Kenyan Drake has been traded from the Dolphins to the Cardinals, according to Adam Schefter. It was reported Sunday that Drake wouldn't be traveling to Pittsburgh to play on Monday Night Football for Miami, so the trade was obviously in the works ahead of Tuesday's NFL Trade Deadline. In the short term, Week 9 specifically, Drake has a shot at fantasy value if he can turn around and play by Thursday night for the Cardinals (not a guarantee). On the Dolphins end of things, Mark Walton and Kalen Ballage should step into larger roles as they attempt to ride out the season with a winless Miami team. Both Walton and Ballage should be waiver wire pickups in whatever leagues they may be available in.
The NFL Trade Deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET time. For all the latest updates, be sure to follow @SN_Fantasy on Twitter.
WEEK 9 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Cardinals Trade: Kenyan Drake rest-of-season fantasy outlook
Drake heads from one bad team to another, but joining Arizona's fast-paced, sometimes successful offense is an upgrade from where he was in Miami. What's hard to know is what Drake's usage will be like come, say, Week 13.
As far as we know, the injuries to David Johnson (back, ankle) and Chase Edmonds (hamstring) won't be keeping them out the rest of the season. That means at some point, Drake will have to compete with an All-Pro and a top backup that the Cardinals obviously already liked for touches.
Because of that, don't pick up Drake with the rest of the season in mind. His highest fantasy value will most likely come in the next week or two.
WEEK 9: Waiver wire | FAAB planner | Trade values | Snap counts
Is Kenyan Drake going to play on Thursday Night Football?
It seems likely Drake will be active for Thursday Night Football against the 49ers, and a follow-up tweet from Schefter suggested as much. That gives Drake a couple days to learn as much offense as he can to be on the field, and it suggests Arizona doesn't expect Johnson or Edmonds to play.
The other RB options are Zach Zenner and Alfred Morris, so if Drake can get up to speed, he could be looking at a heavy workload. The biggest problem is the defense on the other side -- San Francisco has been dominant of late, and while they didn't hold Christian McCaffrey totally in check, they also weren't burned too badly.
Drake's workload is an unknown, and the matchup is a tough one. That means the range of outcomes for Drake on Thursday Night Football is as wide as could be. He could be inactive. He could be active and get two carries. He could be active and get 20 carries but only rack up 45 yards. Or he could be active, get tons of touches, and score a couple times. It's all in play, and so we'll have to keep our eyes open for any insight we can glean on his TNF usage.
WEEK 9 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
Mark Walton, Kalen Ballage fantasy outlooks
Walton already had usurped Drake in Dolphins' RB snaps of late, but now he'll be the full-fledged starter. The former Miami Hurricane is coming off a 14-rush, 66-yard performance in Week 7. The week prior, he caught five passes for 43 yards. Before Walton was let go by Cincinnati, he was viewed as a future passing-down back, so he'll definitely have some PPR value.
If Walton isn't owned in your league, you should pick him up now. He'll be at least in FLEX consideration each week going forward because 15 touches a game is nothing to scoff at.
Ballage was the early-season backup but was leapfrogged by Walton. The bigger Ballage has been the goal-line choice for the Dolphins in recent weeks (although it's not like they're near the end zone that often). Ballage is a TD-dependent option that really only has any value during byes or if Walton gets hurt.
WEEK 9 DFS LINEUPS:
Y! cash | Y! GPP | DK cash | DK GPP | FD cash | FD GPP
David Johnson, Chase Edmonds injury outlooks
Johnson was already expected to be out Thursday night. Drake's acquisition suggests the hamstring injury Edmonds sustained Sunday will keep him out, as well. Once everyone's healthy, Johnson will surely return to his lead back role. What's less clear right now is who his handcuff will be.