Fantasy Football Player Notes

Puka got hurt in Week 1, forcing him to miss the next five games. But once he returned, he was a force. The Rams WR1 finished fourth in fantasy points per game.
In Weeks 8-18, he out scored all WRs not-named Ja'Marr Chase. He was 9th in red zone targets and led the NFL in target share at 31% (10-plus targets per game) through the postseason. His full 36% target rate per route run was the highest in the NFL among qualified WRs. The second-year WR led the NFL yards per route at 3.23. Only four other players have accomplished this feat of more than 3 yards per route run since 2017 - Tyreek Hill, Cooper Kupp, Julio Jones and Nico Collins.

Last year, Williams pulled off his best yesteryear Rachaad White or Leonard Fournette impression. A volume gobbling inefficient back who turned in an RB1 season (RB10). Williams ranked first in snap share, second in opportunity share, and first in red zone touches. Williams had 350 touches and 1,481 total yards. With all that said, Williams was one of the most inefficient per touch backs in the NFL. Among 46 qualifying backs, he ranked 44th in explosive run rate, 37th in missed tackle rate, and 40th in yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). Williams could retain his stranglehold on the volume again in a contract year, but it's also possible that Blake Corum or Jarquez Hunter could eat into his workload. Williams is a top 15-20 running back who could easily be an RB1 again or see his stock come crashing down.

Despite splitting time between the Raiders and Jets last season, Davante Adams still posted his fifth straight 1,000-yard campaign and finished as the WR14 (WR10 in points per game). He averaged over 2.0 yards per route run and ranked top-5 in both red-zone targets and targets share (27%), showing no signs of an age-related decline. Pairing with Matthew Stafford only boosts his outlook, especially under dome conditions in a highly competitive NFC West. Adams should feast as a reliable WR2, and his ceiling only rises if Puka Nacua misses time entering his third season.

Blake Corum never threatened Kyren Williams' workload last year. He could be surpassed on the depth chart this season after the Rams added Jarquez Hunter in the draft. Corum's per-touch numbers last year were expectedly disappointing, with only a 14% missed tackle rate and 1.66 yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). If you're taking shots on this backfield, I would point you in the direction of Williams and Hunter.

Hunter is arbitrage Bhayshul Tuten in fantasy football drafts. Hunter, much like Tuten, is headed to the NFL (Rams) via the fourth round of the NFL draft. Also, like Tuten, Hunter finds himself possibly buried for 2025 behind two veterans, but he also possesses the talent and pathway to surpass one or maybe both of them in the running back pecking order. Kyren Williams is a free agent after this season. The Rams thought so much of Blake Corum's rookie season that they addressed running back again this year. Hunter is incredibly talented. Hunter has ranked inside the top 24 in yards after contact per attempt in each of the last three seasons while also sitting in the top 22 in breakaway percentage in two of three years (per PFF). Hunter offers the Rams an explosive element that neither Williams nor Corum has. Last year, among 46 qualifying backs, Williams ranked 44th in explosive run rate, 37th in missed tackles forced per attempt, and 40th in yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). Hunter could be one of the best values of the fantasy football draft season.