{"id":43919,"date":"2018-05-23T18:55:16","date_gmt":"2018-05-23T22:55:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=43919"},"modified":"2021-12-28T21:08:09","modified_gmt":"2021-12-29T02:08:09","slug":"2018-fantasy-spotlight-kenyan-drake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2018\/05\/23\/2018-fantasy-spotlight-kenyan-drake\/","title":{"rendered":"2018 Fantasy Spotlight: Kenyan Drake"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kenyan Drake<\/a><\/strong> himself would probably admit that the 2017 season turned out to be an unexpected one, in a good way that is. Listed third on the\u00a0depth chart behind Jay Ajayi<\/a><\/strong> and Damien Williams<\/a><\/strong>, little was expected from the second year running back. Even with the ongoing rumors that Ajayi and the Miami Dolphins were both unhappy with each other, Drake could have never predicted that 2017 would be his breakout. Now the question for both Drake and fantasy owners remains, \u201cCan he do it again?\u201d. We pull this \u201cfish out of the sea\u201d in the next installment of the Fantasy<\/a> Spotlight<\/em>.<\/p>\n

2018 Fantasy Spotlight: Kenyan Drake<\/h1>\n

One Goes Out, Two Come in<\/h2>\n

The turmoil between the Dolphins organization and Ajayi reached its climax when Ajayi was traded to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles mid-season. Despite having a break out of his own in 2016, Ajayi struggled to find success with Miami early in 2017. Enter the duo of Drake and Williams, or at least that\u2019s what we thought. Williams was injured five weeks after the pair began platooning in the Dolphins backfield. This injury would leave Drake as the team\u2019s primary running back for the final five games giving him the opportunity to prove he could play at the NFL level.<\/p>\n

Hello, My Name is Kenyan<\/h2>\n

During five weeks platooning with Williams, Drake averaged ten touches per game and scored two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving). Drake\u00a0gave a\u00a0glimpse of his ability\u00a0during weeks nine and ten. In two games, home against the\u00a0Oakland Raiders and at the Carolina Panthers Drake averaged 9.4 yards per carry on 16 rushes. Once Williams was injured\u00a0Drake\u00a0exploded onto the fantasy scene. Week 13 against\u00a0a strong Denver Broncos defensive front Drake rattled off 120 yards on 23 carries and scored a touchdown. He added three catches as well, showing the potential to be a dual threat. He followed that performance with a 25 carry, 114-yard effort in a 27-20 week 14<\/a> win against the New England Patriots. More impressive than his rushing line was the five catches he had for 79 yards. Ultimately for the ten weeks he was on the field Drake averaged five yards per carry, rushing for 641 yards on 129 rushes. During his last five weeks as a starter, Drake exceeded weekly fantasy\u00a0projections three times.<\/p>\n

A Fishy Situation<\/h2>\n

Drake was one of the most impactful waiver wire pickups\u00a0down the stretch\u00a0of the fantasy season. He also seemed well on his way to being the lead back for the Dolphins in 2018. However there were\u00a0some concerns. Drake ranked 9th in drops with five, and according to Player Profile<\/a>\u00a0he struggled against a stacked front, ranking 35th amongst running backs averaging only 1.2 yards per carry. His two fumbles\u00a0in limited action\u00a0was also alarming. For greater depth the Dolphins signed veteran running back Frank Gore<\/a><\/strong> and drafted Kalen Ballage<\/strong>. Both have the potential to significantly cut into Drake\u2019s playing time. Gore is not getting any younger, but\u00a0no one\u00a0can debate his consistency and durability. Now 35 years old, Gore started all 16 games for the Indianapolis Colts last season rushing for 961 yards.\u00a0Certainly it\u00a0is tough to expect 20 touches a game for Gore, but eight to ten could hinder Drake’s production.\u00a0Ballage<\/a> wasn\u2019t a standout in college, though he\u00a0showed great ability to catch the ball. Also, he has drawn physical\u00a0comparisons to Le\u2019Veon Bell<\/strong><\/a> and David Johnson<\/a><\/strong>, two of the league\u2019s elite running backs.<\/p>\n

Current Ranking<\/h2>\n

Fantasypros.com gives Drake an ECR<\/a> (expert consensus ranking) of 33rd in PPR leagues. He is currently ranked as the RB17 in re-draft and RB24 in dynasty. Gore is targeted as the RB56 in draft leagues. Based off strength of schedule, Miami has the sixth easiest for running backs in 2018.<\/p>\n

Spotlight Says\u2026<\/h2>\n

Temper the expectations on Kenyan Drake. He will likely open the season in\u00a0a platoon with Gore. His production and Gore’s durability will determine the length of the platoon.<\/p>\n

Re-draft: RB22, drafted behind Alex Collins<\/a><\/strong>, Ajayi, Mark Ingram<\/a><\/strong> and Ronald Jones II<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Season Projections<\/h3>\n

RUSH ATT\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 RUSH YDS\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 RUSH TDS\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 RECS\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 REC YDS\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 REC TD<\/strong>
\n173\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 712\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 4 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a038 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0296 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 2<\/p>\n

Main Photo:Embed from Getty Images<\/a>