Fantasy Fallout: How J.K. Dobbins’ Season-Ending Injury Impacts Ravens

First it was Cam Akers and the Los Angeles Rams.

Then it was Travis Etienne and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

And now J.K. Dobbins and the Baltimore Ravens have been dealt a devastating blow as the second-year running back reportedly has suffered a torn ACL before the 2021 regular season. It happened Saturday as Dobbins hyperextended his knee after catching a screen pass from Lamar Jackson in Baltimore’s preseason finale against the Washington Football Team.

The Ravens aren’t the only ones to be feeling the brutality, either, as fantasy football owners who have held their drafts likely used a second-, third- or fourth-round pick on Dobbins hoping he would be their high-upside RB2. Unfortunately, that won’t be the case.

What does that mean if you’re one of said owners who had rostered Dobbins? There’s plenty of fallout.

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Baltimore’s Gus Edwards likely moves into the low-end RB2 range that Dobbins leaves. He is the clear favorite to take over the majority of carries in a run-heavy Ravens offense. At the very least, Edwards becomes a high-upside RB3 or flex play if you’re an owner that has depth at the running back position.

Edwards, 26, has eclipsed more than 700 yards rushing in each of his first three seasons in the league. The former undrafted running back compiled 850-plus yards of offense with a career-best six rushing touchdowns in 16 games last season (six starts).

Edwards, though, won’t be the lone beneficiary as he is not a plug-and-play for Dobbins due to their differences in the passing game. Justice Hill and Ty’Son Williams both become worthy of a late-round pick as their draft stock increases due to their ability as pass-catching backs.