As Kenyan Drake looks to return to the field after a season-ending ankle injury last year, can he be an asset for fantasy football managers? In an intriguing RB depth chart in Baltimore, Drake’s role is uncertain heading into 2022. Let’s take a look at Drake’s ADP in fantasy football drafts and whether he can provide value at his current price.
Kenyan Drake ADP | Is he worth his current price in fantasy drafts?
Drake’s current ADP in redraft leagues is generally in the 215-250 region overall. His ADP is marginally higher in PPR fantasy drafts than in non-PPR leagues, but in half-PPR, that ADP drops to 250. Drake is being taken around RB54 in PPR, dropping to RB64 in non-PPR, and RB72 in half-PPR.
In a 12-team league, the 210th selection is in the 18th round. Therefore, Drake is generally going undrafted in 12-team leagues. In 14- and 16-team formats, he’s being viewed as a double-digit round selection. However, his ADP may rise slightly after signing with the Baltimore Ravens.
Drake’s projected fantasy value in 2022
As Drake looks to return from injury, his role with the Ravens is intriguing. After being released by the Las Vegas Raiders, Drake signed in Baltimore. He appears to be competing with Justice Hill and Mike Davis to be the second back on the depth chart behind J.K. Dobbins.
The interesting element is that Dobbins appears to be struggling to be ready for Week 1. That means two of those three backs could have fantasy relevance to open the season. It would seem unlikely that the Ravens went out and signed a veteran back in Drake to have him inactive. However, Hill could get the nod as the RB3 if Dobbins is active due to his ability to contribute on special teams.
However, without Dobbins, it could very much be Drake playing the secondary role to Davis. The downside is that we know, even at the best of times, it’s tough for running backs in the Ravens’ backfield to have fantasy value on the limited touches that come with their rotational methods.
Last year, with Dobbins and Edwards injured, no back averaged more than nine rushing attempts per game. That will make it tough to know when to start Drake if you draft him. Of course, there is always the chance that we see Dobbins miss multiple weeks and Drake earn enough of a role to have some early fantasy relevance, but the window for such is slim.
Should you draft Drake in 2022?
Drake is ranked as the RB75, just inside of the top 220, in PFN’s 2022 RB fantasy rankings. Drake’s ADP is all over the place across the formats after a turbulent couple of weeks. Thus, it’s hard to compare how he sits in our rankings compared to his ADP. The immediate takeaway is that we have Drake as a player you should not draft in 12 or 14-team leagues.
If you have a spare roster spot heading into Week 1 because you placed a player on IR after the draft, then you can make a case for Drake. A speculative pickup of Drake could look very clever if he has a strong first week and a role in this offense. However, even then, his value is really only until Dobbins comes back, which could be as soon as Week 2 or 3.
Drake did not look back to full speed in his preseason appearances with the Raiders. So it would be a surprise to see him reinvigorate his career in Baltimore. It’s possible, but we had the same conversation a year ago about Le’Veon Bell, and he left Baltimore with just 83 yards on 31 rushing attempts.
Drake could easily be a similar story. There is greater upside to be found elsewhere in the last rounds of your draft than spending it on Drake.
