RB Kyren Williams, LAR (1 Viewer)

[SayWhat?]

and not a single other one is returning punts for their team.

Say what????

Tyreek Hill doesn't return punts?

What about Kyren's returns last year?

It would make far more sense for 4.2 Tyreek Hill to return punts than 4.7 Kyren Williams, if teams were truly looking to “get their playmakers more touches.”

Unfortunately for the sake of your argument, Tyreek Hill hasn’t been returning more than 1-2 punts per year since 2018. And as others have pointed out, Kyren Williams has returned three punts in his two year career.

 

[Desert_Power]

These feels similar to the "Chase has the dropsies" narrative from the other year. Kyren was really good last year, I'd bet he's really good again.

Folks have been burned by McVay a few times, so they are going to catastrophize off of any potentially negative news for KW. His fantasy value is highly dependent on role instead of talent. That can change in a hurry.

 

[Desert_Power]

Part of what made Williams so valuable last season was the volume of touches though.

Part, yes. Specifically, the part where those touches were in the red zone. Those are the touches I would be worried about him losing/not being fresh enough for.

 

[steelcityman]

I agree that Williams returning punts isn't that big of a deal.

Williams playing 94% of the offensive snaps and doing punt returns on top of that is what concerns me.

Perhaps his offensive snaps are less this year though with other RB who can spell him more and then its not really an issue as far as load management if offensive snaps are only 70-80%

Part of what made Williams so valuable last season was the volume of touches though.

Simple solution, draft Nacua or Kupp instead.

 

[Biabreakable]

I agree that Williams returning punts isn't that big of a deal.

Williams playing 94% of the offensive snaps and doing punt returns on top of that is what concerns me.

Perhaps his offensive snaps are less this year though with other RB who can spell him more and then its not really an issue as far as load management if offensive snaps are only 70-80%

Part of what made Williams so valuable last season was the volume of touches though.

I'm expecting about 70-30 in Williams favor. He was never going to get the same share he got last year, nobody should be projected for that much, not even CMC.

ETA: I don't see any RB getting above 80%.

Yeah I guess he had 82% of the offensive snaps in 2023 on a per game basis. Some special teams snaps on top of that and perhaps 85% or something which is a lot, but he could have similar opportunities with 10% fewer snaps if the other RBs can be trusted.

 

[Biabreakable]

Part of what made Williams so valuable last season was the volume of touches though.

Part, yes. Specifically, the part where those touches were in the red zone. Those are the touches I would be worried about him losing/not being fresh enough for.

This is a good point which circles back to the formula about types of opportunities the player has.

If Corum is good in short yardage as advertised those are some tough carries that could be shared, but if so that might mean goal line carries which are more valuable.

 

[Ray_T]

These feels similar to the "Chase has the dropsies" narrative from the other year. Kyren was really good last year, I'd bet he's really good again.

Don't think this has anything to do with his talent, it's all about the coach. It is NEVER good when the coach puts his star rb on punt returns. This would be more like Chase's coach saying "He's been dropping a lot of balls, we will give him a go at special teams"

Hope this is nothing, but at the very least it's super strange.

it is.

Most coaches dont put starters in on the kick return team. do you know why? you get hurt on those plays more than a regular play from scrimage.

this makes me think maybe hes actually not going to be the starter come week 1. dont get me wrong, I love the guy and hope I'm wrong, but this feels like trouble. if you return a kick 20 yards while running sideways across the field, you're too winded to run a play from scrimage after that. think about it.

I think this is an excuse to give Corum more playing time. I dont know that I"m gonna predict he loses his starting gig, but it could be a sign that this is about to become a committee.

 

[Deamon]

These feels similar to the "Chase has the dropsies" narrative from the other year. Kyren was really good last year, I'd bet he's really good again.

Don't think this has anything to do with his talent, it's all about the coach. It is NEVER good when the coach puts his star rb on punt returns. This would be more like Chase's coach saying "He's been dropping a lot of balls, we will give him a go at special teams"

Hope this is nothing, but at the very least it's super strange.

it is.

Most coaches dont put starters in on the kick return team. do you know why? you get hurt on those plays more than a regular play from scrimage.

this makes me think maybe hes actually not going to be the starter come week 1. dont get me wrong, I love the guy and hope I'm wrong, but this feels like trouble. if you return a kick 20 yards while running sideways across the field, you're too winded to run a play from scrimage after that. think about it.

I think this is an excuse to give Corum more playing time. I dont know that I"m gonna predict he loses his starting gig, but it could be a sign that this is about to become a committee.

