Kyren

Williams

Atkins still expects Williams to be the starter. Playing on third down and in the two-minute drill gives running backs an edge in PPR formats. Atkins did not specify which back will play in the latter scenario, but we imagine Williams will get the first crack at the gig. If Williams is also set to be the interior runner, it likely means he gets the first chance in the red zone. He out-snapped No. 2 RB Blake Corum in the red zone, 26-6, during the playoffs last year. That said, losing touches to the point of a 50-50 split hurts his upside.

It was yet another game where the Rams struggled on the ground, but where Williams’ touchdown-catching prowess was enough to keep him in the scorebook as he got lost on a mesh concept near the end zone. Williams lost his volume back role this year as the Rams gradually started introducing more Blake Corum to the offense in October. He wound up playing 68 percent of the snaps on the season, but it was 63 percent after Week 6. He made up for it by scoring eight touchdowns down the stretch. With a long-term contract secured, there’s no reason Williams can’t be a reasonable RB2 in 2026 — just don’t draft him with the idea that he’s a true volume back.

Williams found the end zone twice in this one. The fourth-year back punched in a four-yard score on the Rams’ opening possession to give his team an early 7-0 lead, and later found the end zone on a five-yard run in the fourth quarter to break a 10-10 tie. Williams never found much room to run in this one, with his longest runs coming on two 10-yard gains. The Rams didn’t truly lean on Williams until late in the game, as 14 of his 21 carries came in the fourth quarter or overtime, but his two scoring plays more than made up for his rather pedestrian total on the ground. Williams will face another tough test in next week’s NFC Championship Game when he goes on the road to face a stout Seahawks defense that held him to 23-70-0 on the ground the last time the two teams met.

Williams’ angle route in the fourth quarter put the Rams back in front in the fourth quarter. The Rams didn’t really do a great job of establishing the run with Kevin Dotson out, and Williams continued to split carries with Blake Corum while out-snapping him 47-28 per the early PFF charting data. Williams will be part of the high-end RB conversation in Divisional Round DFS and Playoff Best Ball next week.

Williams was stuffed on his only goal line carry of the day, missing out on the opportunity to score his 11th rushing touchdown of the year. He ends the season with 1,252 yards and 10 scores on 259 attempts. Williams was out-carried by Blake Corum 13-12 in this contest, though Corum tallied five carries on LA’s final drive compared to just one for Williams. The two will continue to split work in the Wild Card Round versus the Panthers, making Williams a high-risk fantasy option next week.

Blake Corum is also active. Both players were questionable with ankle issues. Only needing a win to secure the No. 5 seed, Corum and Williams should both see plenty of run versus a weak Arizona defense. Williams is a strong RB1 bet for Week 18 while Corum is a high-risk RB3.

Sean McVay said he was “likely to play.” Williams has done more at practice than fellow questionable Blake Corum, so it would seem more likely that Williams would get the bulk of the carries from where we are today. It’s also possible that Ronnie Rivers or Jarquez Hunter get more involved, despite McVay’s claims that he’ll play his starters no matter what happens in the 49ers-Seahawks game. Williams will be on the RB1 line if active.

Williams’ backup, RB Blake Corum (ankle), has not yet practiced this week and the Rams are already headed to the playoffs. Rams rookie RB Jarquez Hunter could see live action this week against the Cardinals, if the coaching staff opts to preserve Williams’ health for the postseason.

This would normally be a non-story, but the Rams have almost nothing to play for in Week 18. They are locked into either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed for the playoffs. Even a minor ankle issue for Williams could be enough to get him a week of rest. Backup Blake Corum is also dealing with an ankle injury, meaning we could see a lot of third-string running back Ronnie Rivers on Sunday.

It’s hard to believe McVay would risk the health of key players — including Puka Nacua and Matthew Stafford — with the Rams all but locked into the No. 6 seed in the NFC after Monday night’s devastating loss to the Falcons. Perhaps the team’s starters will get a few drives before the backups come in against Arizona. That would include Jimmy Garappolo at quarterback and maybe Ronnie Rivers at running back. Keep it locked to Rotoworld for updates on which teams will rest their starters in the regular season’s final week.