When to pick Kenyan Drake in your fantasy football draft

Fantasy football season is in the air and the unique offseason is causing more questions than answers as we enter our fantasy football drafts. Below, we focus on Arizona Cardinals RB Kenyan Drake and his fantasy football potential this year.

Kenyan Drake’s Fantasy Football ADP

Average Draft Position on MyFantasyLeague: 18.87, RB13

Min. Pick: 2

Max. Pick: 73

Reasons to draft Kenyan Drake early

We start with momentum. From Week 9 through the end of the 2019 regular season, Drake was ther fourth-ranked running back in terms of total fantasy points. During that span, following his trade acquisition from the Miami Dolphins, Drake racked up 131.4 fantasy points in eight games, rushing for 643 yards, adding 171 more yards receiving and scoring eight touchdowns.
A 2016 third-round draft pick out of Alabama, Drake played 54 games over 3.5 seasons with the Dolphins but started only 16 contests and, more importantly, received 15 or more carries in a game only twice. He doubled that number in his first eight games with the Cards, averaging 15.4 attempts per contest. Overall, Drake averaged a strong 18.9 touches per game in Arizona after averaging only 8.3 per outing during his time in Miami.
Head coach/offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s debut season in the desert produced only mediocre statistical results as the Cardinals ranked 16th in scoring and 21st in total yards per game. Considering the context – a first-year NFL coach, a rookie quarterback and a poor offensive line – the raw numbers are more impressive. Also factoring in rookie QB Kyler Murray won Offensive Rookie of the Year and the Cards netted Pro Bowl wideout DeAndre Hopkins in a trade, all of the signs are there for one of the league’s up-and-coming offenses.

For in-depth fantasy football statistics, sleepers, custom player rankings and the winning edge in your fantasy football league, subscribe to the TheHuddle.com. New customers, take $10 off your order with the code SBW20. Act fast, this offer expires 8/31/2020 at 11:59 pm ET. Subscribe now!

Reasons not to draft Kenyan Drake early

Sure, Drake was awesome as aforementioned in the season-ending eight-game stretch, but that’s all we’re talking about: Eight games out of a largely lackluster four-year NFL career. Moreover, almost 70% of his Arizona fantasy production came in just three of those eight games. The Dolphins weren’t exactly overflowing with backfield talent during Drake’s tenure and it’s more than fair to wonder why he didn’t get more run with the franchise which drafted him.
Going hand-in-hand with the above, Drake easily hit career highs last season with rushing attempts (170) and total touches (220). His Miami bests were 133 (2017) and 173 (2018), respectively. That makes Drake a relatively fresh 26-year-old NFL back, but it also makes him an unproven one. It’s safe to wonder if he can shoulder an RB1 workload over a full season.
A potential RB1’s most formidable obstacle often is getting caught up in a timeshare in his own backfield, and there’s ample potential for that in the desert with third-year back Chase Edmonds showing some definite flashes last season (150 total yards, three TDs in a Week 7 win over the Giants) before a hamstring issue hobbled him most of the campaign’s second half. Kingsbury praised Edmonds recently, saying he has the skills to be a starting running back. If a tight 1A and 1B situation develops this season in Arizona, Drake could wind up with low-end RB2 production instead of being a No. 1 back.

Also see:

Where should I draft Kenyan Drake in fantasy football drafts?

Drake appears to be more than a fantasy flash in the pan, but it’s still going to be a bit of an uneasy feeling if he winds up as your No. 1 running back. Ideally, he’s best taken as a No. 2 back late in the second round/early in the third.

Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=3472]