When it was revealed that running back JK Dobbins would require surgery on his knee, keeping him out for four to six weeks, the Baltimore Ravens received some bad news. As a result, the Ravens team, which has had trouble getting reliable productivity from its running backs, will be searching for solutions over the course of the next several games.
Dobbins hadn’t played well for the Ravens in his return to the field this year, but he appeared to be close to totally recovering the position of top running back in Baltimore. Baltimore is stung by his most recent injury update, but fantasy football owners who had high hopes for Dobbins over the coming weeks are also hurt.
Now, those same fantasy owners will have to work quickly to come up with solutions to the Dobbins injury. So let’s examine what Dobbins’ injury implies for fantasy football owners and what alternatives there might be for coping with his temporary absence.
Fantasy football impact of JK Dobbins injury
Dobbins had not been having much of an impact in the realm of fantasy football before to becoming hurt. He had only 35 CAR, 123 YDS, and one touchdown on the ground, and he also had trouble contributing much in the passing game (6 REC, 39 YDS, 1 TD). Dobbins’ two touchdowns this season came against the Buffalo Bills in Week 4, but aside from that, he hasn’t been a starter-deserving performer.
Dobbins, however, was a player that some fantasy owners started in deeper leagues in the hopes that he would eventually turn things around. But now that those expectations have been dashed, it’s time to move on and consider Dobbins’ replacement.
This seems like a perfect opportunity to replace Dobbins in the near future with Kenyan Drake. Drake, who appeared to be John Harbaugh’s first choice to replace Dobbins, exploded for 119 yards on only ten attempts last week against the New York Giants. Another option to consider going into Week 7 is Justice Hill, who has been quite effective this season when he has been on the field.
Given that Dobbins is out, there’s also a potential that Gus Edwards will play in his first game of the year. Similar to Dobbins, Edwards missed the entire 2021 season due to an ACL tear. For the past three weeks, he has been training with the team. Would Baltimore activate Edwards and give him the majority of their carries on the ground right away if Dobbins was out?
Even with JK Dobbins out, it currently appears extremely unsafe to rely on any Ravens rushing back. This season’s top running back hasn’t really emerged yet, which has led to an excellent running back committee in the early going. If Edwards isn’t activated, Drake could be a good FLEX option, but even then, Hill got eight carries the previous week when Dobbins was taken out of the game due to injury.
This implies that the passing game for the Ravens will have to work harder elsewhere. This is excellent news if you possess Lamar Jackson as your quarterback. With Dobbins out, Jackson will not only have to perform better in the air, but the Ravens might also plan more running plays specifically for him.
Purchasing pass catchers for the Ravens might not be the worst decision either. They should be able to keep producing if you have Mark Andrews as tight end or Rashod Bateman at wide receiver. Devin Duvernay, who is currently available in around 70% of leagues, may be a very great FLEX candidate with the increased focus on the passing game.
Although replacing Dobbins won’t be simple, the majority of fantasy owners probably weren’t placing too much reliance on him given his performance to begin the season. This next week, it would be worthwhile to take a chance on Drake or Hill to see if they can deliver. Even Edwards, regardless of whether he plays or not, might be worth stashing this week.
However, relying on the Ravens’ running backs for output is a bad idea, and until they can consistently be relied upon, they shouldn’t be in your starting lineup. Because none of the replacements for JK Dobbins now offer that assurance, it is not worthwhile to rely on the other Ravens running backs as trustworthy fantasy choices in his absence.
The article Fantasy football effects of Ravens running back JK Dobbins’ most recent knee surgery first published on ClutchPoints.
