Blake Corum fantasy owners should get lucky come playoff time. Go pick him up off the waiver wire for Week 15!
Congratulations on reaching the playoffs in your fantasy football league, but as the great Kobe Bryant once said, job’s not finished! While the strategy moving forward is probably to ride with the team that got you to the playoffs, there are always little moves that you can make to help. Given what we learned last week, there are a few players lurking on your waiver wire that you need to pick up, including Los Angeles Rams running back Blake Corum.
The Blake Corum fantasy outlook looks to be rising every week as it has become obvious that Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams will utilize the running back for the rest of the regular season. Looking at Corum’s 128-yard, two-touchdown performance last week, he is a must-add this week, especially if you are Kyren Williams owner.
Pick Up Blake Corum For the Fantasy Football Playoffs
As I stated in the intro, at this point in the season, it looks like the Rams are comfortable moving forward through the rest of the regular season using a split backfield. Williams will still get the first crack at carries to open the game, but given that the Rams are comfortably in the playoff picture, it does not make much sense to use Williams as a workhorse. That is where Corum comes into play.
Last week, Corum was on the field for 22 out of a possible 70 offensive snaps. In Week 13, he was on the field for 17 out of a possible 52, and in Week 12, he was on the field for 20 out of a possible 56. As that snap share continues to increase, what is interesting to look at is Corum’s carries. Over the last three weeks, Corum has totaled 26 carries. The Rams are making it a point to use both running backs as they inch closer to the playoffs.
Blake Corum Fantasy Outlook
While the Blake Corum fantasy football value is rising on its own, he is a must-own if you also have Kyren Williams. Corum is one of the top handcuffs in fantasy football. With his current usage, Corum can be viewed as RB3/Flex play on any given week. With the Rams firmly in the playoff picture, as they currently hold the number one seed in the NFC playoff picture, it makes sense for the Rams to ride Corum if he continues to produce as he has been. Looking at about 8-14 carries a game, Corum is getting some work in the red zone, with 2.3 red zone looks per game over the last four weeks (per our Opportunity Index). So, with an increase in carries on top of being put into scoring opportunities (three touchdowns in his last two games), all of a sudden, Corum becomes a must-add for anyone who is looking for a Flex option moving forward.
When building your team for the fantasy playoffs, you are probably not going to change your key starters much, but you can build your bench up with handcuffs for that insurance. That strategy gets amplified come playoff time, because if one of your studs goes down, you do not have a lot of flexibility to plug a new piece in. So, you need to have the next man up on that offense. As I stated before, it looks like Corum is one of the top options to be that handcuff. He already has Flex value, but he would be vaulted up to high-end RB2 territory with a Williams injury.
Fantasy Football Players to Drop for Blake Corum
With the strategy of grabbing someone like Corum off the waiver wire, you will have to cut ties with someone on your bench. Now is the time to get rid of those players that you are keeping just in case something falls the right way. For instance, it is probably time to cut ties with Tre Harris, Sean Tucker and Tyquan Thornton. As I stated before, your starting lineup got you to the playoffs, so constructing your bench is going to be key to aiding in your championship run.
With that being said, let’s take a look at a few players who are owned in around 40% of ESPN Leagues that fantasy managers can afford to get rid of for someone like Corum.
Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts (50.6%)
When the Indianapolis Colts were humming this season, Josh Downs was a solid benefactor, recording three double-digit weeks in the middle of the season. Now, it looks like the Colts are in the middle of an implosion, as Daniel Jones is out for the season, which downgrades the entire passing game in Indianapolis.
Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (63.3%)
With Bucky Irving back from injury, it is hard to say that White has any sort of startable value in fantasy football. Now, I know what you are saying, “Luke, isn’t this a similar situation as Blake Corum with a handcuff?” Well, we saw White in this role already and he was not able to produce much of anything as Sean Tucker is not going to be phased out of the offense if Irving is hurt.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders (42.5%)
This one should seem obvious even if you don’t have an opportunity to be a Blake Corum fantasy owner. After all of the preseason hype, Jacory Croskey-Merritt has failed to be the breakout player that the talking heads told you he was going to be. JCM has just two games scoring in double digits, with one game coming in week one. In fact, he has not recorded more than 38 rushing yards since week six.
Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers (42.7%)
Over the past few weeks, Matthew Golden has been dealing with a wrist injury and was very limited in Green Bay’s week 13 matchup against Chicago. At this point in the season, Green Bay has Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks back from injury, leaving Golden as what looks like the odd man out in the offense. Given that Christian Watson is playing really good football right now, there is no real reason for Green Bay to rush Golden back from injury.
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