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As the start of the NFL season approaches, so does the trimming of rosters to 53 players. In short order, the NFL dream for hundreds of players will end.
Late-round rookies have to exceed expectations to survive final roster cuts, even when the team they were drafted by lacks top-end talent at their position.
Kimani Vidal may be on the Los Angeles roster bubble. Below, we dive into his chances of making the 53-man roster and his fantasy football outlook for 2024.
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Will Kimani Vidal Make The Chargers 53-Man Roster?
The Chargers added Kimani Vidal, a running back out of Troy, with a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. With an aging Gus Edwards and oft-injured J.K. Dobbins leading the running back room, Vidal was propped up as a sleeper, especially in dynasty leagues.
As it turns out, he may not be an NFL-caliber player, let alone a starter. Hence the sixth-round draft capital. Jaret Patterson, who has jumped between Washington and Los Angeles throughout his short career, and Isaiah Spiller appear to be the favorites to survive the final roster cut.
"This competition is still wide open. Right now, I think Patterson and Spiller have the edge over Vidal. That could change through the final two weeks of camp and, most importantly, the last two preseason games." - Daniel Popper, The Athletic
Vidal has been dealing with an injury that prevented him from participating in joint practices with the Rams and he did not play in the team's first preseason game, despite going through warmups.
Fantasy Football Outlook For The Chargers Backfield
If Vidal does get cut, he'll likely resurface on the team's practice squad. Spiller is viewed as more of a special teams player, rather than contributing on offense. Regardless of whether he makes the final roster or not, Vidal does not need to be selected in standard-sized redraft formats.
The real winners from this report are Edwards and Dobbins. The fantasy community searched for new blood to dethrone the ex-Baltimore duo because neither is exciting for fantasy football. Edwards is a career backup, thrust into a heavier workload when Dobbins missed time. Dobbins has played nine games in the last three seasons, the primary reason the Ravens moved on from him.
#Chargers OC Greg Roman on the RB depth chart behind J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards:
“To be decided. Right now, it’s a competition… The opportunity’s there. These guys are gonna get a lot of opportunities this game.” pic.twitter.com/j7LGUpeB0Q
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) August 14, 2024
Edwards is the first Chargers running back to draft, and fantasy managers can find him in the ninth round or later. Dobbins comes off the board about a round later. Expect both running backs to handle a fair share of work as long as they remain healthy.
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