Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins suffered a knee injury in Saturday’s preseason contest against the Washington Football Team, and he's going to miss the entire season with a torn ACL.

The Ravens will undoubtedly miss Dobbins, who was expected to be the team’s leading running back in 2021. As a rookie, Dobbins rushed for 805 yards with nine touchdowns in 15 games played. The injury has major ramifications for the team and those who play fantasy football, as Dobbins was projected to be one of the premier running backs in 2021.

With Dobbins gone for the year, let’s examine how his absence impacts the Ravens — focusing primarily on the fantasy football fallout.

Gus Edwards assumes lead back role, becomes surefire RB2

Fourth-year running back Gus Edwards now sits atop Baltimore’s depth chart in the backfield. An undrafted free agent in 2018, Edwards has received at least 133 carries in all three NFL seasons. The Ravens are clearly confident in feeding Edwards the rock and with good reason. Edwards has rushed for at least 5.0 yards per carry in all three seasons played.

Edwards turned a career-high 144 carries into 723 yards and six touchdowns in 2020. According to Pro Football Focus, Edwards actually outperformed Dobbins from Week 11 through the playoffs last season. Edwards had more yards-after-contact per attempt (3.6) and forced more missed tackles per attempt (0.20) than Dobbins, per PFF. As a result, he received a higher PFF grade in that time span than Dobbins.

Set to handle the bulk of Baltimore’s carries, Edwards becomes an immediate RB2 in fantasy football. He is slightly limited in full-point PPR leagues because he is not a great pass-catcher, and running backs are not targeted often in the Lamar Jackson-led Ravens offense. However, Edwards is still projected to be a top-20 fantasy running back regardless of format.

Justice Hill is worth a bench stash for fantasy football rosters

Ravens third-year running back Justice Hill entered training camp third on the depth chart. He is now slated to be Baltimore’s No. 2 option out of the backfield.

In two NFL seasons, Hill has 70 rushing attempts for 285 yards (4.1 yards per attempt) with two touchdowns. He has also caught 13 passes for 90 yards. Hill could emerge as the pass-catching running back for the Ravens.

Hill has not shown nearly as much promise as the hard-nosed Edwards in his short career. However, Hill will get more opportunities in the wake of Dobbins’ injury. As a result, Hill is now on the fantasy radar.

For fantasy football players who have yet to draft, Hill is worth a late-round flier — especially in 12-team leagues. He is also worth picking up on the waiver wire in deeper leagues. Hill should be stashed on fantasy managers’ benches. If an injury were to occur to Edwards, Hill would presumably be the team’s starting tailback.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
The Chargers got big news on the running backs front.

Nick Meyer ·

Lamar Jackson (Ravens) as the Leo pointing meme

Rexwell Villas ·

GM Eric DeCosta in the middle, Kingsley Suamataia, Max Melton, Dominick Puni around him, and Baltimore Ravens wallpaper in the background

Enzo Flojo ·

Ty’Son Williams could have role in Baltimore’s offense, worth monitoring for fantasy football

Ty’Son Williams has had a strong preseason for the Ravens. He could have added chances on offense now as the third-string running back.

Williams is a strong pass-blocking running back, which could lead to more playing time for the 25-year-old.

Fantasy football managers should take a wait-and-see approach with Williams. If the second-year running back finds a way to supplant Hill for the backup running back job, he is absolutely worth a bench stash. For now, keep him on the waiver wire but monitor his playing time.