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RB Kenyan Drake, LV (3 Viewers)

I have read that about Ajayi as well. However based on my own observation of Ajayi, I don't really see him as limited as a receiver, in fact I have seen evidence of him being a very good receiver at the college level.

In my view it is a bit of a self fulfilling prophecy on Gases part. He decided that Ajayi could not be used as a receiver for some reason, even though when he did use Ajayi as a receiver, he performed reasonably well as one.

The lack of using him in this capacity put stress on the offense because of the play calling tendency giving the defense a clue about how he would be used that made it more difficult for him to run the ball and for the offense to keep the defense guessing.

The coaches did this to themselves in my opinion, not because of Ajayi having a deficiency. It really doesn't make much sense.

As evidence some examples, game 11 of 2015 6 targets 4 receptions 52 yards  13 ypr 8.7 ypt game two of the 2016 season Ajayi has 4 targets 4 receptions 31 yards 7.8 ypr career receiving stats for Ajayi are 66 targets 48 receptions 308 yards 73% catch rate which is average for a RB 6.42 yards per reception which is slightly below average for a RB but not really that bad.

They just did not give Ajayi many opportunities as a receiver, presumably because they didn't like what they saw from him in practice.

Did Jay Ajayis abilities as a receiver regress? Or did the coaches fail to set him up for success?

 
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Ajayi was also the rb6 on pro football focus when gase traded him. On an historically bad offense. 

 
I was pleasantly surprised.  I thought he looked pretty explosive and elusive.  Granted it was against a mediocre Raiders defense.  Good to see the coaching staff didn't give up on him after the fumble.  I assume, since he was a 3rd round draft pick of this coaching staff, he will be given every opportunity to win the job.  Williams also looked pretty good, and appears to be more aware of the blocking schemes, and is probably more dependable currently as a veteran.  Looks to be 50/50 right now with that hope it moves to 70/30 by the end of the year

 
SaintsInDome2006 said:
Is Gase going to figure out he needs Drake more involved or what? Even his blocking looks good.
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Guy looks electric out there.  As a Dolphins' fan I wish they would give him more work.  At least make him the lead part of the committee instead of the back half.

Gase seems to like Williams a lot for whatever reason though.

 
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SaintsInDome2006 said:
Is Gase going to figure out he needs Drake more involved or what? Even his blocking looks good.
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Drake balls out for his 66-yard TD. On the very next series in comes Williams who does nothing again. I'd say Gase hasn't figured things out yet. 

This isn't a real surprise, though. Gase loves Williams. Used him frequently over Ajayi in rushing situations near the goal line late last season. There's absolutely no question Drake has been the superior RB but I wouldn't expect Williams to go away. 

 
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Gase's process and the way he handles his players is utterly insane.

Actually I think the problem is that Gase is insane, Chip Kelly syndrome.

 
bb7278 said:
Gase's process and the way he handles his players is utterly insane.

Actually I think the problem is that Gase is insane, Chip Kelly syndrome.
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Gase suffers from the same thing that Kyle Shanahan suffers from.  These guys were labeled 'young genius' when they were up and comers. Then they succeed as offensive coordinators and get head coaching jobs at a young age.  They feed into the young genius stuff and then want to constantly show that they're the smartest person in the room.  Instead of doing what's crystal clear to everyone else. Shanahan did it for a short time with Carlos Hyde. Decided to sit him if he would have a slow start after 4 carries. He seems to have wisened up a bit now.  Hopefully Gase does the same and sees that Drake is game changer and Williams is just a guy. 

 
bb7278 said:
Gase's process and the way he handles his players is utterly insane.

Actually I think the problem is that Gase is insane, Chip Kelly syndrome.
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Seriously!  Dude rips off a 70 yard TD run, then he sticks with his 1 to 1 series "rotation".  He makes no sense.  Stick with the hot hand.  Looks like he brought his Bears tactics down south.  

 
Not even sure what to do with drake after this.  The stat line looks nice but when you dig deeper he wasn’t utilized much and if ou take away the one big run he did not have a good fantasy day.  Does not inspire confidence to lock him in as a flex starter moving forward.  

 
rickyg said:
Not even sure what to do with drake after this.  The stat line looks nice but when you dig deeper he wasn’t utilized much and if ou take away the one big run he did not have a good fantasy day.  Does not inspire confidence to lock him in as a flex starter moving forward.  
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I just don't see how even Gase wouldn't get him more work, TB is next.

I played him this past week, ain't no way he's getting benched now.

