Fresh off their bye week, quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams are set to begin the second half of their season with players getting healthy again. The team recently announced the return of wide receiver Van Jefferson, a key contributor in 2021, but the news does not stop there. Field Yates of ESPN tweeted on Wednesday that Rams rookie running back Kyren Williams has been designated to return from IR and begin practicing with the team.

The fifth-round draft selection out of Notre Dame has not played since Week 1 after suffering a high ankle sprain. Though Williams did not test particularly well at the NFL Combine, he displayed a penchant for receiving out of the backfield in college. Additionally, Williams has seemingly endeared himself to head coach Sean McVay and the team staff.

In a Rams mailbag article posted last week, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic said that based on “McVay's effusive praise” of Williams dating back to training camp, the rookie “figures to have a big role when he's back.”

Whispers of potentially sizable involvement for Williams certainly add a new wrinkle to the ongoing saga surrounding the team's relationship with running back Cam Akers. While it is still unclear how that situation will resolve itself, Rams fans and fantasy football managers everywhere should keep an eye on Williams. Stafford and the Rams could certainly use a boost in their ground game as well, given that the team ranks last among all NFL teams in rushing yards (423) in 2022, per Pro Football Reference.

The Rams' next game is right around the corner as they are set for a Week 8 NFC West showdown with the rival San Francisco 49ers. If Kyren Williams is out on your waiver wire, scoop him up in your fantasy league.