Rams HC Sean McVay said Tuesday that RB Kyren Williams will open the season as the primary punt returner. Williams returned just three punts last year -- all in the first three weeks of the season.
What They're Saying
Per The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue, McVay said using Williams on punt returns is “another way” for him to get touches and “impact the game." McVay added that his confidence in RBs Blake Courm and Ronnie Rivers makes him comfortable using Williams in this role.
2024 Fantasy Football Impact
If nothing else, this is weird. We simply don't see teams use starting RBs on punt returns. Or any RBs, for the most part. Last year, DeeJay Dallas was the only RB in the NFL to return more than seven punts.
The decision should at least make us wonder if Williams and Corum will be used more in a committee than initially thought. Rodrigue notes that both RBs have "gotten first team reps the majority of August with Williams in the leadoff spot. Corum started with some twos and then moved up."
The Rams backfield will be one of the bigger storylines of Week 1. For now, we're moving some projected touches from Williams to Corum. See where they land in the updated RB rankings.