Ravens running back Gus Edwards. (Jeff Lange/Beacon Journal)
Ravens running back Gus Edwards should see a huge rise in fantasy football with J.K. Dobbins suffering a serious-looking injury.
The Ravens just proved why teams don’t play starters in their final preseason outings. Second-year running back J.K. Dobbins went down with a knee injury and now all of Baltimore is praying it isn’t serious.
An extended Dobbins absence would put the Ravens in a tough spot this season since they rely so heavily on their run game. However, fantasy football owners should take notice: Gus Edwards is now a name to watch.
Edwards was Baltimore’s second-leading rusher at running back last year and had the most carries on the team behind Lamar Jackson. Dobbins was expected to take on a much greater role after his standout rookie season. Now, Edwards could see his value as a fantasy football asset rise considerably instead.
Gus Edwards’ fantasy value will increase if J.K. Dobbins is seriously injured
Michael Florio of NFL Network sees Edwards as a “high-end RB3” behind Mike Davis, Kareem Hunt and Myles Gaskin if Dobbins isn’t taking touches.
Michelle Magdziuk of the BallBlast Football expects an increase in volume and goal line opportunities, boosting him into the Top 15 available running backs. Brad Evans of Bally Sports agrees with a Top 20 valuation without Dobbins.
The unknown right now is Dobbins. The Ravens confirmed he would miss the remainder of the preseason game with a knee injury, but the extent of that injury is a mystery. It just didn’t look very good on the field. He had to be carted off without putting any weight on his knee.
Edwards is in his fourth season as a pro and he’s put up incredibly consistent numbers. He has had just over 700 yards in each of his first three seasons, averaging 5.2 yards per carry across his career. He had a career-best six touchdowns last year and could be primed to repeat or better those figures.