Kenyan Drake 2022 Outlook
Drake ended last season on injured reserve after fracturing his ankle. But he appears to be in the team's plans after he restructured his contract earlier this year. That means he'll join Josh Jacobs and rookie Zamir White in a potent three-headed monster at running back. Or is it more? In addition to White in the fourth round, the Raiders also drafted UCLA's Brittain Brown (in the seventh), despite RB not being an area of need. So we'll see Jacobs, Drake, White, Brown, Brandon Bolden, Ameer Abdullah and Trey Ragas in what ESPN.com's Paul Gutierrez views as a precursor to a running back-by-committee approach utilized by new head coach Josh McDaniels in his previous job as the New England Patriots' offensive coordinator. In fact, general manager Dave Ziegler, also formerly with the Patriots, said that's exactly the plan. "We've talked about it from the beginning," Zeigler said. "We want to build depth in competition." McDaniels noted the Raiders will usually have six or seven running backs for training camp. Ziegler added that with the physical nature of the position, it's worth having options. "You have sub-running backs," he said. "You have change-of-pace running backs. You have first- and second-down running backs. There's different roles and there's going to be competition for those roles." Expect Jacobs and Drake to be the top two here, but watch for developments before investing beyond Jacobs.
Kenyan Drake 2021 Outlook
The Raiders signed Drake to a two-year, $14.5 million deal, prompting ESPN's Dan Graziano to write what fantasy managers were thinking: "If anyone out there has any idea what the Raiders are doing, please hit me up on Instagram or something, because I am totally lost." Josh Jacobs is their clear lead back, but last season he was spelled by Devontae Booker on passing downs. They let Booker sign with the Giants for $2.25 million a year only to give Drake literally twice that much. ... The Raiders will be Drake's third team in his NFL career, following stints with Miami and Arizona. Drake flourished with the Cardinals, gaining 1,598 yards on the ground on 362 carries between half of the 2019 season and 15 games played in 2020. He also caught 53 passes for 308 yards in Arizona, serving as the lead back in Kliff Kingsbury's spread offense. Now, as ESPN's Matthew Berry suggests, Drake becomes a backup/change-of-pace who will certainly get fewer touches than he did in Arizona. Among running backs with a minimum of 100 touches, Drake was 50th in fantasy points per touch. Berry summed up: "He has more value as insurance for Jacobs than any standalone fantasy value this season."
