Kalen Ballage Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Dolphins have released RB Mark Walton after another off-field issue. “We were made aware of a police matter earlier this morning regarding Mark Walton," GM Chris Grier said. "We hold our players to a high standard and take these matters very seriously." We'll see exactly what Walton did this time, but he might not be good enough to get another shot elsewhere with all his baggage. Miami seems committed to Kalen Ballage as their lead back, although it'd certainly make sense to starting giving RBs Patrick Laird and Myles Gaskin more work.

Dolphins RB Mark Walton has been suspended 4 games for violating the league's conduct and substance abuse policy. He'll be eligible to return in Week 14 but can be dropped in fantasy leagues with short and medium-sized benches. Walton's absence leaves RB Kalen Ballage and his current 2.0 yards-per-carry average atop Miami's depth chart. He'll have volume on his side but is tough to like as anything more than a desperation RB3 or flex. Rookie Myles Gaskin figures to serve as the Dolphins' #2 RB.

Dolphins RB Kalen Ballage (foot) is active for today’s game against the Redskins. He played behind both Kenyan Drake and Mark Walton last time out, so Ballage isn’t a fantasy option.

Dolphins RB Kalen Ballage (foot) is questionable for this weekend's game against the Redskins. He was added to the injury report on Friday and limited in practice. Ballage played just 8 snaps in Miami's last game and was off the fantasy radar anyway. His absence would lock in Mark Walton as the #2 RB behind Kenyan Drake.

Dolphins HC Brian Flores plans on giving RB Kenyan Drake a bunch of Week 1 touches. “I think he’s both physically and mentally ready,” Flores said Wednesday. “This is a guy who has as much talent as we have on our team. He’s fast. He’s physical. He’s explosive. He makes a lot of plays, and we’re looking forward to getting him a lot of touches this week.” It wasn't a great August for Drake, who was working behind Kalen Ballage early in training camp and then missed about 3 weeks with a foot injury. But he says he's back to 100% and is listed as the starter on Miami's latest depth chart. Supporting cast remains a major concern for Drake. But he's a talented player. And if he can get 15+ touches per game, he'll be a weekly fantasy starter. Consider him a RB3 or flex in a tough Week 1 matchup vs. the Ravens.

Dolphins RB Kenyan Drake (foot) was on the field for Monday's practice, according to insider Joe Schad. It's unclear how much Drake will do, but it's another step in the right direction after we heard that he was out of his walking boot and jogging before Thursday's preseason game. Drake now seems to have a good shot to be ready for Week 1. RB Kalen Ballage did nothing to take advantage of Drake's absence in that 3rd exhibition, mustering just 17 yards on 12 carries. We're expecting this to be a committee backfield out of the gate, but we'd much rather draft the superior talent. That's Drake.

ESPN's Cameron Wolfe predicts a 45/40 touch split between Dolphins RBs Kenyan Drake and Kalen Ballage (with the last 15% going to whoever wins the #3 RB job). We don't put much stock into beat-writer projections, but this seems fair considering Ballage has been running ahead of Drake early in training camp. With Miami likely to run more plays this season, according to Wolfe, the split would mean around 200 touches for Drake and 175 for Ballage. Drake tallied 173 touches last year and finished 14th among RBs in PPR points and 21st in non-PPR. His fantasy stock has taken a hit over the past week, but he's still in the RB2 mix. Ballage has become a RB3 consideration.

ESPN's Cameron Wolfe tweets that Dolphins RB Kalen Ballage has a "real chance" to start this season. The 2nd-year back has been getting the 1st reps with the starting offense early in training camp. RB Kenyan Drake has been extremely efficient over the past 2 seasons. But former HC Adam Gase never committed to him, and it doesn't sound like Miami's new staff is planning to feature him either. We'll be watching the usage in the Dolphins backfield in preseason. As it stands now, though, Ballage is a big value at his RB57 ADP.

Dolphins RB Frank Gore is expected to miss the final 2 games of the season with his sprained foot, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. They'll be Gore's 1st missed games since 2010. With Gore sidelined for most of yesterday's loss to the Vikings, Kenyan Drake out-snapped Kalen Ballage 28 to 26. But Ballage carried 12 times and saw 1 target, while Drake finished with 1 carry and 3 targets. This will be a backfield to try to avoid in Week 16 against the Jaguars.

Dolphins RB Kalen Ballage is in the concussion protocol, insider Armando Salguero reports. It's the 1st known concussion of the rookie's football career. We'll see how long Ballage is sidelined, but this obviously won't help his chances of earning an early-season role. He's not worth a roster spot in standard-sized redraft leagues.

The Dolphins added Arizona State RB Kalen Ballage in the 4th round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Ballage certainly looks the part. He goes 6’2, 228 pounds with 4.4 speed and an 85th percentile SPARQ score. But neither the tape nor the production match that scintillating size-athleticism combination. Ballage struggles to make defenders miss and mustered just 4.4 yards per carry over his 4-year college career. He never even led his Arizona State backfield in carries. On the plus side, Ballage has flashed plus pass-catching ability, registering a 44-469-1 receiving line back in 2016. He’s a boom/bust prospect. Ballage joins Kenyan Drake and Frank Gore in Miami’s backfield.