May 15, 2021

The Chase Edmonds hype-train has been consistently chugging along the entire off-season. What really got it moving was head coach Kliff Kingsbury saying Edmonds possesses the skill-set of a three-down back. Unfortunately, the dream of Edmonds as a workhorse was delayed with the signing of James Conner. However, the Cardinals only committed $1.25 million to Conner and did not bring in any competition through the draft. Ultimately, this should be viewed as a success for Edmonds' fantasy managers, as it was inevitable they would bring someone in. The often injured James Conner did not look his best last year in Pittsburgh and could very well be surpassed by Edmonds on the depth chart. Besides, we saw a similar narrative with Kenyan Drake, who averaged 3.9 ypc to Edmonds 4.6 ypc. Many analysts who doubt Edmonds often hang their hat on the fact that he has one career red zone carry. This most likely means that Conner will inherit Drake's double-digit rushing touchdown role. However, Edmonds thrives in the passing game and Arizona was seventh in the league in targets to the running back, of which Edmonds accounted for 67%. Plus, he had the fifth-most red-zone targets of all RBs last year, which resulted in being tied for second in the league in running back receiving touchdowns (4). Edmonds has massive upside in 2021 and has the floor of a flex-player in PPR formats. I would love to leave 2021 drafts with Edmonds as my third or fourth back with the hopes he can demand a larger role on one of the league's most potent offenses.--Ellis Johnson