Kenyan Drake

Player News

• Raiders' Kenyan Drake: Could see WR snaps

  03/26/2021 •

  Though Drake will be working in the same backfield as Josh Jacobs this coming season, the Raiders' free-agent acquisition expects to "be used in a multitude of ways" by his new team, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports. Despite having Jacobs -- who's topped 1,000 rushing yards in each his first two NFL seasons -- atop their backfield depth chart, the Raiders were aggressive in pursuing Drake, giving him a two-year deal for $11 million guaranteed that includes up to $3.5 million in incentives. That's solid money in the current running back free agent market, which suggests that coach Jon Gruden will look to find different ways to use Drake as a chess piece in the Las Vegas offense. According to Drake, Gruden "was just head and shoulders above everybody in terms of interest in my ability to come in and be a playmaker in a lot of facets of the game." With that in mind, aside from providing the team with quality insurance against an injury to Jacobs, Drake's ability as a pass-catcher figures to keep him involved enough in the Raiders attack to merit PPR consideration, with the report suggesting the team may elect to deploy Drake as a wide receiver at times, a notion put forth by Gruden.

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• Raiders' Kenyan Drake: Signs with Raiders

  03/18/2021 •

  Drake is signing a two-year, $11 million contract with the Raiders, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. The deal reportedly can go up to $14.5 million with incentives, though Drake could have a tough time putting up big numbers in a backfield that already has Josh Jacobs and Jalen Richard. This outcome is suboptimal for Drake's fantasy value, with Jacobs being a 2019 first-round pick who put up back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons to start his career. Jacobs did drop from 4.8 YPC in 2019 to 3.9 in 2020, but Drake (4.0 YPC) suffered a similar fate in Arizona, where Chase Edmonds now sits atop the depth chart at RB, at least for the time being.

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• Cardinals' Kenyan Drake: Held in check by Rams' front

  01/04/2021 •

  Drake registered 36 yards on 10 carries while securing all three of his targets for 15 receiving yards during Sunday's 18-7 loss to the Rams. Though Chris Streveler had his moments in relief of Kyler Murray (ankle) for roughly three-quarters of the contest, the upside of Arizona's offense was undoubtedly capped without a healthy Murray under center. Drake garnered 77 percent of the Cardinals' RB carries, but that fact doesn't carry as much weight given the pass-first game script Arizona was ushered into. The Cardinals never led in the second half, with the offense making just two trips into the red zone all day (one coming via a Jordan Hicks interception). Drake wraps up his first full season in Arizona with 955 rushing yards and 10 rushing scores over 239 attempts, along with 25 catches for 137 yards. The 26-year-old is set to become an unrestricted free agent in March, while Chase Edmonds remains under contract with the Cardinals through 2021.

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• Cardinals' Kenyan Drake: Finds end zone amid tough sledding

  12/27/2020 •

  Drake carried 18 times for 45 yards and a touchdown while catching both his targets for five additional yards during Sunday's 20-12 loss to the 49ers. Drake carried the mail after Chase Edmonds (hip) left the game in the second quarter, but he averaged just 2.5 yards per carry and did little as a pass catcher as well. He salvaged his day from a fantasy perspective with a leaping one-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, giving him a career-high 10 touchdowns for the season. Although he's scored six times in the last six games, Drake has averaged fewer than 3.0 yards per carry each of the last two and will look to improve from a yardage perspective in next Saturday's matchup with the Rams.

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• Cardinals' Kenyan Drake: Produces 40 scrimmage yards

  12/21/2020 •

  Drake carried 10 times for 26 yards and caught both his targets for an additional 14 yards during Sunday's 33-26 win over the Eagles. Drake managed just 2.6 yards per carry as his long gain went for just eight yards. He caught both passes thrown his way but didn't break off any big gains in that department either as he finished with just 40 scrimmage yards. Meanwhile, Chase Edmonds came through with 66 yards and a touchdown on 14 touches and split time with Drake on the most crucial drives in the second half. Drake had scored five touchdowns in the four games heading into this one and will look to bounce back next Saturday against the 49ers.

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