Nearly a month ago, the Las Vegas Raiders decided to sign restricted free agent running back, Kenyan Drake to a two-year deal worth up to $14M. The move was puzzling then, and it is still today. Just two years ago, the Raiders used their first-round draft pick to select Josh Jacobs 24th overall. His first two seasons have been more than what the Raiders could’ve asked for, and yet, they signed Drake to become his backup? The Raiders certainly have other areas they need to improve on, including the offensive line. Nonetheless, a running back duo of Jacobs and Drake could be lethal to opposing defenses this season. The big question is: “What can we expect from each running back this year in fantasy?” Below, I will dig deeper into each running back’s role with the team, their fantasy value, and what we can expect from each this season.
Kenyan Drake
| Year | Team | Games Played | Carries | Yards | Yards/Carry | Receptions | Yards | Yards/Catch | Total TDs |
| 2016 | MIA | 16 | 33 | 179 | 5.4 | 9 | 46 | 5.1 | 2 |
| 2017 | MIA | 16 | 133 | 644 | 4.8 | 32 | 239 | 7.5 | 4 |
| 2018 | MIA | 16 | 120 | 535 | 4.5 | 53 | 477 | 9.0 | 9 |
| 2019 | MIA/ARI | 14 | 170 | 817 | 4.8 | 50 | 345 | 6.9 | 8 |
| 2020 | ARI | 15 | 239 | 955 | 4.0 | 25 | 137 | 5.5 | 10 |
Despite beginning his first three seasons in the league as a backup, Drake spent the last two seasons as his teams’ starting back. He is a legitimate threat both as a runner and as a receiver out of the backfield. Although he has never surpassed 1,000 yards rushing in a season, he is more than capable of doing so. The initial reports were that Drake was going to serve as Jacobs’ backup for the Raiders, but he might become more of a one/two punch in Gruden’s offense. Either way, he is the RB2 on this team, and if Jacobs were to miss time due to injuries, Drake would slide into the starting spot.
Expect about 8-12 touches per game from the shifty back, and he should serve as the team’s primary third-down back in third-and-long situations. He should easily see more targets and receptions over Jacobs, considering he put together back-to-back seasons with at least 50 receptions in 2018 and 2019. During that span, he caught about 73 percent of the passes thrown his way. In terms of fantasy, Drake should serve as a valuable spot starter depending on his team’s matchup for the week. He should also be considered an RB4/RB5 entering the season.
Drake’s 2021 Prediction
Rushing: 134 carries, 589 yards, 4 touchdowns
Receiving: 41 receptions, 336 yards, 2 touchdowns
Fantasy Points: 128.5 standard points, 169.5 PPR points
Josh Jacobs
| Year | Team | Games Played | Carries | Yards | Yards/Carry | Receptions | Yards | Yards/Catch | Total TDs |
| 2019 | OAK | 13 | 242 | 1,150 | 4.8 | 20 | 166 | 8.3 | 7 |
| 2020 | LVR | 15 | 273 | 1,065 | 3.9 | 33 | 238 | 7.2 | 12 |
Jacobs exploded his rookie season, and he followed it up with somewhat of a disappointing season last year. He was still very relevant in fantasy terms, but the expectation was that he would put up bigger numbers during his second season. That wasn’t the case, and his 3.9 yards per carry average was a huge letdown. Maybe that’s why Gruden and Mike Mayock decided to bring in Drake on a two-year deal. Nonetheless, Jacobs is still considered the RB1 on this team, and he should put up terrific numbers depending on his team’s matchup.
You should still expect about 20 touches per game from the talented back, but he doesn’t serve as a legitimate threat as a receiver. Even as the lead back in this offense the past two seasons, he only caught 20 passes in 2019 and 33 in 2020 respectively. If Drake misses time due to injuries, Jacobs would be a sure RB1 in fantasy for the time being. Unfortunately, with Drake in the lineup, Jacobs shouldn’t be considered an RB1, but he is still a solid RB2/RB3 in most leagues.
Jacobs’ 2021 Prediction
Rushing: 226 carries, 972 yards, 7 touchdowns
Receiving: 23 receptions, 197 yards, 1 touchdown
Fantasy Points: 164.9 standard points, 187.9 PPR points
Coming into the season, both backs aren’t the most enticing running backs for your fantasy team. They’re bound to produce inconsistent numbers, and there is a good amount of running backs that you should be higher on entering the season. The duo should scare defenses in the real world, but this is all about fantasy football. If you have either one of these running backs on your dynasty team(s), it wouldn’t hurt to explore a trade for more valuable pieces (maybe a draft pick in this year’s draft).
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