Agree with this bang on. Although, there's usually a decent enough break after the punt before the first play, I still think he will come trotting off the field for Corum to start the drive after a punt.

I could see this being a true 50/50 in Mcvays mind UNTIL someone shows they're the hot hand, and then that guy will start getting 2/3rds of the work.

Could see Kyren starting most drives, and Corum starting all the drives after a punt... and like you say.... this can kind of justify mcvay using corum right away on 1st down on some drives.

 

[Cowboysfan8]

But he returned a few punts last year too.

The coach views him as a playmaker and wants to get him more touches. That seems like a good thing to me.

lol no

Could you explain further what you’re trying to get at here?

 

[Cowboysfan8]

and Corum starting all the drives after a punt... and like you say.... this can kind of justify mcvay using corum right away on 1st down on some drives.

What % of the time would you say there is a commercial break after a punt?

Also, what % of the Rams opponents punts resulted in a fair catch last season?

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Part of what made Williams so valuable last season was the volume of touches though.

Part, yes. Specifically, the part where those touches were in the red zone. Those are the touches I would be worried about him losing/not being fresh enough for.

Can you imagine having Kyren in your lineup, watching him take a punt 68 yards to the 2, and seeing Corrum casually trot out there to punch it in while Kyren gets some oxygen on the sidelines?

It’s the stuff of FF nightmares.

Like the game where I needed 3 points & Gurley had an open lane for a ~7 yard walk-in TD, but falls to the ground to salt the clock. I still have PTSD over that.

 

[rodalive]

and Corum starting all the drives after a punt... and like you say.... this can kind of justify mcvay using corum right away on 1st down on some drives.

What % of the time would you say there is a commercial break after a punt?

Also, what % of the Rams opponents punts resulted in a fair catch last season?

For the love of God we need the season to start...

 

[oldmanhawkins]

wasn’t at all interested in Karen near ADP but if this makes him fall below ETN or Kw3 I might end up with a few Karen shares on my teams. It is just noise.

 

[Ray_T]

For the love of God we need the season to start...

you are not wrong.

 

[Deamon]

and Corum starting all the drives after a punt... and like you say.... this can kind of justify mcvay using corum right away on 1st down on some drives.

What % of the time would you say there is a commercial break after a punt?

Also, what % of the Rams opponents punts resulted in a fair catch last season?

damn, didn't even wait till regular season to troll

 

[zed2283]

Maybe he meant to say kickoffs (since everyone has been talking about using top RBs back there due to the new rules)...

 

[Cowboysfan8]

and Corum starting all the drives after a punt... and like you say.... this can kind of justify mcvay using corum right away on 1st down on some drives.

What % of the time would you say there is a commercial break after a punt?

Also, what % of the Rams opponents punts resulted in a fair catch last season?

damn, didn't even wait till regular season to troll

Asking you to explain your thoughts is trolling?

 

[cheese]

Maybe he meant to say kickoffs (since everyone has been talking about using top RBs back there due to the new rules)...

I doubt it. McVay used Cooper Kupp to return punts even when he was having his super elite run as stud WR. He seems to think it's not a problem to use his main guys for that. Kyren himself returned 3 punts last year. I doubt he makes them the main guy though. Just looking through his past, it seems like 1A is a typical returner and 1B is his best weapon period.

 

[Terpman22]

The crappy thing about all this is I took Kyren in a lot of drafts round 3 rookie last year, knowing this is the McVay play, but just couldn't get Corum this year in part bc Corum was a more known commodity coming out of the draft, not to mention the 3rd round draft capital. Got Corum in just 1 league where I don't even have Kyren and like me, the Kyren owner isn't interested in moving him at a discount so its Ride or Die time it seems.

Riding this at least until week 4/5 to see how it plays out.

But god d*** you McVay! (unless Whittington becomes a stud then all is forgiven!)

 

[Judge Smails]

Getting this right (Kyren at a discount or Corum a few rounds earlier than ADP) may be the key to a lot of championships. One of them is going to eat under McVay. But which one?

 

[BIRDGANG52]

Getting this right (Kyren at a discount or Corum a few rounds earlier than ADP) may be the key to a lot of championships. One of them is going to eat under McVay. But which one?

Whichever one that's going to keep their HOF Quarterback who won them a Super Bowl upright, imo.

 

[Doubles]

Rams OC Mike LaFleur on Rams' decision to place Kyren Williams at PR (Blake Corum, Tutu Atwell, Xavier Smith have gotten reps here too): "Anytime you can put the ball in a playmaker's hands, you're going to be happy about it. When 23 is touching the ball, it's good for the Rams."

