Akers vs Swift

[Sfoster2625]

Who do y’all prefer? I’m having a hard time picking between these 2. I think swift is in a better offense as long as Stafford is still their and has higher receiving upside but I could see a 50/50 committee as long as johnson is healthy. Akers has a worse o line but has more power and I think is more likely to have more carries and I think has a higher td upside. Thoughts?

[lawilt]

I'll take swift, don't see the appeal for akers other then the open depth chart. dont think he's on swift's level

[Pac_Eddy]

I like Swift. Liked him more predraft and the landing spots aren't different enough to change anything, both are average locations.

I'd also be more worried about Henderson than Kerryon Johnson to cap their usages for the next couple of seasons. Not by a huge amount, but enough.

On the flip side, they're in the same tier, so I won't begrudge anyone who prefers Akers.

[nathanq42]

Easily swift IMO. Superior to Akers and KJ. He has more competition but not as much as some suggest. I think behind the lions Oline he will de much more productive than Akers

[Needalife]

It’s quite close for me. I like both from a prospect perspective and both schools have been adding serious talent to the NFL at the RB position. I am anxious about Matt Patricia rotating RBs like New England does which is probably irrational. McVay tends to lean on a bellcow. It’s really a coin flip... I’m slight edge to Akers but I don’t feel good about it

[Ice]

Swift easily for me. Just think he is way better overall. Not sure what the Rams are doing but this team looks to be going backwards.

[mgscott]

Swift for me as well. I'm not as high on him as most, but think he has enough athleticism and RB skills to be successful. Not a world beater, but much better than Akers for me.

[Cameron Giles]

I think it's Swift...by a lot. Just the way Swift gets in and out of his cuts is big time.

[CGW]

Swift by a lot. Akers may be more athletic, but Swift is a much more talented runningback and no slouch athletically either. Akers may have a better situation, but that's hard to say for sure. Mcvay preferred a bellcow role because they had just paid a RB the farm. Might be different with a different stable of RBs.

[Blueboy]

Had Swift and Akers at RB 4/5 pre-draft respectively, and landing spots have made that even closer. Frankly, if Lamb and Jeudy end up being cheaper than both of them in my drafts, I don't see owning a single share of Swift or Akers.

Swift relied heavily on a sharp cut to the left, via a hard plant of his right foot, in college. Briefly kept a tally of it while watching his tape, but quit after surpassing a dozen in the first hour. It's honestly pretty flashy, and it makes a lot of guys miss at that level, but it also slows him down a lot every time. I felt that way about much of his tape, whereas a guy like JT would make those same guys miss with subtle moves and pure speed, letting him continue to the next level without losing steam. Couple tape I didn't love with a landing spot I don't love, and I think Swift becomes a guy I'm just fine potentially missing out on.

Honestly, I have no clue what to take away from Akers' tape. But he's landed with an O-line that still looks like a liability, and he's going around the range of WRs that look like near guaranteed hits.

[FantasyFreak]

Better floor: Swift

Better ceiling: Akers

I don't see Swift as a lead/bell cow back in the NFL. He's a committee back IMO, albeit the leader of a committee. I think he is weak between the tackles. Lacks power/leg drive. Good receiver and intuition.

Akers has the size, strength speed etc. to be a 3 down work horse. He is a work in progress, and needs to refine his game. If he does, he will be the superior option to Swift. If he doesn't, the Rams may be drafting another back in a few years, and most likely under a new regime if that's the case.

[remedy29]

Akers for me, based purely on situation.

I like Swift as a player. Hate his landing spot. Detroit coaches have been adament about the NFL being a dual RB league. Their coaching staff and front office drafted a 2nd round RB just two years ago. They will both play, and if it's not KJ taking touches away from Swift it will be someone else.
Then, Patricia and staff will be fired soon, who knows what the next regime will think of Swift.

Akers was drafted to replace a stud RB. And I think the Rams offense will be better for it. Akers has little competition on the roster. I believe in Sean McVay as a top Offensive coach and I believe Akers will have PPR fantasy success.

[jonniecakes]

I've always been a Swift fan but I have to agree with some here in that his landing spot is atrocious. DET is stubborn in that they will utilize RBBC and that will take away from Swift's potential. Now if the coaching staff is replaced, that's another story we have to deal with. But we do know Akers is in a pretty primed spot for immediate production to replace Gurley.

[MEuRaH]

Swift and it's not close for me. I viewed him as the much better prospect before the draft. He was drafted with better capital. He's the more complete back who's ready to play day 1.

Akers is a converted QB. He's smart and athletic, but there are tons of error in his game. He needs more work to compete at the NFL level. Very similar to my criticisms of Darrell Henderson and Ronald Jones, but unlike those guys , he's a smart kid who has the ability to make the transition. I hope he does, I like him as a human being. But there's always a chance that he doesn't pick up the game and refine his skills quick enough, which makes his floor very low, which means there's no way I'm touching him with a 10 foot pole.

Gimme Swift.

[jonniecakes]

I don't disagree with you at all; what is atrocious is his landing spot. You can be the most talented player to ever lace them up but if your coach believes in a system of using more than one RB, there's nothing he can do. Coaches can be very stubborn with this thought process and Patricia coming from the NE system truly believes in the RBBC format, much to the chagrin of dynesty owners.