TB, NE 2x, Buf 2x, KC.... only tough game right now is home to Denver, I think I've got a new man crush.

 
Drake is the Dolphins future now.

Kid is a big time playmaker. Big things ahead and a strong dynasty hold. 

I spent $94 FABB on him after the Ajayi trade (all I had left out of $100) and am thrilled. It was a gamble, but he looks really good. Can score from anywhere on the field. Electric back. 

 
Todem said:
Drake is the Dolphins future now.

Kid is a big time playmaker. Big things ahead and a strong dynasty hold. 

I spent $94 FABB on him after the Ajayi trade (all I had left out of $100) and am thrilled. It was a gamble, but he looks really good. Can score from anywhere on the field. Electric back. 
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Too bad Gase prefers Williams.   Gase is not going to be the HC for much longer if he continues to make poor decisions with his RBs. 

 
DocHolliday said:
Too bad Gase prefers Williams.   Gase is not going to be the HC for much longer if he continues to make poor decisions with his RBs. 
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I believe you will see more and more Drake moving forward. If not he should be fired. The offense is a #### show down here. 

 
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Drake looked good last night but let's not kid ourselves. This is Miami we're talking about here. It's not like this is Marshall Faulk's handcuff c. 2001.

 
flipcuplegend said:
Even though Doug Martin gets double the touches, I may sit him for Drake.  It's evident Drake is a guy who does more with less.  Perhaps the coaching staff doesn't want to over use him per the below.

http://dailydolphin.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2017/11/12/can-miami-dolphins-kenyan-drake-be-a-complete-lead-nfl-running-back/
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Huh?  I would love to see him become an every down back bell cow guy but I don't see any earth shattering quotes from Gase in that link.  He sounds encouraging, but that was written prior to this last game where Drake barely had any touches until the game was out of hand.  Yes he had the electric run, but he did that last week too and it didn't seem to matter.  Hope Gase figures it out.  I don't see much in Williams but I don't own him so probably bias.

 
From the above article:

 Kenyan Drake was having dinner with Jay Ajayi in South Florida the other night (no, that’s not a typo, Ajayi has an Eagles bye and was back in town to take care of some business).

And it’s not like Drake needs to pick Ajayi’s brain about how to handle 28 carries in Dolphins game (as Ajayi did in the opener). Because that’s not really the game plan.
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Just shows a good relationship between Ajayi and Drake continues despite Gase throwing the players under the bus.

From yesterdays game 57 offensive plays (below average for the NFL and Miami so far this year) 17 rushing attempts 37 pass attempts.

Kenyan Drake 25 offensive snaps 44% 7 rushing attempts 82 yards 1 TD 2 targets 2 receptions 10 yards

Damien Williams 32 offensive snaps 56% 9 rushing attempts 19 yards 3 targets 2 receptions 20 yards

The previous week vs the Raiders 67 offensive plays 18 rushing attempts 42 pass attempts

Kenyan Drake played 55% of the offensive snaps 9 rushing attempts 69 yards with a long of 42 yards 6 targets 6 receptions 35 yards

Damien Williams played 45% of the offensive snaps 7 rushing attempts 14 yards 6 targets 6 receptions 47 yardds 1 TD.

One thing of note is that Julius Thomas played 75% of the snaps and Fasano played 33% of the snap, which is a reversal of Gase playing Fasano more because he is a better blocker than Thomas. This does not help the RBs especially with right tackle Juwan James injured. It is an indication of Gase wanting to throw the ball more that he is willing to play Thomas over Fasano. Now you can say game script dictated this somewhat and that is true, Carolina established a big lead early on in the game, but I think this is going to be a tendency from now on, more pass attempts and fewer rushing attempts than what they were doing with Jay Ajayi. Thomas played 73% of the snaps vs the Raiders as well.

Since trading Ajayi Miami has run 124 offensive plays 35 rushing attempts (28%) 79 passing attempts (64%) Neither RB has had 10 or more rushing attempts in either game, passing targets and rushing attempts have been fairly even. Williams played more offensive snaps than Drake against Carolina while Drake played more offensive snaps against the Raiders making this about a 50/50 split overall between the two so far.

Neither RB is being allowed to get in a groove with the offense as a runner (something Gase admitted was a mistake in how he used them in the first 4 games last year) and Gase doesn't seem to want to run the ball that much anyways relative to what he was doing with Ajayi.

Based on these two games Drake is clearly the more effective runner but he had Williams run the ball two more times than Drake and more offensive snaps as well.

