Chase Edmonds has been the talk of #FantasyTwitter throughout the offseason, and the pundits were quick to jump to their keyboards when Kenyan Drake was observed at Cardinals practice on Monday in a walking boot. While Kliff Kingsbury was quick to say it was a “precautionary” gesture, this potential lower leg injury highlights the importance of handcuffing or selecting Edmonds in the late rounds due to his league-winning upside as a 2020 fantasy football sleeper.
While one can never trust a coach, Drake also threw some water on the potential of a significant or lingering lower-leg injury, when he tweeted out:
Was in a walking book around this time last summer too. Just trying to stay consistent lol no worries I’m good 🤞🏾
— Kenyan Drake™ (@KDx32) August 24, 2020
However, Edmonds is a major 2020 fantasy football sleeper who is one injury away from being a full-time RB1 workhorse.
In his lone week as a starter last season, Edmonds crushed the Giants to the tune of 150 total yards and three scores on 29 touches.
That performance established his ability to carry the load, and most importantly, demonstrated to his coach that he has the potential to be a starting running back.
“We all feel like he’s a starting running back in this league, and he does, too,” Kingsbury said last week.
“We felt that confident in what Chase brings. When he had his opportunities, he shined, and he continues to shine. He can catch it, run it, block, play special teams, and he’s really bright football-wise. He’s everything you want.”
Although Edmonds’ Week 7 RB1 output made Drake truthers worry for a second, Drake was an immediate fit for Kingsbury‘s “Air Raid” offense. The former Adam Gase castoff routinely displayed his high-end pass-catching talents and a slashing running style, ultimately downgrading David Johnson into a complete afterthought and eventual trade bait.
In fact, Drake was the RB3 in fantasy during his time in Arizona, with his 19.9 PPR PPG trailing only Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry, making him a 2019 league-winner.
Drake’s insane usage over this time period shows Kingsbury’s likelihood of riding a workhorse, which would likely make Edmonds a likely league-winner if Drake were to fall apart at some point.
While this walking boot shouldn’t entice one to fade Drake at his current RB10 price tag, fantasy owners need to spend the late-round draft capital on his backup.
As of now, Drake checks in at RB9 on our 2020 Fantasy Football Rankings, while Edmonds is our RB45, six spots ahead of the ECR.
