Darwin Thompson Fantasy Value Continues Climbing Due to Carlos Hyde's Usage in Preseason

It's been quite an ascension for Darwin Thompson over the last few weeks. The sixth-round rookie has gone from buried on the Kansas City Chiefs' depth chart to the clear-cut front-runner for the No. 2 RB spot behind Damien Williams.

On the other side of the coin, Carlos Hyde's value is plummeting. Entering training camp as the No. 2 back with the apparent upside of at least getting committee usage, it now looks more likely that Hyde will be released than play meaningful snaps in the 2019 season.

Eight carries worth of volume is usually a good sign, but that's not the case in the final week of the preseason, when most teams rest their starters to get a better look at players fighting for roster spots.

For an idea of who KC was playing, they not only didn't play first-string quarterback Patrick Mahomes, but they didn't play his confirmed backup Matt Moore either, even though Moore is a full season removed from his last NFL action.

It was already reported that Thompson had passed Hyde on the depth chart, and Thursday's game (in which Thompson did not see a single touch) is all but confirmation of that report.

Thompson's fantasy cost is soaring, with an average draft position (ADP) up to RB43 on FantasyPros.com, but he could still return some serious value at that price.

Playing in the best offense in football, even splitting touches leaves room for a ton of upside, especially for a fantasy pick in the ninth or 10th round. The fact that Williams, who is ahead of him on the depth chart, is still relatively unproven at the NFL level makes drafting Thompson even more enticing.

Join FanDuel Sportsbook Today. New users get a risk-free bet up to $500. Join Now.

Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.