Still need a third game to solidify the new trend but Drake isn't being used enough to have confidence in starting him for fantasy despite the big runs making him an effective play anyways. Drake likely can't break a long run like this every game.

 
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Not sure what the big deal is.

He broke one on a short yardage play. It happens. His other carries went for 6 for 16 yards.

Nothing's changed with the offensive line.

 
kyoun1e said:
Not sure what the big deal is.

He broke one on a short yardage play. It happens. His other carries went for 6 for 16 yards.

Nothing's changed with the offensive line.
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Williams also broke one on a short yardage play. For 11 yards. His other carries went 8 for 8 yards.

 
Miami does not have to play against the very good Panther D every week either.   That being said, no matter how good Drake may be, he is playing on a bad team that will be playing from behind and gets less touches than the other back on the team.   Hold.   

 
Biabreakable said:
From the above article:

Just shows a good relationship between Ajayi and Drake continues despite Gase throwing the players under the bus.

From yesterdays game 57 offensive plays (below average for the NFL and Miami so far this year) 17 rushing attempts 37 pass attempts.

Kenyan Drake 25 offensive snaps 44% 7 rushing attempts 82 yards 1 TD 2 targets 2 receptions 10 yards

Damien Williams 32 offensive snaps 56% 9 rushing attempts 19 yards 3 targets 2 receptions 20 yards

The previous week vs the Raiders 67 offensive plays 18 rushing attempts 42 pass attempts

Kenyan Drake played 55% of the offensive snaps 9 rushing attempts 69 yards with a long of 42 yards 6 targets 6 receptions 35 yards

Damien Williams played 45% of the offensive snaps 7 rushing attempts 14 yards 6 targets 6 receptions 47 yardds 1 TD.

One thing of note is that Julius Thomas played 75% of the snaps and Fasano played 33% of the snap, which is a reversal of Gase playing Fasano more because he is a better blocker than Thomas. This does not help the RBs especially with right tackle Juwan James injured. It is an indication of Gase wanting to throw the ball more that he is willing to play Thomas over Fasano. Now you can say game script dictated this somewhat and that is true, Carolina established a big lead early on in the game, but I think this is going to be a tendency from now on, more pass attempts and fewer rushing attempts than what they were doing with Jay Ajayi. Thomas played 73% of the snaps vs the Raiders as well.

Since trading Ajayi Miami has run 124 offensive plays 35 rushing attempts (28%) 79 passing attempts (64%) Neither RB has had 10 or more rushing attempts in either game, passing targets and rushing attempts have been fairly even. Williams played more offensive snaps than Drake against Carolina while Drake played more offensive snaps against the Raiders making this about a 50/50 split overall between the two so far.

Neither RB is being allowed to get in a groove with the offense as a runner (something Gase admitted was a mistake in how he used them in the first 4 games last year) and Gase doesn't seem to want to run the ball that much anyways relative to what he was doing with Ajayi.

Based on these two games Drake is clearly the more effective runner but he had Williams run the ball two more times than Drake and more offensive snaps as well.

Still need a third game to solidify the new trend but Drake isn't being used enough to have confidence in starting him for fantasy despite the big runs making him an effective play anyways. Drake likely can't break a long run like this every game.
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Helpful analysis over here.  Miami is a pass first team but then again game script has them behind.  Will Tampa be an even matchup where they can run more?  This may be a wait one more week and see how stupid is Gase approach unfortunately.

 
The Dolphins are morphing into a pass-first offense without Ajayi which is interesting since Drake has looked much better in my opinion than Ajayi did this season in Miami. Much more explosive and much more versatile in terms of usage. But even with the change in approach Drake looks like a solid RB3 at worst due to his big-play ability and role in the passing game. It was disappointing to see his receptions drop from 6 in Week 9 to 2 last week but he is being used as a receiver and was on the field a lot in the second half Monday night when Miami was playing from behind (a position they may find themselves in frequently going forward).