He goes on to speak about it from an injury perspective:

"I always hold my breath when the ball is in the air and a kickoff or punt, no matter [what]. I with Devin Hester in [2015] '15 and you still did it. When it gets in their hands, a lot of good things can happen. Kyren is a guy that this whole organization can trust. That's such a trustworthy position to be a punt returner or a kick returner, but really a punt returner. You do that for the betterment of this organization.”

Added video

 

[Deamon]

Rams OC Mike LaFleur on Rams' decision to place Kyren Williams at PR (Blake Corum, Tutu Atwell, Xavier Smith have gotten reps here too): "Anytime you can put the ball in a playmaker's hands, you're going to be happy about it. When 23 is touching the ball, it's good for the Rams."

He goes on to speak about it from an injury perspective:

"I always hold my breath when the ball is in the air and a kickoff or punt, no matter [what]. I with Devin Hester in [2015] '15 and you still did it. When it gets in their hands, a lot of good things can happen. Kyren is a guy that this whole organization can trust. That's such a trustworthy position to be a punt returner or a kick returner, but really a punt returner. You do that for the betterment of this organization.”

Well that just reeks of trying to save face.

 

[habsfan]

Rams OC Mike LaFleur on Rams' decision to place Kyren Williams at PR (Blake Corum, Tutu Atwell, Xavier Smith have gotten reps here too): "Anytime you can put the ball in a playmaker's hands, you're going to be happy about it. When 23 is touching the ball, it's good for the Rams."

He goes on to speak about it from an injury perspective:

"I always hold my breath when the ball is in the air and a kickoff or punt, no matter [what]. I with Devin Hester in [2015] '15 and you still did it. When it gets in their hands, a lot of good things can happen. Kyren is a guy that this whole organization can trust. That's such a trustworthy position to be a punt returner or a kick returner, but really a punt returner. You do that for the betterment of this organization.”

Well that just reeks of trying to save face.

Comparing your 200+ touch RB to a return specialist is basically the same thing isn't it? /s

 

[MrSoup]

I think Corum will be the lead back and get the goal line work while Kyren becomes 3rd down and two minute drill back.

 

[Ilov80s]

Rams OC Mike LaFleur on Rams' decision to place Kyren Williams at PR (Blake Corum, Tutu Atwell, Xavier Smith have gotten reps here too): "Anytime you can put the ball in a playmaker's hands, you're going to be happy about it. When 23 is touching the ball, it's good for the Rams."

He goes on to speak about it from an injury perspective:

"I always hold my breath when the ball is in the air and a kickoff or punt, no matter [what]. I with Devin Hester in [2015] '15 and you still did it. When it gets in their hands, a lot of good things can happen. Kyren is a guy that this whole organization can trust. That's such a trustworthy position to be a punt returner or a kick returner, but really a punt returner. You do that for the betterment of this organization.”

Well that just reeks of trying to save face.

Comparing your 200+ touch RB to a return specialist is basically the same thing isn't it? /s

Kyren returned some kicks last year. They have used Cooper Kupp in that role too. I’m not sure this is as bad as it seems.

 

[Deamon]

Rams OC Mike LaFleur on Rams' decision to place Kyren Williams at PR (Blake Corum, Tutu Atwell, Xavier Smith have gotten reps here too): "Anytime you can put the ball in a playmaker's hands, you're going to be happy about it. When 23 is touching the ball, it's good for the Rams."

He goes on to speak about it from an injury perspective:

"I always hold my breath when the ball is in the air and a kickoff or punt, no matter [what]. I with Devin Hester in [2015] '15 and you still did it. When it gets in their hands, a lot of good things can happen. Kyren is a guy that this whole organization can trust. That's such a trustworthy position to be a punt returner or a kick returner, but really a punt returner. You do that for the betterment of this organization.”

Well that just reeks of trying to save face.

Comparing your 200+ touch RB to a return specialist is basically the same thing isn't it? /s

Kyren returned some kicks last year. They have used Cooper Kupp in that role too. I’m not sure this is as bad as it seems.

Oh it's worse.

 

[menobrown]

I think they love Kyren so much they tried to draft his clone, as such I don't see him being in danger at all of losing the primary running job and I say that fully aware that arguably no coach has pulled more fantasy surprises then McVay.

A lighter workload? That almost assured but where he's going he'll justify his ADP at about 75% of last years production.

 

[BlackCrowes]

I think Corum will be the lead back and get the goal line work while Kyren becomes 3rd down and two minute drill back.

