Chase Edmonds Fantasy 2021
The Arizona Cardinals have lofty expectations coming into this 2021 season. One of those elevated expectations is that Chase Edmonds is ready to lead the RB room as the RB1. They are expecting him to be the lead rusher and pass catcher. This was made evident when Steve Keim, the GM, let Kenyan Drake walk and only signed James Conner for a measly 1.75-million-dollar one-year deal. If they were expecting Conner to be the workhorse, then I doubt they would have signed him to such a small deal. Edmonds is familiar with the system and has been there his brief but whole career. He will get the first shot to be the lead back.
Chase Edmonds 2020 Recap
Chase Edmonds had a solid season in 2020 as the scat-back or passing back. He was the #2 back for the Cardinals behind Kenyan Drake. He did start 2 games when Drake was out with an injury and played in all 16 games. In those 16 games, Edmonds recorded 97 rushes for 448 yards, which equates to a 4.6 yards per rush (YPR). He also added on 53 receptions out of 67 targets (79.1% catch rate) for 402 yards. That is a 7.6 yards per reception average. He recorded 1 rushing touchdown and 4 receiving touchdowns. Added up, he averaged 5.7 yards per touch and contributed 850 total yards total on offense.
In fantasy PPR, his points for the season were 168 while per game he averaged 10.5. That is good for an RB2 on his team. That was enough to be RB25 on the season in total fantasy points which is just under the overall fantasy RB2 tier. This means he was a capable flex play every week of last season. Let us dig a little deeper on Edmonds about last year.
In the NFL, Edmonds was sixth in targets, routes run, and receiving yards, seventh in receptions and yards per touch, and third in slot snaps for running backs, according to Player Profiler. These are excellent for a running back who was leaned on heavily to be the passing down back. I believe that Edmonds will match those numbers for this next year if not surpass them.
Chase Edmonds never truly worked as a three-down back last year. Chase was given only one goal-line carry last year, which is not good. Yes, that can be blamed on Kyler Murray a bit, but it also shows that the Cardinals do not believe his 5’9, 210-pound frame can punch the ball in against a stacked defense. Many might say that Edmonds does not have the size, yet he is essentially the same size as Aaron Jones who is 5’9, 208-pounds. We all know how good Jones is. Chase Edmonds is an average rusher but elite when he can get the ball into space. That is why he is so good at receiving. Hence why he had 326 yards after the catch (YAC) last season. Edmonds will continue to get his receiving work which only pads his fantasy stats.
If the Chargers drafted Chase Edmonds, we might have seen similar that we seen from Austin Ekeler. pic.twitter.com/OF2RwjgRQU
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) October 13, 2019
Chase Edmonds 2021 Outlook
Chase has an extremely positive but also worrying outlook for this upcoming 2021 season. He should have every opportunity to be the lead back in an aggressive offense for the Cardinals. They will be looking to move fast and pass a lot. Kyler Murray will take a lot of the rushing load, which helps Edmonds not be as relied upon for every rush sequence. Chase will get the majority of the passing downs and running back targets. This will allow Chase to use his skills as a YAC specialist and gain as many yards as possible. Chase should get a career-high in rushing attempts as well. He will cede work to James Conner when it comes to short-yardage situations or the goal-line. As mentioned above, Edmonds has not been given any chances to rush the ball into the end-zone in short-yardage situations. That might have helped keep him healthy too.
Edmonds only had a 45.1% snap share last year. That total will most certainly will go up. More time on the field is always good for your fantasy player. Above was about how high Edmonds ranked in receiving metrics for running backs. There is truly little reason as to why he cannot maintain that level which helps protect his points from falling off.
How will James Conner Affect Edmonds Value?
James Conner has traditionally been a bulldozer rushing between the tackles and fighting for every yard. This likely is the role he will play. Conner is a violent rusher who opens himself to injury due to his running style. Conner has consistently missed time due to injuries throughout his career. Conner will help Edmonds take those rushes up the middle off his load so that Edmonds can stay healthy. This will allow Edmonds to rush through the gaps or off the edge of either tackle. Conner will highly likely be the goal-line carry back. This hurts Edmonds’ fantasy potential. Yet, it might be a good thing if it keeps Edmonds healthy. Edmonds’ will get his touchdowns through more usage as a running back in general. Believe it or not, Conner will help Edmonds get more fantasy points by limiting his potential for injury.
