Drake may continue to see most of his involvement in the Miami offense as a pass catcher while Frank Gore handles more of the rushing duties, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports. "Frank does a really good job of, 'We're second-and-five, third-and-two.' Or it's we're first down, second down, first down," coach Adam Gase said Thursday. "Kenyan is coming along in that area, it's just that he does give you that element of first-and-10, you get a 60-yard touchdown, where it's a game-changing play."
As Gase's comments imply, the Dolphins view Drake as the more dynamic of the two backs, but his tendency to bounce outside of his assigned running lane in pursuit of a big play can often result in negative or reduced yardage. Gore, meanwhile, lacks explosion, but has been valued by the Dolphins for his ability to hit assigned holes and deliver positive yardage chunks. Because Gore's play-making upside is limited, Drake will still get his fair share of opportunities, though it appears those will mostly come in space as a receiver rather than as a runner. While it doesn't appear Drake will be the three-down workhorse fantasy owners might have envisioned when they drafted him, his secondary rushing/lead pass-catching role proved useful in the Week 5 loss to the Bengals. In that contest, Drake parlayed 13 touches (six carries, seven receptions on 11 targets) into 115 yards -- by far his best total of the season -- and a touchdown.