Keep an Eye on Rams’ Ronnie Rivers on Waiver Wire
The Los Angeles Rams running game went into its week 4 contest heavily relying on Kyren Williams. The Rams not only picked up an overtime win over the Indianapolis Colts, but also maybe found a No. 2 option in the backfield in Ronnie Rivers.
Rivers is getting a fair amount of interest on the waiver wire, with an Expected Waiver Interest (ETI) of 21% according to our charts available under the Fantasy Assistant tool.
There are only two other running backs, Denver Broncos’ Jaleel McLaughlin and Buffalo Bills’ Latavius Murray that have an ETI of 21 or above, so he’s actually one of the top options at the position going into week 5.
If you aren’t sold on Rivers after one contest, then use this discussion as an introduction to Rivers and what he could do as a potential future waiver add. For those of you in leagues with deeper rosters, or that are part of dynasty formats, then Rivers is one you should consider adding. Let’s talk about it.
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Ronnie Rivers Fantasy Outlook
Rivers played 23 snaps in week 4, which was still 36 snaps less than Williams. Rivers got nine carries and two catches on the day, finishing with 47 rushing yards and 10 receiving yards.
For the season, Rivers has just one additional touch, a 4-yard catch. He’s yet to receive a red zone carry and has played 27 total snaps.
Rivers also played for Los Angeles a season ago. He appeared in eight games and received only nine carries, turning those into 21 yards. He caught all five of his targets for 29 yards.
As mentioned in the opening, the Rams were in need of an additional back to step up alongside Williams, and Rivers showed that he could be that guy.
Scooping up backup running backs is a trend a lot of fantasy owners use, especially in deeper leagues where roster spots might not be quite as valuable. I’d argue that Rivers is a bit more valuable than the typical backup, as the guy he’s playing behind wasn’t the starter to kick off the season, which might make the team more likely to go with whatever guy is producing the most. Williams was the backup to Cam Akers, who was traded to the Minnesota Vikings a couple weeks ago.
Williams has become the workhorse since Akers was dealt away, and he’s doing a good job in showing he should be the lead guy. So far, Williams has rushed for 245 yards and five touchdowns on 64 carries. He’s added 11 receptions on 22 targets for 101 yards and an additional score.
Williams has gotten 17 red zone carries already. The only other two red zone carries from a back came from Akers in week 1.
When Should You Add Rivers
In a standard league (8-12 teams), I would wait another week before thinking about adding Rivers. If you have doubts about Williams long term, want to be covered in case of an injury and have a roster spot to play with, Rivers makes a bit more sense at that point.
It’s only in deeper leagues or a dynasty format that Rivers should be a truly sought after waiver wire guy. Seeing the team’s current roster and depth chart, the backup role behind Williams is pretty much wide open, and now there’s reason to believe Rivers has claimed that role.
I don’t anticipate Rivers overtaking Williams’ starting role anytime soon, but if he’s able to consistently average what he did in week 4, the Rams will likely try and figure out a way to get him more involved.
It’s rare in today’s NFL that a team relies solely on one running back. In order to ensure that Williams can be effective and available for the entire season, getting Rivers a few touches a week could be what Los Angeles decides to do.
If Rivers is able to get 10+ touches a contest, he’s a potential starting option at a flex spot, or at running back if your other players are on their bye weeks. In order for Rivers to be fantasy relevant in a limited workload, he’s going to need to be efficient like he was in week 4. Another thing to keep in mind is that standout wide receiver Cooper Kupp is due back soon, so some of these targets might dry up for Rivers.
Like I suggested waiting to add Rivers in standard redraft leagues, I would advise fantasy owners in those deeper leagues or dynasty formats that add Rivers to wait another week or so before plugging him into your starting lineup. I need more than one week of production to feel safe about a player in a reserve role.
Los Angeles will battle the Philadelphia Eagles in week 5, Arizona Cardinals in week 6, Pittsburgh Steelers in week 7 and Dallas Cowboys in week 8. The Cardinals and Steelers have struggled against opposing running backs so far, while the Eagles and Cowboys have been two of the best defenses against backs.
