There's no doubt that Kyren Williams has been in this fantasy football spot before, and he’s been in trouble in the real game, too. But Williams and Drake London are among the fantasy football bad beats not to stress over at this point in the season.
Williams carried 12 times for 54 yards and had just two catches for 11 yards in the blowout win over the Jaguars in Week 7. But it was more about the game script than anything else. The Rams had big stuff happen in the passing game, and Williams never found a groove.
Rams RB Kyren Williams facing an up-and-down season
Williams hasn’t been as dominant as last year. He has four touchdowns, so it’s not a complete dearth. The fact that he’s been able to post RB1 finishes in three weeks bodes positively. And he barely missed in Week 1 with an RB13 score.
Part of the problem for Williams has been the lack of explosive plays. But that’s the kind of thing that can change as the season rolls along.
And remember, the preseason plan had the Rams using Williams in the passing game more this season, according to Sports Illustrated.
“I think there's a possibility of [Kyren Williams being used more as a receiver],” head coach Sean McVay said. “I think those are always things you're looking to try to evolve and adapt and do a better job of as a coach for these players. I don't think he's limited in some of the things that we can take advantage of. Certainly, the pass game is something that comes to mind. He's shown that he's capable of that when he's been given his opportunities. We probably have to do a better job of being able to find them for him, especially me.”
That could still develop into a thing. Williams did have eight catches for 66 yards against the 49ers. However, he’s had two catches or fewer in all but one of the other games.
Falcons WR Drake London should be able to bounce back
The thing about London is that he has the physical goods. More often than not, he’s going to come up aces. He may not get 10 catches for 158 yards again this season, like he did against the Bills. But he should be a lock for 5-plus catches and 50-plus yards each week, and he should be able to find the end zone more often once the Falcons figure out their Red Zone woes.
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris believes in London, that’s for sure, according to atlantafalcons.com.
“He's an absolute dog,” Morris said. “When he gets the ball in his hand, he's ferocious, he's vicious, he's tough. He brings a certain amount of toughness to our team. He sets the tone. He is everything that you want in a wideout and everything you want in a player. I love him.”
And he’s part of a tough trio along with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and running back Bijan Robinson. Robinson and London combined to give the Falcons their first-ever 150-yard receiver and yard rusher in the same game.
“That's the football we want to play,” Penix said. “That's how we've got to come out all the time, even after half. For us to go out there and win that football game with the second half that I feel like we had that was a big lull, I feel like it's going to be a scary sight whenever we figure it out and all play together and play a full game and not just one good half.”
Panthers RB Rico Dowdle should re-emerge
Yes, the Panthers seem determined to make Chuba Hubbard an important part of the offense. But if they want to keep winning games, they will need to keep Dowdle more involved than a 50-50 split with Hubbard.
But Dave Canales has to be on board, and that didn’t happen Sunday, according to panthers.com.
“It just came out like we thought. We just switched some series and let those guys go out there and play some football for us,” said coach Dave Canales. “So I just thought it was a good day, both guys running physically, running aggressive, and it ended up paying off for us.”
Dowdle seemed OK with it.
“We knew we was going to rotate every series, we was going to switch out, going into the game,” Dowdle shared. “The coach had told us early on in the week, and I think it worked out. We got the win, so it worked.”
