Kenyan Drake seized his opportunity for playing time on Sunday and racked up 127 total yards and one touchdown against the Giants. The veteran back was called on after J.K. Dobbins was sidelined in the second half of the game due to knee tightness.
With a breakout performance out of left field, it might be hard to figure what Drake's fantasy prospects are both short and long term.
Luckily our fantasy football experts have you covered with their analysis below.
Sean Koerner: J.K. Dobbins was forced out of the game due to knee tightness and Drake stepped up in his absence with a solid 10/119/1 rushing line. He would offer RB2/3 value if Dobbins were to miss the next game or two, but as of right now, we should view Dobbins as questionable for Week 7.
Considering that Justice Hill and/or Gus Edwards could potentially return as well, Drake seems like a risky waiver wire bet who might only offer 1-2 weeks of value the rest of the way. Drake is for managers who are in a must-win situation or are dealing with injuries/byes at RB.
Chris Raybon:Drake is highly unlikely to provide long-term value with Lamar Jackson leading the team in carries (9.3) and rarely checking it down to RBs (Baltimore backs average 3.0 receptions per game, sixth fewest).
With that said, he’s worth a speculative stash on the off chance he ends up being the lead back in Week 7, which could happen if Dobbins is out and Edwards isn’t ready.
The matchup is juicy against a Browns defense that has allowed the most total TDs per game to opposing RBs (1.67). Cleveland ranks 30th in run defense DVOA and 29th in DVOA on passes to RBs.
Mike Triplett: Drake doesn’t feel like a safe long-term investment since the Ravens' backfield is so crowded — not to mention it’s hard to buy into such an out-of-nowhere performance.
Before he had carries of 30, 30 and 21 yards on Sunday, Drake hadn’t broken a run of more than 21 yards since 2020. I’d be stingy with my FAAB budget here.
However, there is some hot-hand potential in Baltimore, where J.K. Dobbins wasn’t quite looking like himself even before he sat out the second half with knee tightness. And even if Gus Edwards returns in the next week or two, he’ll need time to ramp up from his own major knee injury. Drake should definitely be a top waiver priority if you need a RB in the short term.
