We’re a day away from the NFL trade deadline, but one team has already made a major splash that carries fantasy football impact. The Arizona Cardinals dealt a conditional draft pick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for running back Kenyan Drake.
What does the move mean for fantasy football? We’ve asked our writers to provide their take on the fantasy implications of the trade.
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The impact of the trade for the Dolphins is fairly significant, as Drake, even in a reduced role, had received between nine and 16 touches in each game since Week 1. Those touches should now largely go to Mark Walton, and to a (hopefully) lesser extent Kalen Ballage. Walton particularly benefits because he will likely see the 4-9 targets vacated by Drake, making him a startable option at running back each and every week, particularly in half- or full-PPR leagues. As for Drake himself, with both David Johnson and Chase Edmonds set to miss this week’s game, he will almost certainly get thrown into the fire on Thursday against the 49ers. Despite only a few days to get ready and a tough matchup, Drake and his pass-catching ability should be enough to warrant consideration as a Flex play. Johnson is reportedly set to return in Week 10 and, if healthy, should continue to garner the vast majority of running back touches going forward, with Drake filling the Edmonds role. Drake should be added in all leagues in which he is available and has the potential to make a big impact down the stretch if Johnson is significantly injured and the Cardinals are just downplaying it. For now, take the benefit of having the Week 9 start. Anything more as a Drake owner is gravy.
– Dan Harris (@danharris80)
This trade smells like a knee-jerk reaction by the Cardinals to having to go into a Thursday night game without David Johnson and Chase Edmonds. Zach Zenner and Alfred Morris know just as much about the playbook as Kenyan Drake, which means, in all likelihood, Drake will command the majority of the snaps and touches on Thursday night against the 49ers. The matchup is less than ideal, but this move is great for Drake’s short-term value. Unfortunately, that’s where the positives end. One of DJ or Edmonds, if not both, should be back by Week 10. The price to acquire Drake was nowhere near high enough where he would be forced into action unless needed. Once one of DJ or Edmonds returns, Drake will be on the wrong side of a timeshare. Once they are both back, Drake will barely see the field. The only caveat to this story is if DJ’s injury is worse than we think and he is headed for IR. I do not think that is the case. Start Drake this week if you’re in a bind and need a running back guaranteed touches. Just don’t expect Drake to retain any value beyond just this week.
– Jason Katz (@jasonkatz13)
The big winner in this trade is Miami Dolphins running back Mark Walton. He is no longer involved in a timeshare, and he should be seeing the bulk of the work with Kalen Ballage taking away some of the touches. While nobody wants to invest too heavily in the Miami offense, Walton is someone that could have flex appeal in some nice matchups against the Jets (2), the New York Giants, and the Cincinnati Bengals down the stretch. Drake will be in a creative offense that will move him around the formation. Drake is athletic enough to line up both at the running back spot and the slot receiver, and Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury is creative enough to find ways to give him the ball in space from multiple spots on the field. That probably is not enough to make him a fantasy star in 2019. The problem is that David Johnson and Chase Edmonds have already been splitting time and had very good fantasy value, and this backfield may be too crowded for all three to have a fantasy impact on a team that will be trailing a lot this season. Drake is also going to be a free agent next year, and he may not re-sign with the Cardinals. It is impossible to know what his fantasy value will be in future seasons until he signs a long-term deal. Drake may have some value while Johnson and Edmonds are out, but they play the San Francisco 49ers twice in the next three weeks, and if Johnson and Edmonds are healthy by the November 10th game against Tampa Bay, it may be too crowded of a backfield to risk playing Drake in fantasy. Anyone hoping a trade would salvage Drake’s 2019 value has to be disappointed that a crowded Arizona backfield was his landing spot with the only upside there being a creative offense and a young quarterback that is still learning on the job.
– Derek Lofland (@DerekLofland)
It feels like the Duke Johnson trade to me. Kenyan Drake gets a fresh start, but I get the feeling he is going to be used similarly in Arizona. We got excited when Duke got traded, but he has been the Cleveland Browns’ version of Duke Johnson in Houston. The good thing for Drake is with DJ and Edmonds out, he is the de facto starter. However, once the other two are healthy, he’s back to being Kenyan Drake of the Miami Dolphins and will never be trusted in fantasy. Here’s a crazy thought though! Maybe David Johnson’s days are numbered in Arizona. Maybe they prefer the more slightly-built Chase Edmonds and Kenyan Drake duo. We know that Ronald Jones and Peyton Barber are not cutting it in Tampa Bay. Arians drafted DJ when he was coaching the Cardinals. Could this be a possibility? Johnson reuniting with Arians would be as exciting as a Drake/Edmonds combo in Arizona.
– Marc Mathyk (@Masterjune70)
With David Johnson (ankle) day-to-day and Chase Edmonds (hamstring) out the next few weeks, Kenyan Drake will be thrown right into the fire for TNF against a stingy 49ers’ defense. For his career, Drake has averaged 4.6 yards per carry, hauled in 116 of 164 targets and scored 15 touchdowns in 54 games. He will go to a team where he will most likely split the carries with franchise running back David Johnson. The Cardinals, who had a clear need of running back depth, get Drake at a discount. Drake will have a better supporting cast in Arizona and if David Johnson remains sidelined, he could be an RB2 the rest of the way. Drake leaving Miami opens the door for Mark Walton and Kalen Ballage. Ballage has done next-to-nothing this season while Walton has the opportunity to lead the Dolphins’ ground game in the coming weeks. Gameflow will not be Walton’s favor this year, but with an expanded role, he’s worth an add in all league formats.
– Brad Camara (@beerad30)
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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.