Drake's floor looks to be 8-10 carries per game with 2-3 receptions. That should be enough to inch him to around 10 points per game in PPR as a floor which is a solid RB3. Now include his big-play ability and usage near the goal line and you have RB2 upside. So even if Gase doesn't wise up and use Drake more than Williams I think you still have a solid RB3 option in Drake moving forward. I'd give him strong RB2 potential this week vs. the Bucs. 

 
flipcuplegend said:
Helpful analysis over here.  Miami is a pass first team but then again game script has them behind.  Will Tampa be an even matchup where they can run more?  This may be a wait one more week and see how stupid is Gase approach unfortunately.
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Yeah I would definitely like to see one more game before trying to draw more conclusions.

 
packersfan said:
The Dolphins are morphing into a pass-first offense without Ajayi which is interesting since Drake has looked much better in my opinion than Ajayi did this season in Miami. Much more explosive and much more versatile in terms of usage. But even with the change in approach Drake looks like a solid RB3 at worst due to his big-play ability and role in the passing game. It was disappointing to see his receptions drop from 6 in Week 9 to 2 last week but he is being used as a receiver and was on the field a lot in the second half Monday night when Miami was playing from behind (a position they may find themselves in frequently going forward).

Drake's floor looks to be 8-10 carries per game with 2-3 receptions. That should be enough to inch him to around 10 points per game in PPR as a floor which is a solid RB3. Now include his big-play ability and usage near the goal line and you have RB2 upside. So even if Gase doesn't wise up and use Drake more than Williams I think you still have a solid RB3 option in Drake moving forward. I'd give him strong RB2 potential this week vs. the Bucs. 
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I would describe his 8-10 carries with 2-3 receptions as his average so far, not his floor.

I think I know enough about Damien Williams to say he isn't the answer, so the upside for Drake is more appealing. Maybe Gase will make a decision that leads to Drake getting more touches soon. That seems like a rational thing to do. Just not counting on it.

I don't expect Drake to bust off big plays every game. The reduced use of the RB does create a more advantageous opportunity for big plays, as the defense can get caught by surprise more, be caught in a pass defense. and Drake has shown he can deliver those.

I still think the floor for Drake is lower than a RB 3 because if the big play doesn't happen, he isn't getting enough volume to give you that 10 points. He may have some dud 3-4 point games ahead if he doesn't crack a big run. 

 
In the two games post-Ajayi Drake has had:

9 carries, 6 receptions

7 carries, 2 receptions

I think my projection of 8-10 carries with 2-3 receptions is fair based on what we've seen so far. I would then rank him as a RB3 given his usage. His actual production the past two games has been at the RB1 level each week. So when looking at that type of upside, talent, role and usage I feel RB3 is very safe and perhaps even a tad bit low. I put him there primarily due to Gase's fondness for Williams which I don't see going away. 

Drake may not hit on the big plays every game but they reflect his ability and potential. So I don't believe they should be dismissed. You can't count on them every week obviously but if you have a player with that type of explosiveness he can do a lot with 8-10 carries and 2-3 receptions per week as the starting point. 

One of two things will happen with this team - 1) They begin to run the ball at a high level in which case Drake will have a sizeable role or 2) They will throw more and possibly trail often in which case Drake will remain involved since he's already shown the ability to catch, make plays after the catch and pass protect. Either way I think a RB3 ranking is a safe place to put him right now. Clearly, as he's shown the past two games his upside is greater than that.  

 
packersfan said:
The Dolphins are morphing into a pass-first offense without Ajayi which is interesting since Drake has looked much better in my opinion than Ajayi did this season in Miami. Much more explosive and much more versatile in terms of usage.
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I'm totally influenced by owning him, by thinking he's a good runner, and also by the fact that I have watched a whooollle lot of Sean Payton Saints football, but watching the Phins game I get the feeling it would help Cutler and the Phins a lot by throwing to Drake frequently and often. Heck they can throw to Williams too, but Cutler needs that.

 
SaintsInDome2006 said:
I'm totally influenced by owning him, by thinking he's a good runner, and also by the fact that I have watched a whooollle lot of Sean Payton Saints football, but watching the Phins game I get the feeling it would help Cutler and the Phins a lot by throwing to Drake frequently and often. Heck they can throw to Williams too, but Cutler needs that.
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Yup, I was shocked Gase went away from the heavy RB usage in the passing game vs. Carolina after it worked so well the game before. Getting Cutler easy completions so he can get into a rhythm makes a ton of sense. If Gase is smart he'll go back to that moving forward. That can help set up more downfield throws to Parker and Landry too. In terms of Drake, it would enhance his fantasy value even more (also keep Williams in the RB3 mix in PPR).  

 
Does Drake have a chance to be the long term starter in Miami? I know he's been injured a lot, and has never been a featured back, but it's hard to not like the box score. He's certainly made the most of his opportunity thus far. 

