Kenyan Drake's Updated Fantasy Outlook After Impressive Cardinals Debut

Kenyan Drake kicked off his Arizona Cardinals career with a bang, showing he could be a difference-maker going forward for fantasy football teams.

The former Miami Dolphins running back was traded to Arizona on Monday, providing the team with some much-needed depth at the position with David Johnson and Chase Edmonds both dealing with injuries.

The issues forced Drake onto the field Thursday against the San Francisco 49ers, where he came through with some impressive runs right out of the gate.

Drake picked up 36 yards on his first carry with the team before finishing the opening drive with a touchdown:

He didn't score a touchdown all year with Miami but was able to help fantasy managers right away with the Cardinals before totaling 70 rushing yards in the first half.

In the second half he showed it wasn't a fluke, ending up with 110 rushing yards and 52 receiving yards, more than double the yards from scrimmage in any game with the Dolphins.

The 25-year-old has been a dynamic player in the past, averaging 5.8 yards per touch last season for 1,012 yards from scrimmage, but he is now in an offense that could really give him a chance to shine.

Though Arizona has been inconsistent offensively this year, a running back had at least 17 touches in six of eight games this season entering Week 9. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury wants to feature his running backs, and there are a lot of opportunities in the up-tempo offense.

As long as Johnson and Edmonds are out, Drake could be a reliable RB2 with a lot of upside. He should be added in all leagues and could be a must-start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

On the other hand, the backfield won't be all his for the rest of the year.

Edmonds will reportedly miss a "few weeks" with a hamstring strain, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, but he should be back at some point this season. Johnson was considered day-to-day this week due to his ankle injury, per Katherine Fitzgerald of AZ Central Sports. This could give him an opportunity to return as soon as Week 10 with 10 days of rest.

The team acquired Drake for a reason, but he likely won't have a full-time role for too long.

While he's someone to target on waivers, don't go all out trying to get what could be only a short-term fix.

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