Kimani Vidal Could Have Massive Fantasy Upside
Kimani Vidal was drafted with the 181st pick of the 6th round by the Los Angeles Chargers after a 4-year stint at Troy. Vidal is 5'8 and a sturdy 215 pounds with robust legs that don't stop moving; he should be a tough tackle even in the NFL. Kimani played in 48 out of 56 possible games and had over 100 carries each year, insinuating that he could get on the field early and handle a decent workload.
With 781 carries Vidal produced 4010 yards (5.1 yards per attempt) and 33 touchdowns, he also added 92 receptions for 700 yards (7.6 yards per reception) and 1 touchdown. So his stats were not the reason he fell down boards, it was because he played in the Sun Belt with lesser competition. Vidal is a competent pass blocker (79.3 PFF pass block grade) and he lands with Jim Harbaugh who we all know wants to run the heck out of the ball.
The Chargers have J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, who combined have played 75% of games in 4 out of 10 seasons. Dobbins is coming off an Achilles tear in week 1 of the 2023 season. This is after missing 2022 due to an ACL/LCL tear that included meniscus and hamstring tears. So, even if he does stay healthy, how explosive will he be?
Edwards also has an ACL tear under his belt. Last year, as the Ravens' lead back, Edwards had 2.71 yards after contact per carry and an Elusive rating of 32.3. The "Gus Bus" can support heavy volume when healthy, but it is not very efficient or offers big play upside.
Back to Vidal, who has never had an injury and handled over 300 touches in his last year at Troy while continuing to have 5.4 yards per touch, it just makes so much sense to take over this backfield. His Pro Comp is Isaiah Pacheco who was also a late round RB who fought his way up the depth chart on an elite offense.
You probably want to avoid drafting him in redraft leagues; adding him via waivers is a wiser choice. He is one of my favorite third-round picks in dynasty rookie drafts. Heck, even grabbing him in the back half of the second round could be in play, depending on who is still on the board. With an ADP of 170 in dynasty superflex start, I'm smashing that draft button every time; it simply can't hurt to add him.
Our consensus projections for Vidal in the 2024 season are 131 carries for 632 yards and 5 touchdowns. In the receiving game, his consensus projection is 35 receptions for 244 yards and 2 touchdowns.
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