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Sony Michel Fantasy Outlook Skyrockets, Darrell Henderson Drops Following Rams-Patriots Trade

By Jason Schandl

Sony Michel's fantasy football value should skyrocket with the Rams, and the trade downgrades Darrell Henderson.
Sony Michel's fantasy football value should skyrocket with the Rams, and the trade downgrades Darrell Henderson. / Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
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When Cam Akers went down with a torn Achilles, it was clear that the Los Angeles Rams backfield was going to produce some fantasy football value for someone new.

The early assumption was that it would be Darrell Henderson's fantasy outlook getting the huge boost, but the Rams have thrown a wrench in that plan.

The Rams traded for New England Patriots' former first-round pick Sony Michel, and Michel's fantasy football outlook is now the most appealing in this backfield.

Sony Michel Fantasy Football

Michel may not have earned himself a great reputation in his first few NFL seasons, but he really proved he can ball in 2020. ProFootballFocus gave him an overall grade of 80.9.

He only has 40 targets across his three NFL seasons, so he's not likely to be an every-down workhorse for the Rams, but getting early-down and goal line work should make him incredibly valuable in an offense that should be doing plenty of scoring.

His touchdown upside is especially interesting because the Los Angeles Rams love running the ball when they get down near the end zone.

Darrell Henderson Fantasy Football

It's becoming increasingly clear that the Rams do not believe in Darrell Henderson. He was a third-round pick in 2019, but they immediately looked to upgrade over him by spending a second-round pick on Cam Akers last year. And now instead of letting him take over RB1 duties with Henderson down, they've traded for a new lead back.

Henderson should still see some work in a committee backfield, but having Michel likely to handle the goal line work really limits Henderson's upside and could put a breakout on hold for another year.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

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