 
On second thought I'm sitting for Drake for Dougie Martin.  Drake will likely going to need to break another big run this game but the fact he still shares carries on a pass first team make it more of a risk hoping he busts a big play.  

 
flipcuplegend said:
On second thought I'm sitting for Drake for Dougie Martin.  Drake will likely going to need to break another big run this game but the fact he still shares carries on a pass first team make it more of a risk hoping he busts a big play.  
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I am in the same boat bw drake and Doug e fresh.  Standard scoring.  So I decided to go with the seemingly higher guaranteed workload for martin over the smallest workload and the hope that drake busts one big play route.  Take away that big td run last week and drake’s Night was pretty bad, actually.  I know we don’t like saying that BC he DID have that run, but personally I’d rather have a back in my lineup that consistently churns out 4-5 yard runs with a big workload and goal line carries than a splash back that that carries the ball 8-10 times and has to bust one long one to return any value.  It’s a risky proposition.  

Admittedly, drake looks good, though, and so far he is 2 for 2 with big runs in back to back games, AND this is a good matchup for him on paper.  

Flip a coin honestly, but I’d just rather go with the guy who is sure to touch the ball more. 

 
rickyg said:
I’d rather have a back in my lineup that consistently churns out 4-5 yard run
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Except for Martin it's more like consistently churning out 1-2 yard runs.

28 carries for 58 yards the last two weeks.  :shock:

But yes, it is a tough call this week.  Drake's use in the receiving game could easily balance out the workload even if he doesn't bust a big one.

 
FreeBaGeL said:
Except for Martin it's more like consistently churning out 1-2 yard runs.

28 carries for 58 yards the last two weeks.  :shock:

But yes, it is a tough call this week.  Drake's use in the receiving game could easily balance out the workload even if he doesn't bust a big one.
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Ha Drake/Martin/Woodhead owner, whats keeping Drake in there for me is nevermind what the coaches say about 50/50 if you have a guy hitting home runs in back to back games at this level its your job to get him more work, sounds like a bunch of coachspeak.

If you watch martins carries usually the problem is him getting hit in the backfield, his line has been epically bad at run blocking. They might turn it around this week, who knows.

 
The Dolphins should be good against the run. They have a good defensive line and other strong players against the run such as Jones.

But last game they played they gave up almost 300 rushing yards to Carolina. So despite the players they have, it isn't leading to results.

Both Tampa and Miami are below average in run defense so far this year. According to football outsiders Tampa is 20th and Miami is 21st. Both teams seem to be in a bit of a tail spin right now.

 
I thought you should all know that I’ve changed my mind and subbed drake into my flex over Doug Martin.   I decided to go with the hot hand rather than the guy with the surer workload.  Drake looks like the better back and he’s more involved in the passing game than Martin, so he doesn’t run the risk of being phased out of the game script as much as Martin does.  Plus even though it seems like a good matchup for Martin, he’s been so bad that I bowed after last week to keep him on my bench until he shows me a reason to start him again.  

With all that said, I have flubbed my flex spot all season long, most of the time leaving pts on my bench.   So you might want to do the opposite of that and start martin!  

 
rickyg said:
I thought you should all know that I’ve changed my mind and subbed drake into my flex over Doug Martin.   I decided to go with the hot hand rather than the guy with the surer workload.  Drake looks like the better back and he’s more involved in the passing game than Martin, so he doesn’t run the risk of being phased out of the game script as much as Martin does.  Plus even though it seems like a good matchup for Martin, he’s been so bad that I bowed after last week to keep him on my bench until he shows me a reason to start him again.  

With all that said, I have flubbed my flex spot all season long, most of the time leaving pts on my bench.   So you might want to do the opposite of that and start martin!  
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Thanks for joining team Drake this week! :scared:

If Martin falters again I look forward to rage dropping him and picking up a late game guy, by a thread Dougie!...

 
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rickyg said:
NOT a great start. All williams and he looks good.  Gase loves williams.   
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Seems like the basic MO since they moved Ajayi has been 2 drives for Williams to start the game, Drake gets the 3rd, and then they alternate drives after that (and of course spell each other when one is tired on "their" drive).

 
Looks like Drake has now inherited the Ajayi role in the passing game. In other words, it's pretty much non-existent. I don't know how he can go from 6 receptions and looking real good as a receiver to 2 and then 1. But if they won't use him as a receiver he's just a dart throw RB3. 

 
He was basically a decoy out there. He was open for several passes and either the QB couldn't connect or was ignored for a receiver downfield. I think the most frustrating part was him being out there in the red zone and not getting a carry, especially when they had the ball inside the 5 and just threw the ball (even early in the first half).

 
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