Week 8 vs. New York Jets
Kenyan Drake has seen some promising production in recent weeks, which has hurt any chance of Frank Gore becoming a fantasy factor. Drake has averaged 13.5 touches over the past month for 19.1 PPR points per game, compared to 13 touches per game for Gore for 7.6 PPR points per game. Gore is the grinder in this 50-50 RBBC, but Adam Gase is trusting Kenyan Drake in scoring situations. On a heavy bye week, Gore should only be considered a low ceiling RB3 in deep leagues.
Week 8 at Houston Texans (Thursday)
Brocktoberfest rolls on in H-Town without two key members of the Dolphins receiving core - Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson. That doesn't help Frank Gore's outlook though, when he hasn't caught more than two passes in any game this season. He's a double-digit carry guy with low probability of touchdowns on a team with the second lowest implied team total of the week. He's not a starting consideration.
Week 7 vs. Detroit Lions
We have to accept that Frank Gore is going to get at least half of the work on the ground in the Dolphins offense moving forward, as Gore has posted touch counts of 13, 12 and 16 over the past three weeks. He's not providing much in the passing game, but in standard leagues in Week 7, he could be on the FLEX radar coming off a 100-yard performance and facing a Lions rush defense that's just 28th in aFPA to RBs. We're sure Adam Gase will want to keep it on the ground more than usual too with Brock Osweiler at quarterback.
Week 6 vs. Chicago Bears
The Dolphins are 31st in the NFL in plays per game and face the Bears strong defense in Week 6 with an implied team total of less than 20 points. Frank Gore is the lead rusher now ahead of Kenyan Drake in terms of carries, but against the #3 defense in aFPA to RBs? Gore belongs nowhere near fantasy lineups in Week 6.
Week 5 at Cincinnati Bengals
The Dolphins had the most predictable of blowout losses in Week 4, and Miami has a bottom-seven implied team total in Week 5 of just 21.25 points. Kenyan Drake only has 11 total touches in the past two weeks, but Frank Gore's increased touches last week were mostly in garbage time. Gore, the ageless wonder, still is not a starting lineup consideration in Week 5.
Week 4 at Tennessee Titans
With the Patriots ranked only 30th in aFPA to RBs and an above-average total of 48.5 points, there are reasons to like Kenyan Drake in Week 4. It also doesn't hurt that he put up 193 total yards the last time he faced New England. Kenyan Drake may have only had seven touches last week but he maintained a high snap count, leaving little room for Frank Gore to produce for fantasy. Not involved in the passing game means Gore doesn't have enough of a role to be a fantasy asset.
Week 3 at Miami Dolphins
Miami has a respectable 24-point implied team total in this game. Frank Gore faces a Raiders defense ranked 23rd in PPR points allowed to RBs this season. With Gore adding little in the passing game, though, and playing second fiddle to Kenyan Drake, he's not a fantasy starting option in Week 3.
Week 2 at New York Jets
Frank Gore is going to stop Kenyan Drake from being the bell cow he was at the end of last season. That's just how it's going to be. Nine touches for Gore meant Drake (17 touches) didn't approach the 20+ touch mark owners were used to down the stretch last season. The Jets were just 20th in aFPA last year to RBs, but the Dolphins have a low implied team total this week of just 20.25 points. The Jets also held Lions RBs to 2.6 yards per carry in Week 1. Consider Gore nothing more than a pain in the sides of those with Kenyan Drake on their teams.
Week 1 vs. Tennessee Titans
The Dolphins have a bottom half of the league implied team total in Vegas this week of just 21.75 points. Adam Gase apparently finds it cute to put the starting running back on his depth chart as Kenyan Drake or Frank Gore. Make no mistake, Gore will get touches in this backfield, but Drake should maintain enough of his elite volume from the end of last season. We have Gore projected for 7-9 touches, which is not enough to warrant starting lineup consideration.
Fantasy Upside
The ageless wonder, Frank Gore is now 35 years old, and returns to his hometown to likely close out his career. He has now played seven consecutive seasons without missing a game. Just amazing. He showed he could still handle 290 touches last season and is still one of the elite pass protectors among RBs, something that could be critical for the Dolphins with a below-average offensive line. That could lead to more snaps than expected on a team that could be playing from behind often.
Fantasy Downside
At his age and with how well Kenyan Drake played last year, Gore could be in Miami to function solely as a back-up to spell Drake from time to time. If Drake gets feature-role status, like he did from Week 12 on last year (20+ touches over that span), Gore will likely be irrelevant in fantasy football.
2018 Bottom Line
Gore has an ADP in the 14th round, and there are other RBs with a clearer path to touches in that range of drafts with far more upside than Gore. Gore has three straight years of less than four yards per carry and is again behind a bad offensive line. There's not much upside here.
