{"id":75399,"date":"2019-10-29T06:25:23","date_gmt":"2019-10-29T10:25:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=75399"},"modified":"2019-10-29T06:30:03","modified_gmt":"2019-10-29T10:30:03","slug":"mark-walton-fantasy-football-outlook-without-kenyan-drake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/10\/29\/mark-walton-fantasy-football-outlook-without-kenyan-drake\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Walton Fantasy Football Outlook Without Kenyan Drake"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s not often you can find a running back with a guaranteed share of carries widely available in fantasy football at this point in the season. Nevertheless, that\u2019s where we are with Miami Dolphins<\/a> running back Mark Walton<\/a><\/strong>. Walton, a former member of the Cincinnati Bengals, joined the Dolphins in the offseason and should be the lead back now that Kenyan Drake<\/a><\/strong> is a member of the Arizona Cardinals. The Miami Dolphins might be the worst team in the league, but Walton\u2019s guaranteed share of carries makes him at least remotely interesting for fantasy. Let\u2019s take a look at Walton\u2019s projected rest of season and see if he\u2019s worth a pickup in deeper leagues.<\/p>\n

Fantasy Football: Mark Walton Outlook Without Kenyan Drake<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Positives for Mark Walton<\/h3>\n

Opportunity is king in fantasy football, and Walton\u2019s going to have a guaranteed share of carries each and every week. Even when Kenyan Drake was around, Walton started to take over the backfield. Now that Drake\u2019s out of town, Walton has sole command of the backfield. During Week 8\u2019s matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Walton recorded a team-high 11 carries for 35 yards. Kalen Ballage<\/a><\/strong> was the only other running back to receive work, and he only recorded eight yards on three carries.<\/p>\n

The good news is that this usage probably won\u2019t change as the year progresses. It\u2019s hard to imagine the Dolphins adding another running back between now and the end of the season, as they\u2019re actively trying to lose. If they do sign somebody, it\u2019s going to be a street free agent who probably isn\u2019t talented enough to usurp Walton. The only other running back on the roster is Kalen Ballage, and he\u2019s no threat to Walton. Based on everything we\u2019ve seen from Ballage, he\u2019s simply not an NFL-caliber runner and is clearly the inferior player.<\/p>\n

Additionally, Walton appears to be the first man in line for the pass-catching work. During Week 8\u2019s loss, Walton recorded three receptions for 19 yards. This obviously isn\u2019t much, but it\u2019s better than Kalen Ballage and his one reception for 11 yards.<\/p>\n

The Negative<\/h3>\n

Walton has the opportunity, but the situation around him is absolutely terrible. Miami probably has the worst roster in the league, and everything is working against Walton\u2019s fantasy value. Rushing production has more to do with the offensive line than the actual running back, and Miami\u2019s offense is atrocious at creating rushing lanes. According to Football Outsiders, the Dolphins offensive line ranks 25th<\/sup> in overall run blocking and 30th<\/sup> in stuffed percentage. Walton entered Week 8 averaging a surprisingly good 4.6 yards per carry, but that\u2019s probably going to decrease with a larger workload. This offensive line simply cannot move anyone around, and Walton\u2019s going to be running into a lot of defenders in the backfield.<\/p>\n

Additionally, Miami\u2019s projected game scripts are not friendly to running backs. The Dolphins have the worst offense in the league, and thus Walton won\u2019t have that many touchdown opportunities. On top of that, the Dolphins’ defense is atrocious, and Miami is going to trail in most of their outings. Because of this, the Dolphins are going to have to throw at a high rate, which means fewer touches for Walton.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re playing in an eight- or 10-man league, leave Walton on the waivers. Even though he should have a high snap count, he\u2019s working in an atrocious situation. Through no fault of his own, Walton is going to be one of the least efficient runners in the league with little to no touchdown upside. That said, he should receive 10-15 touches a game, which makes him a valuable bench piece and emergency bye week stream in deeper leagues.<\/p>\n

Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>