Maybe for a few weeks, then Kyren will be demoted to holding on kickoffs

 

[cockroach]

Rams OC Mike LaFleur on Rams' decision to place Kyren Williams at PR (Blake Corum, Tutu Atwell, Xavier Smith have gotten reps here too): "Anytime you can put the ball in a playmaker's hands, you're going to be happy about it. When 23 is touching the ball, it's good for the Rams."

He goes on to speak about it from an injury perspective:

"I always hold my breath when the ball is in the air and a kickoff or punt, no matter [what]. I with Devin Hester in [2015] '15 and you still did it. When it gets in their hands, a lot of good things can happen. Kyren is a guy that this whole organization can trust. That's such a trustworthy position to be a punt returner or a kick returner, but really a punt returner. You do that for the betterment of this organization.”

Well that just reeks of trying to save face.

Comparing your 200+ touch RB to a return specialist is basically the same thing isn't it? /s

Kyren returned some kicks last year. They have used Cooper Kupp in that role too. I’m not sure this is as bad as it seems.

Oh it's worse.

Are you doing that thing that one guy did in the mid 00s here with Tiki Barber? He talked all preseason about how bad he was and wasn't going to get touches. Then he'd talk crap about him every Monday despite him going off. Turned out he was in his lineup every week.

 

[Ilov80s]

Rams OC Mike LaFleur on Rams' decision to place Kyren Williams at PR (Blake Corum, Tutu Atwell, Xavier Smith have gotten reps here too): "Anytime you can put the ball in a playmaker's hands, you're going to be happy about it. When 23 is touching the ball, it's good for the Rams."

He goes on to speak about it from an injury perspective:

"I always hold my breath when the ball is in the air and a kickoff or punt, no matter [what]. I with Devin Hester in [2015] '15 and you still did it. When it gets in their hands, a lot of good things can happen. Kyren is a guy that this whole organization can trust. That's such a trustworthy position to be a punt returner or a kick returner, but really a punt returner. You do that for the betterment of this organization.”

Well that just reeks of trying to save face.

Comparing your 200+ touch RB to a return specialist is basically the same thing isn't it? /s

Kyren returned some kicks last year. They have used Cooper Kupp in that role too. I’m not sure this is as bad as it seems.

Oh it's worse.

I’m not a big Kyren guy at all, drafting a lot of Corum. But I don’t think the PR thing is what has me worried.

 

[Desert_Power]

I think they love Kyren so much they tried to draft his clone, as such I don't see him being in danger at all of losing the primary running job and I say that fully aware that arguably no coach has pulled more fantasy surprises then McVay.

A lighter workload? That almost assured but where he's going he'll justify his ADP at about 75% of last years production.

The bold is an interesting spin too.

 

[houston]

Rams returned 28 punts last year for about 200 yards.

So, even if he is their only punt returner (I doubt), we are talking less than 2 punt returns per game. I’m fine with them giving one of their better playmakers an additional touch per game.

 

[Ilov80s]

I will admit I am nervous. In a keeper league, I had to choose 2 of the 3. Achance in the 7th was my slam dunk. Then it came down to Kyren inthe 6th or Rashee Rice in the 15th. I went Kyren because I figured he had the bigger upside and strategically, having my RB slots filled with 6th and 7th round picks of players who the market sees as RB1s was probably the smarter play because it would allow me to make a sort of super zero RB build. 10 team PPR with 2 flex spots, I was able to get Mahomes, Kincaid, Amon Ra, Olave, Waddle and JSN to pair to start with those backs. I think it was the right move. However, I am still really nervous about the pick and would feel much safer with Rice.

 

[Faust]

Jacob Gibbs
Kyren Williams (2023 Fantasy RB2 in PPG) picked up right where he left off:

- 91% snap rate
- 73% route participation
- 4 red zone opportunities
- 18 of 20 RB rushes

x.com

x.com

 

[cockroach]

I could see this being a true 50/50 in Mcvays mind UNTIL someone shows they're the hot hand, and then that guy will start getting 2/3rds of the work.

Whiff

 

[Deamon]

I could see this being a true 50/50 in Mcvays mind UNTIL someone shows they're the hot hand, and then that guy will start getting 2/3rds of the work.

Whiff

Agree, I think I might have been wrong here to be worried about the punt return thing.

 

[Judge Smails]

Jacob Gibbs
Kyren Williams (2023 Fantasy RB2 in PPG) picked up right where he left off:

- 91% snap rate
- 73% route participation
- 4 red zone opportunities
- 18 of 20 RB rushes

x.com

x.com

Yeah could have had the 2nd TD but he took it to the goal line and they did a jet sweep vs letting him try again. Biggest gamble I made in the draft was on Williams and it looks correct. When the line gets intact he could be a monster.