squad: Matthew Caldwell The only question at QB is who would come off the bench if Stafford is injured. If the absence is a longer term, let Simpson loose to sink or swim. In a short term, there is an argument to be made for Bennett, he has shown incremental year-to-year improvement during preseason games and in theory, should have a good grasp of the offensive principles in Year 3. Starter: Kyren Williams Primary backups: Blake Corum , Jarquez Hunter Roster bubble: Ronnie Rivers Cut/practice squad: Jordan Waters, Dean Conners Luxury problems here. The Rams could likely get away with rostering three backs and keep two on the practice squad. KWill has three straight seasons of 1100+ yard rushing and double-digit touchdowns with a catch rate at 75 percent, yet, Corum showed explosive qualities last year and deserves more work. A single offensive rep would be an uptick for Hunter, who remains stalled behind L.A.’s talented tandem. The bottom three of the unit would all likely clear waivers and be eligible for the practice squad, Rivers is a known quantity for his adequate all-around play, Conners gives of the same vibes, but is quicker, and Waters offers a big body for short yardage. Starters: Puka Nacua , Davante Adams Primary backups: Jordan Whittington , CJ Daniels, Konata Mumpfield , Xavier Smith Roster battle/bubble: Tyler Scott , Harold Presley Cut/practice squad: Mario Williams , Tru Edwards If both L.A.’s stars, Nacua and Adams can stay healthy, the lack of depth at WR#3 will be mostly negated. But doubts will linger, if one or both get nicked up and misses extended action. Whittington gets a real chance to prove he can handle the Rams role that he played in college, the quiet guy who does tough-guy work underneath and around the line of scrimmage. Mumpfield and Daniels are similar athletically, adequate. Daniels appears to be stronger at the catch point, while Mumpfield should be improved over his rookie season. Smith holds the sixth and final roster spot, if only because the Rams did not invest in a viable replacement as punt returner. Presley and Scott could challenge him for the “little guy” spot by proving they can return kicks. Williams and Edwards are long shots, but both had their moments in last year’s preseason. Starters: Colby Parkinson , Terrance Ferguson Primary backups: Tyler Higbee , Davis Allen , Max Klare Roster bubble: Dan Villari Cut/practice squad: Rohan Jones, Mark Redman The Rams have the depth here to make up for the lack at WR#3. All of the condensed sets, stacked receivers, and motion create a scenario where three wide receiver and two tight end formations could be considered interchangeable. The vets, Parkinson, Higbee, and Allen all have a solid grasp on the offense and good hands to boot, they combine for a shade under 70 percent catch rate. Ferguson should have a bigger taste of the offense in Year 2, he’s shown the juice to get deep, now needs to show it with the ball in his hands on shorter routes. Klare shares those same traits. Villari is interesting because of his [... truncated ...]
Los Angeles Rams running back Jarquez Hunter is buried too far down the depth chart to justify rostering him in dynasty fantasy football leagues. When Hunter was selected as a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, there was some speculation that he could ascend into the No. 2 running back role behind Kyren Williams. Instead, he was a healthy scratch for 12 of 17 games as a rookie, falling below Williams, Blake Corum, and Ronnie Rivers on the depth chart. Even when he was active, he didn't log an offensive snap. Rivers is now a free agent, but even if Hunter jumps to third in the pecking order, he'll still be a long way from fantasy relevance. The 23-year-old can be dropped in most dynasty leagues, less than one year after initially being drafted
