The Los Angeles Chargers had one of the cleanest running back situations during the first three months of the season. J.K. Dobbins was the clear lead back and one of the best stories in football after suffering two major lower-body injuries in the past three seasons.
Unfortunately, Dobbins’ history caught up to him in Week 12, sending him to the injured reserve with a sprained MCL. That left the Chargers’ running back touches up for grabs between Gus Edwards, Kimani Vidal, and Hassan Haskins.
Edwards is the bigger name and had a larger role in the first game without Dobbins, but Vidal was the more productive back in Week 14. Looking specifically at Vidal, should you splurge on the sixth-round rookie with your remaining FAAB budget?
Kimani Vidal Fantasy Outlook
In Week 13 vs. the Atlanta Falcons, Edwards out-snapped Vidal 24-12 and out-touched him 7-4. Vidal played more snaps on Sunday night against the Kansas City Chiefs (30-25), though Edwards still held a slight edge in touches (10-8).
Given Edwards’ history as an early-down back, it shouldn’t be surprising to hear their splits. Vidal is the clear passing down back, while Edwards will get the goal-line touches and play on early downs.
Chargers RBs Since Week 13
- Percent of plays on designed dropbacks: Vidal 44%, Edwards 41%, Haskins 9%
- Percent of plays on designed runs: Edwards 57%, Vidal 40%, Haskins 3%
- Goal-line carries (five-yard line or closer): Edwards 2, All Others 0
As such, Vidal has some fringe value in deeper PPR leagues, but is not a dependable weekly start and is heavily dependent on the Chargers facing a negative game script. Los Angeles trailed 13-0 at halftime against the Chiefs, making that a game where Vidal would see more action than his veteran counterpart.
How Much FAAB Should You Spend on Vidal?
Given his game script-reliant role, Vidal doesn’t hold much consistent value. He’s also received just one target in two games (which was unsuccessful) despite his purported superior passing-down prowess to Edwards.
With only 12 carries to offset those lack of receptions, Vidal should not warrant more than a small FAAB bid in a deep PPR league.
That said, Dobbins is not eligible to return until Week 17 at the earliest, and the Chargers could choose to be cautious with a Wild Card spot virtually secured. Thus, Vidal holds some value if Edwards were to go down, as he and Haskins would likely be elevated to a close timeshare.
Los Angeles has a manageable schedule for the ground game from Weeks 15-17. The Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are slightly above average in terms of PPR points per game allowed to running backs but remain outside the top 10. The New England Patriots rank 24th in that same category, making them a favorable matchup in Week 17.
Vidal’s Background
Vidal was an immediate contributor to the Troy Trojans’ offense as a true freshman, rushing for 516 yards and four scores while adding another 225 yards on 26 receptions in 2020. From that point on, Vidal only continued to improve.
His rushing totals increased every single season he was in college, finishing with 1,661 rushing yards in his senior year — which was good for second among all FBS running backs.
He finished his collegiate career with 4,710 yards from scrimmage and 34 total touchdowns. He set the program record for career scrimmage yards and was a Third-Team All-American in 2023, the program’s first player to receive that distinction since 2000.
A popular late-round sleeper, Vidal heard his name called by the Chargers in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He then earned a spot on an overhauled Los Angeles roster that moved on from each of its top three running backs from 2023 (Austin Ekeler, Joshua Kelley, Isaiah Spiller) in Jim Harbaugh’s first season.