Chase Edmonds Has Decent Fantasy Potential in Miami

Former Arizona Cardinals RB Chase Edmonds will be taking his talents to South Beach with a reported two-year agreement in place with the Miami Dolphins. The deal is worth $12.6 million across the two seasons with $6.1 in guaranteed money. 

As far as landing spots are concerned, this is one of the better destinations for Edmonds. His skill set and overall physical profile align with the type of back who has had recent success in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. With Shanahan disciple Mike McDaniel now at the helm in Miami, we can expect parallels to the 49ers’ run game.

Despite showing explosive potential in his time with the Cardinals, Edmonds has largely been used as a change-of-pace option. He’s served a complementary piece to David Johnson, Kenyan Drake and, most recently, James Conner. In that span, Edmonds proved to be a reliable pass catcher, with 96 grabs over the last two seasons. 

However, Edmonds also seemed to be typecast as a third-down option cut from the same cloth as Duke Johnson and Giovani Bernard. He’s coming off his most productive year in the run game, but still averaged just under 10 carries per game. 

Perhaps the biggest question is whether McDaniel will view Edmonds through the same lens, or if he has bigger plans in store for the veteran back. At 5-foot-9, 210 pounds, Edmonds lacks prototype size for the position at the NFL level. But we just saw a 5-10, 200-pound back have success in Shanahan’s backfield in Elijah Mitchell. Likewise, Raheem Mostert checks in at 5-10, 205 pounds. 

While it’s easy to overreact to free agency moves, it isn’t wise to put the cart in front of the horse with this one. Yes, Edmonds is positioned well to have a larger role in 2022, and he is getting starter money with this contract. But we still have a long way to go before September, and the biggest questions will be answered in next month’s draft. If Miami does not address the position in the draft, we’re off to the races with Edmonds. That remains a big “if,” but we’d be talking RB2-plus potential in that event. Regardless, those in dynasty leagues may want to capitalize on his uptick in value and sell high right now. 

Keep an eye out for the James Conner reaction, coming soon.