Since Jon Gruden resigned before Week 6, Kenyan Drake has become more involved in the offense. He’s averaging around 10 touches per game even with Josh Jacobs back in the lineup.
In the last four games, he’s scored three touchdowns and is seeing around four targets per game in the passing game. While he is still playing in a part-time role behind Jacobs, he has been an effective player over the last month.
But could that change this week as the Raiders are set to host the Bengals? In a recent article by Dan Graziano of ESPN, he explained why Drake could be in for a big game on Sunday.
“(Drake) had been carving out a decent role in the Raiders’ offense prior to Sunday’s debacle, and the Bengals have definitely been susceptible to running backs who can catch the ball. Remember Michael Carter’s Week 9 breakout? The Raiders need to get back on track this week, and Drake should be a part of that effort even with Josh Jacobs in place as the team’s starting running back.”
Over the last three games, the Bengals have allowed 365 rushing yards. But they have allowed a ton of passing production to running backs out of the backfield as Graziano mentioned.
While Jacobs is a good receiver, the Raiders do seem to like to get Drake touches and targets in the passing game. If the goal is to get the ball out of Derek Carr’s hands as quickly as possible, this could easily be a five or six catch day for Drake on Sunday.
Expect Drake to see 10-12 touches in Week 11, but to be very productive and efficient with those touches. This is setting up to be maybe his biggest game as a Raider so far.
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