9/20 4:00 PM update: Joe Mixon (ankle) is DOUBTFUL and Dameon Pierce (hamstring) is OUT, which gives Cam Akers’ Week 3 fantasy outlook a significant boost.
Neither Joe Mixon or Dameon Pierce have practiced in Week 3. This has many fantasy football managers asking: can I start Cam Akers in Week 3 Fantasy Football lineups?
As the potential featured back within a top-10 offense, lets dive into Cam Akers Fantasy Outlook for Week 3 and beyond.
Cam Akers: Incredible Recovery from Two Achilles’ Tears
Almost miraculously, Akers looks completely recovered from tearing two Achilles tendons within the past three seasons. Most recently, Akers tore his Achilles on November 5th, 2023 against the Falcons.
Many expected this to end Akers’ NFL career—rarely, has an NFL running back returned from just one Achilles tear to ever be the same. None have ever suffered the injury twice and played again.
@Kyle_FFRecon broke down the ominous success rate back in 2021:
Yet, since this tweet, Akers himself returned in the playoffs the same year he tore his Achilles the first time. JK Dobbins is currently leading the NFL in rushing. Aaron Rodgers was flying around the field last night, and Kirk Cousins seems to be coming along nicely through two weeks.
Maybe these guys are part cyborg, maybe the surgery and recovery rehab have progressed greatly. Whatever the cause, Achilles tears don’t seem to be the same death knell it had been for NFL Players.
How has Cam Akers looked with the Texans so far?
Akers has looked incredible since joining the Texans this summer.
He was not expected to make the final 53, but forced his way onto the roster with some incredible preseason play. Akers finished the preseason with an NFL-best 114 rushing yards on 24 carries (4.7 YPC) and caught eight passes for 61 yards with one touchdown. He averaged 3.1 yards after contact, too.
31 touches, 185 yards from scrimmage & a TD? Not a shabby day at the office! He looked notably elusive, shifting direction with ease. The vision, the change of direction, the one-cut-and-go way Akers glides through the hole all make him a tremendous fit for Bobbly Slowik’s zone blocking scheme.
Akers even hitting a video game-like sequence where he hit 3 spin moves in a row:
Comparatively, Dameon Pierce continued to look like a horrendous fit for the zone scheme. He ripped off a whopping 9 yards on his 8 carries (1.13 YPC), while also getting hurt. This, following a year when Pierce averaged an NFL worst 2.9 YPC and lost his starting job to Devin Singletary.
I get it, this was just the preseason. Akers was also a healthy scratch in Week 1, behind Pierce.
Yet, with Pierce out in Week 2 and Mixon suffering an ankle injury, Akers saw some meaningful work. Against the Chicago Bears, Akers rushed for a team-high 32 yards on seven carries as he averaged 4.5 yards per run. He ripped off a long run of 13 yards in which he threw a mean stiff arm.
Indeed, Akers lost a fumble in the red zone on an unpenalized helmet-to-helmet shot. Nonetheless, he still flashed some real juice beyond just preseason action.
Whether or not Akers deserved to be the RB2 over Pierce from the jump is debatable. Regardless, the Texans will likely have no choice but to play Akers in Week 3.
Cam Akers Fantasy Outlook vs. Vikings (Week 3)
Throughout Week 3 practices, Akers took the first-team snaps. Mixon and Pierce have yet to hit the field, and both seem to be trending towards out, even if neither of the running backs’ injuries are regarded as long-term.
Yet, as (at minimum) a one-week rental, Cam Akers brings oodles of fantasy upside to the table. In a week where Isiah Pacheco or Christian McCaffrey managers are scrambling for fill-ins, Akers could very-well be the top Week 3 streaming option.
The Texans rank 9th with 31 rush attempts and 10th with 144 rush yards per game in 2024. While the Bears shut down this run game in Week 2, Mixon ran absolutely wild in Week 1, taking 30 carries for 159 yards and a TD.
The zone-blocking has been rock-solid, and Akers will likely see 20+ carries if both Mixon and Pierce remain sidelined.
Plus, Akers has the “revenge game” narrative vs. the Vikings, and sounds confident and ready he will seize it:
“You don’t got to get ready when you stay ready,” Akers said. “So, I’ve been preparing for this moment. I’m ready for it. I’m ready to take advantage.”
The Vikings have been solid on defense so far, with opponents averaging 13.5 points per game; they just held the explosive 49ers to just 17 points. Moreover, they have only surrendered the 25th most FPs to RBs on the young season.
Yet, I’m not ready to call one of last year’s most abysmal defensive units completely fixed because of two solid weeks. Moreover, Jordan Mason just rumbled for 20 carries, 100 yards, and 1 TD against the Vikings last week. The Texans implement a similar zone-blocking scheme, as OC Slowik is a former Shanahan disciple.
The Texans are also currently 1 point road favorites. At minimum, this suggests a competitive game, which should keep Akers’ role as the lead rusher safe. Akers is a capable receiver, but still could cede third-down situations to Dare Ogunbowale. As long as the game remains competitive, and especially if the Texans have a lead, Akers should see plenty of work.
HC DeMeco Ryans has been impressed with Akers so far, noting: “Cam has run the ball well, as we’ve seen…He did a good job for us, so we’ll see where Cam is as we go throughout the week.”
OC Bobby Slowik went even further in his praise, suggesting Akers has their full confidence and is a perfect fit for the scheme: “He has great vision,” said Slowik. “He’s been running – ran zone scheme he came from – he did the same thing in Minnesota. He’s really good at reading that, we call it riding the wave, finding the right hole to hit. He always plays under control. When he sees it, he hits it. He finishes physical. And he has really good contact balance and I’d say those are the things that jump out with Cam. You pretty much see that every carry.”
The Texans are reportedly “still holding out hope” that Mixon will play, but as of Friday, he still hasn’t practiced. It very likely will be the Akers show. He sure expects to:
“It’s going to feel great. It’s just another game. Obviously, I’ve got history there, but it’s still another game. It’s the next one up. So, I just want to put on a show.”
At just 18% rostered on Yahoo, Akers could very well be out there on your wire. Whether you need the streamer yourself or want to block your opponent, Akers is well worth a roster spot in Week 3. I expect him to see 20+ carries, and if he thrives like the preseason, Akers should secure the permanent number two role behind an already-hobbled Mixon. There are far worse ways to use your bench space.
Cam Akers Week 3 Fantasy Projection: 24 touches (3 rec), 111 YFS, 1 TD
