Royce Freeman

Rams RB Kyren Williams returned from IR in Week 12. You might say he did so with a bang. Handling 16 carries, the Notre Dame product tallied 143 yards the second-highest mark of his career. He added a 6-61-2 receiving line on an 18.1% target share. A positive matchup with Arizona helped. But it s clear Williams is back near 100% coming off an ankle injury. Also note: Royce Freeman mixed in for 13 carries, 77 yards, and 1 score. So Williams doesn t look like a true workhorse as we advance. The next two weeks turn up difficult matchups vs. Cleveland and Baltimore.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero hears that Rams RB Kyren Williams will return as the lead back vs. Arizona today but that RB Royce Freeman will stay involved. "They wanna be careful about not overworking" Williams, Pelissero says. "Look for a roughly 2-to-1 ratio between Williams and Royce Freeman. Game flow is gonna dictate a lot of that." Our current projections have Williams for 16.7 carries to Freeman's 7.5 -- close to that 2-to-1 split. Williams should handle the majority of the passing-down snaps, though, and remains a strong RB2 play today. Freeman is really only in play in non-PPR fantasy leagues.

Rams also part with Darrell Henderson Sean McVay said the Rams will get RB Kyren Williams back against the Cardinals. He's been on IR with an ankle injury. (ESPN.com - Sarah Barshop) FF Today's Take: Darrell Henderson was waived Tuesday afternoon, suggesting the Rams are confident in his recovery. Williams was a fantasy darling before getting hurt, operating as the overall RB4 in fantasy through six weeks. The former fifth-round pick got by on volume when he was healthy, averaging about 18.5 touches per game. It remains to be seen if McVay saw enough from Royce Freeman over the last month to use the two in a committee moving forward or if Williams will be featured again in short order.

The Rams released RB Darrell Henderson, making room for RB Kyren Williams to re-join the roster. Henderson was abysmal as a runner over the past four games, averaging just 2.4 yards per carry. He was easily out-played by RB Royce Freeman, who will be the No. 2 going forward. The move to dump Henderson is a good sign that the Rams feel good about Williams' ankle. He should return as Los Angeles' clear lead runner and handle most passing downs.

Rams HC Sean McVay confirmed on Monday that RB Kyren Williams (ankle) will return for this weekend's game vs. the Cardinals. He's been sidelined since Week 6. Williams was dominating Rams backfield work before going down, averaging 16.4 carries, 81 rushing yards, 4.4 targets, 2.6 catches, and 21 receiving yards from Week 2 to 6. We can't bank on Williams regaining that type of workload, but we are expecting him to return as Los Angeles' clear lead back. RBs Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman didn't do nearly enough in Williams' absence to lock in significant roles.