Blake Corum

Rams superstar WR Puka Nacua will miss practice again today due to a hip injury, and also reportedly has groin soreness. Puka will have an extra day to hopefully get healthy enough to play, as the Rams play on Monday night vs. the Giants.

His direct backup Jordan Whittington (quad) will be listed as doubtful, so 2nd-year WR Konata Mumpfield could draw the start if Puka does miss the game. This could also be an opportunity for popular preseason sleeper TE Terrance Ferguson to get an opportunity to breakout. Puka is a top 3 WR when healthy and the Rams depth at WR is scant, so Matthew Stafford might take a hit if they end up relying more on the running game behind Kyren Williams and Blake Corum.

The Rams just shipped Jarquez Hunter to Miami, and that makes Dean Connors a name dynasty managers should stash before the market notices. PlayerProfiler gives Connors a 96th-percentile College Target Share (14.4%), and he enters the NFL with the receiving profile to carve out a complementary role while sitting behind Kyren Williams and Blake Corum.

Connors posted 1,231 total yards and nine touchdowns at Houston in 2025, and his 4.53 forty with a 90th-percentile Burst Score gives Sean McVay another athletic back to deploy if the depth chart opens up. This is exactly the type of cheap dynasty lottery ticket worth burning a roster spot on, Connors does not need an immediate role to become a valuable asset if the Rams backfield turns over.

That’s spicy. While early reports hint at a true 50-50 committee split in Los Angeles, Blake Corum faces significant weekly volatility sharing the backfield with Kyren Williams and upstart Jarquez Hunter. Meanwhile, Williams logged a dominant 69.9-percent snap share and out-touched Corum heavily last season with 259 carries. Williams is the ultimate RB floor play as a true backfield committee would cap his ceiling.

Williams’ fantasy floor is supported by high-leverage roles on passing downs and at the goal line where he handled 13 goal-line carries in 2025. Corum’s weekly production is difficult to project, making him a better best ball option. If either Williams or Corum is nicked up, Hunter would likely slide into the 1B role.

Ruh-roh. That’s 50-50 before Jarquez Hunter’s name is even mentioned. Both Hunter and Blake Corum offer more explosive upside on any given play than warrior back Kyren Williams. The Rams will continue to play Williams in high leverage situations, but expect Corum to play extensively with Hunter mixed in.

Williams will get the touches in the most fantasy-friendly situations, but the lower touch count in 2026 lowers his floor and caps his ceiling. There may never be a better time to put a 25.6-year old running back on the block in fantasy football dynasty leagues.

An evergreen trait of good fantasy gamers is to be on the lookout for the next upside running back who could be a starter in the event of an injury. Depth chart study and coach speak provide small wrinkles that can end up helping fantasy gamers find the next league winner.

The Rams have been a great source of fantasy goodness with the likes of Toddy Gurley, Darrell Henderson Jr., and Kyren Williams. The Rams selected Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter in the 4th round of the 2025 NFL Draft. In the last week, Hunter is up 4.9 spots on Underdog creeping into the early part of the 17th round.

While Kyren Williams is surely the safe bellcow in the Rams offense, it is advantageous to draft Jarquez Hunter as a high upside back who could be both a league winner and fill out a needed running back spot in redraft leagues. For such a cheap price and the rich history that the Rams have with running backs, it is wise to select Hunter with a late round pick going forward. 

Author: Jeremiah Retzlaff (@coachretzlaff1)