Analyze Kimani Vidal's matchup for week 11
With Omarion Hampton sidelined, Kimani Vidal is locked into 18-22 touches against a middling Jacksonville run defense, making him a high-floor RB2 with RB1 upside—start him in all 12-team formats.
Jacksonville’s defense sits in the middle tier, surrendering 4.2 yards per carry and struggling against pass-catching backs—both align with Vidal’s skill set. The Jaguars have conceded chunk plays and goal-line scores this year, and Vidal’s 76 % of yards after contact shows he can exploit those weaknesses. On the road at EverBank Stadium, the matchup is neutral-to-favorable for a lead back guaranteed volume.
Vidal’s last five starts alternate boom-bust, but the underlying numbers are encouraging: 4.4 YPC, three 95-yard games, and a career-high 25 carries last week. He’s handled 76 % of his yards after contact and is the clear RB1 with Hampton out.
Volume is king for fantasy running backs, and Vidal has it. Since Hampton’s injury he’s averaged 21.5 touches and played 78 % of snaps, a bell-cow role rarely available on the waiver wire this late in the season. The Chargers have shown commitment by feeding him goal-line carries—his three-yard TD against Pittsburgh was his second inside-the-five score in three weeks—so touchdown probability is built-in even against a red-zone defense that’s middle of the pack. Passing-game usage is the hidden boost: 2–3 catches per start keeps his PPR floor around 10 points and raises the ceiling if he rips a 25-plus-yard reception, something Jacksonville has allowed to backs like Alvin Kamara and D’Andre Swift earlier this year. Finally, game-script protection exists; the Chargers are 3.5-point favorites, so positive game flow should keep the ball in Vidal’s hands rather than forcing Justin Herbert into hero mode. All told, the combination of locked-in touches, plus matchup, plus scoring opportunity outweighs the perceived volatility of his alternating stat lines—start him confidently as an RB2 with top-12 upside in Week 11.