RB Kenyan Drake - Arizona Cardinals

6-1, 210

Born: 1-26-1994

College: Alabama

Drafted: Round 3, pick 2016

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Photo: Kevin Hoffman, US Presswire

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News you need to know

General News (Wed Dec 4): played 51 offensive snaps to 15 for David Johnson and zero for Chase Edmonds Sunday, Dec. 1, against the Los Angeles Rams.

Week 14: vs Pittsburgh Steelers

All RB vs PIT

FBG says: Tough matchup. David Johnson is by all accounts healthy, but he appears to have settled into a change-up role in the Cardinals offense. It makes sense, as Johnson simply hasn't been a very efficient runner since his rookie year of 2015. Over 43 games since, he's averaged a modest 3.9 yards per carry and 59 a game. And in the meantime, Kenyan Drake has laid claim to the lead role, taking on 51 snaps last week to Johnson's 15. (They shared the field twice.) Perhaps Johnson will pull that closer to even as he heals more, but Drake has been the more dynamic producer. Neither boasts a very strong fantasy floor - especially considering the sorry state of the Cardinals line - but the weekly leader always carries a high ceiling. At the moment, that's clearly Drake, whose speed and quickness project nicely against the Steelers run defense. The Pittsburgh run defense has made for one of the league's stingiest matchups. They're giving up just 3.8 yards per carry, fifth-best in football, and only 5 touchdowns on the ground (second-fewest). This isn't a flawless unit, though, with long-standing problems against quick, speedy backs. It's been a clear pattern for several years, and it's been on full display here in 2019. They're stout in the trenches, where Cameron Heyward and Javon Hargreaves lead a deep, powerful group of space-eaters. And Heyward is a special player, capable of blowing up runs at the point of attack on his own. But at linebacker, the Steelers still badly lack disciplined talent. Rookie Devin Bush is blazing fast, but frequently washed out of position, and veteran Mark Barron remains one of football's weakest run defenders. Unfortunately for the Steelers, the Arizona ground game is built exclusively on speedy runners. But even so, this unit boasts such a strong advantage along the line that that may not matter. They have their liabilities, but have shut down more imposing run games than this one.

Recent Stats and Projections

WEEK	OPP		oSNAP	RSH	YD	TD	TARG	REC	YD	TD	FumL	Pts
10	at TB		45	10	35	0	7	6.0	6	0	0	4.1
11	at SF		61	16	67	0	7	6.0	13	0	0	8
13	vs LAR		51	13	31	0	5	2.0	20	0	0	5.1
14	vs PIT		0	11	37	0	3	3.0	30	0	0	6.7
14	vs PIT	PROJ-Dodds	*	11	*	*		3.6	*	*	*	*
14	vs PIT	PROJ-Tremblay	*	12	*	*		3.8	*	*	*	*
14	vs PIT	PROJ-Bloom	*	13	*	*		3.0	*	*	*	*

Weekly Performance vs RB 1, RB 12, RB 24, RB 36

Percentile ranks

Kenyan Drake's percentile rank in each category, among RB with more than 50 fantasy points.

Recent Game Summaries

2019 Week 13 vs LAR (13 / 31 / 0 rush, 5 / 2 / 20 / 0 rec)

Drake was the clear starter against the Rams with David Johnson firmly the secondary option. The game script turned negative in a hurry in the blowout loss. Drake's two positive plays were a nice move on a screen pass for 15 yards and converting fourth-and-short with a power run. Drake was held in check and added a drop on his own accord.

2019 Week 11 vs SF (16 / 67 / 0 rush, 7 / 6 / 13 / 0 rec)

Drake was a workhorse in his role against the 49ers, seeing 22 touches and David Johnson barely playing and not seeing an offensive touch. Divergent from their matchup two weeks ago, Drake had tough sledding throughout the game with every rushing yard being challenged by the 49ers defense especially between the tackles with few clear opportunities to the second level by the offensive line. Drake did log multiple third-down conversion in shorter yardage situations as his most positive contributions on the ground. As a receiver, most of Drake's yardage came on a split-out screen with after-the-catch yardage.

2019 Week 10 vs TB (10 / 35 / 0 rush, 7 / 6 / 6 / 0 rec)

Drake had more than double the touches of David Johnson against Tampa Bay, who returned to the lineup. Arizona had a pass-centric approach in the high-scoring contest but Drake and Johnson also struggled to get anything going on the ground. Drake's best runs came on an end around for 10 yards and speed to the edge late in the game for more than 15 yards. Drake saw minimal space in the passing game, featuring three stuffed screens and dump-off passes of note. Week 11 squares off Drake against the 49ers, a team he torched two weeks ago for 162 total yards.

2019 Week 9 vs SF (15 / 110 / 1 rush, 4 / 4 / 52 / 0 rec)

With Arizona's backfield running on fumes with injuries to David Johnson and Chase Edmonds, Drake's debut with Arizona was as a feature back to the tune of 19 touches and more than 160 total yards. Drake enjoyed consistently good run blocking up the middle and Drake also ran over a defender for a goal line perimeter touchdown run. Drake churned out quality gains as a receiver for more than 15 yards on three occasions, but one was called back by penalty. Drake added a two-point conversion in his impressive game. The Buccaneers offer a stiff rushing defense test for Drake if he sees the bulk of the work again in Week 10.

