The NFL Draft is all about young players realizing their dreams to play the game they love at the highest level. However, the cutthroat nature of the business means that for every rookie earning a job, one veteran ends up on the bench. Kyren Williams was one of the biggest fantasy football breakout stars of 2023, but that didn’t stop the Los Angeles Rams from selecting Michigan’s Blake Corum in the third round. Once viewed as one of the safest players in fantasy, Williams now has to fight for touches with one of the best backs in the 2024 NFL Draft class. So, who will emerge as the better fantasy option in the upcoming season?
What Blake Corum Means For Kyren Williams In Fantasy Football
Kyren Williams In the NFL
Let’s start off by looking at the good, bad, and ugly for Kyren Williams. We all know that draft capital is the most predictive metric for long-term success, and Williams’ fifth-round status isn’t going to do him any favors. While last year proved he can play, ask anyone who rostered James Robinson in 2021 if one season of elite production can save a late-round pick. Additionally, Williams’ 20th-percentile height and eighth-percentile weight suggest he doesn’t have the build to handle multiple seasons of three-down work.
There was a lot to dislike about Kyren Williams as a prospect, but Kyren Williams the NFL player showed he can be dangerous in fantasy football. After yet another offseason of unjustified Cam Akers hype, Williams quickly took the starting job and never looked back. Despite only playing in 12 games, the Notre Dame product finished the season as the RB7 in PPR formats and was the RB2 in points-per-game, trailing only the great Christian McCaffrey.
The best fantasy football players are the ones who are efficient with a large volume, and Kyren Williams made the most of his many opportunities. The running back finished the season ranked 17th in yards created per touch, 10th in juke rate, and 10th in PFF grade. Ultimately, he proved beyond any reasonable doubt that he is a starting-caliber back in the NFL.
Blake Corum At Michigan
Kyren Williams already has NFL tape, which makes him easier to evaluate than Blake Corum. However, with that disclaimer out of the way, we still have a good idea about what the Michigan product brings to the table. Serving as the focal point of Jim Harbaugh’s offense, Corum finished the 2023 season with 1,245 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns on 258 carries to go along with 16 receptions for 117 yards and an additional score.
Corum lacks elite deep speed and is not a home run threat. However, what makes him special is his disproportionate strength. While he might not be a natural fit for a three-down workload, he should be able to carve out a role as a short-yardage specialist who could start in a pinch.
Additionally, while his third-round draft capital suggests he’ll earn an opportunity to start, you can’t overlook that his collegiate coach had three opportunities to select Corum and passed on him every single time. The Chargers need a running back, and the coach who knows him better than anyone else decided that Blake Corum was not the answer to his problem.
Now that we know what Kyren Williams and Blake Corum are good at, let’s take a look at how they compare in this backfield.
The Rams backfield just got even more impressive!
Black Corum is a winner who boasts excellent vision, able to see the hole and bounce to the gap for the game breaking play. A fantastic complement to the Pro Bowler Kyren Williams. pic.twitter.com/Vroq2bQabO
— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) April 27, 2024
Kyren Williams vs Blake Corum
If you took a close look at Williams’ numbers, you might notice that his efficiency numbers, while good, were not what you’d expect from the RB2 in points per game. This is because Williams received a league-leading 83.9% snap share and had the fourth-highest opportunity share in the NFL. Touches are earned in the NFL, but Williams had a bit of a production boost due to the lack of depth on the Rams depth chart.
Royce Freeman finished second on the 2023 Los Angeles Rams in rushing yards, attempts, and touchdowns. Freeman is not an NFL-caliber back, and the presence of Blake Corum will ensure that Kyren Williams won’t have to receive that type of workload again. That is the nature of today’s NFL – there are only 3-4 backs in the league earning a workhorse role, and the rest are in some type of timeshare.
Blake Corum will get his touches, but Kyren Williams should remain the starter. Despite his poor draft capital, Williams looks like one of the NFL’s better backs, and Corum is not a special prospect. However, seeing as the Michigan product is at his best in short-yardage situations, he could easily steal goal-line work and cut into Williams’ 12 touchdowns from last year.
Ultimately, seeing as Blake Corum will be the RB2 and short-yardage expert, Kyren Williams probably won’t repeat his RB2 points-per-game finish. However, he’s still a starter in one of the league’s better offenses and should finish as a low-end RB1 or high-end RB2. Corum, meanwhile, should be a touchdown-dependent flex play and one of the most valuable handcuffs in the league. Check in with the Kyren Williams manager in your league and see if you can buy low on the veteran.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