2019 Week 7 vs BUF (6 / 21 / 0 rush, 4 / 3 / 37 / 0 rec)

This was his best chance at taking back over for the Dolphins and Fitzpatrick put forth a good effort this week. He threw the ball all over the field and completed passes to 7 different receivers. Fitzpatrick benefitted from the rushing attack amassing more than 100 total yards on the ground for the first time this week. For his lone touchdown pass, Fitzpatrick found DeVante Parker dragging across the field for a 12-yard touchdown. The play action was not very convincing, and Parker caught the flare pass just 2 yards down the field before turning it up and running the rest of the way in on his own. Things were looking up in the second half with the team having a lead and driving the length of the field. After a fake field goal gave Buffalo a 1st and goal from the 2-yard line there was an errant snap that cost Fitzpatrick 10 yards and almost a fumble lost and then he proceeded to throw an interception on the next play. Fitzpatrick tried force a ball in to Isaiah Ford at the pylon and the route was jumped and intercepted. Buffalo went on to drive the length of the field, score a touchdown, and the Dolphins never had the lead again. In a last-ditch effort to try and regain the lead, Fitzpatrick led one more touchdown drive and scrambled for an 11-yard touchdown run. The ensuing onside kick was returned for a touchdown and any hopes at a comeback were dashed. Fitzpatrick looks to have earned another shot at starting next week but the starter has not been officially named against the Steelers.

2019 Week 6 vs WAS (10 / 40 / 0 rush, 9 / 6 / 30 / 0 rec)

This was the week for Drake to establish his value and prove that he is the future of this running back class, but he had a mixed bag of results. He had his best average running the ball this week with 4 yards per carry, but his longest rush went for just 9 yards and he saw a fair amount of work go to Mark Walton and Kalen Ballage. Drake was the most targeted receiver this week with Rosen failing to push the ball down the field and relying on his check downs for the majority of the game. Drake caught 6 of 9 passes and was even targeted on the 2-point conversion play to try and win the game. Drake's longest catch of the game was also 9 yards and he lacked any true explosive plays this week. The most concerning thing to come out of this game was that the goal to go from the 1 carries went to Ballage and not Drake. Ballage was given 2 chances from the 1-yard line while Drake was not even on the field. Drake had the most volume of any running back this week, but they do not seem to trust him around the goal line.

2019 Week 4 vs LAC (9 / 44 / 0 rush, 5 / 3 / 29 / 0 rec)

It is going to be difficult for Drake to get anything going this year with Miami constantly playing from behind. He had 12 combined touches this week for 73 yards, but that is not enough volume to get anything going. Drake had 9 carries to 6 for Mark Walton and 2 for Kalen Ballage. Miami ran the ball 18 times total for just 72 yards and no one sticks out as the head of the back field. Drake has the job in title only but looks to be challenged by Walton this week. He had a nice 10-yard burst for his longest rush of the day, but Miami was not willing to commit to the run even when the game was close. Drake chipped in 3 catches on 5 targets this week and continues to show he is the most versatile back in the backfield. He snuck out into the flat and ran down the sideline for 19 yards on a 3rd down play, but it was not enough. Drake put the ball on the ground again this week but was fortunate to not lose the fumble. With his problems of holding on to the ball and Miami playing from behind, Drake may lose even more of his carries to Walton and Ballage.

2019 Week 3 vs DAL (12 / 38 / 0 rush, 6 / 3 / 34 / 0 rec)

The struggles continue all over the field for Miami and the back field is no exception. Miami committed more to the run this week than any other since they were able to keep the game close and they were still unable to have more than 100 rushing yards as a team. Drake had 72 scrimmage yards this week and has been talked about as another trade candidate in the past week. Drake's longest rush was 8 yards and his longest catch was 19. The biggest concern came when Drake did not have a carry in a goal to go situation. Miami rushed Kalen Ballage 3 straight times from the 8-yard line and Drake did not get an opportunity around the goal line. He was given a rushing opportunity at the 7-yard line later in the half and rewarded the team with a fumble. It has been a comedy of errors for the Dolphins so far this season and Drake is most likely hoping that trade comes through.

2019 Week 2 vs NE (6 / 19 / 0 rush, 6 / 5 / 29 / 0 rec)

It was a slow start for the Patriots and the Dolphins should have had an entire first half to try and run the ball and establish an offense. Instead they could not get anything going and Drake had another bad day. Drake had less than 20 yards on the ground and averaged 3.2 yards per carry. He was targeted 6 times and came down with 5 of them for just under 30 yards. The Dolphins offensive line could not protect anyone, and Drake was used as a safety outlet underneath. It is going to be a long year for Drake with Miami playing from behind. There is still some value catching the ball out of the back field, but do not expect many rushing yards for Drake.

2019 Week 1 vs BAL (4 / 12 / 0 rush, 3 / 2 / 15 / 0 rec)

It was a bad day for the Miami rushing attack as the team totaled 12 carries for 21 yards total. Drake led all runners with 12 yards on the ground, and 9 of those yards came on a single play. He also chipped in 2 catches on 3 targets with a long of 10 yards. Drake did not look explosive and was often met in the back field by a Ravens defender before he even had a chance to find a hole. Drake does not have to worry about competition from another back as the next closest running back had -1 yards this week. This team is going to be playing from behind a lot this year and that is going to make it difficult for Drake to get anything going.

Latest News

Cardinals | No running room for Kenyan Drake (Sun Dec 8, 10:37 PM) - Arizona Cardinals RB Kenyan Drake rushed 11 times for 37 yards and caught three passes for 30 yards in a 23-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14.

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Cardinals | Kenyan Drake still on top in Arizona (Tue Dec 3, 09:04 PM) - Arizona Cardinals RB Kenyan Drake played 51 offensive snaps to 15 for David Johnson and zero for Chase Edmonds Sunday, Dec. 1, against the Los Angeles Rams.

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Cardinals | Kenyan Drake quiet in loss (Sun Dec 1, 11:50 PM) - Arizona Cardinals RB Kenyan Drake rushed 13 times for 31 yards and caught two passes for 20 yards in a 34-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13.

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