J.K. Dobbins clapped back yesterday after Ian Rapoport suggested he might not be ready for Week 1.
Fantasy managers who had high hopes for an early return are feeling pretty, pretty good today.
Dobbins was expected to have a breakout season in 2021 before tearing his ACL in the final preseason game, causing him to miss the entire season.
In his rookie season, the 2020 second-round pick from Ohio State rushed for 805 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 6.0 yards per attempt. That’s the most yards per attempt among 2020 running backs, behind only Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray among all NFL players.
Dobbins had 495 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in his final six games while operating as the team's lead back. He finished the season as the RB17 in standard leagues, and fantasy managers had high hopes for his sophomore campaign.
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The Ravens continue to run the ball at one of the highest rates in the league, rushing for an average of 145.8 yards per game in 2021 (third-most) despite the absence of both Dobbins and Gus Edwards, who also suffered a season-ending ACL injury. Baltimore cobbled together a group of veterans, including Devonta Freeman and Latavius Murray, who combined for 11 rushing touchdowns in 2021. Lamar Jackson remained the leading runner on the team.
Edwards and Dobbins are both expected back for 2022, though there have been questions about their ability to be ready for Week 1 and return to full form. As an insurance policy, the Ravens signed Mike Davis in the offseason. The veteran disappointed last season in Atlanta after filling in admirably for an injured Christian McCaffrey with the Panthers in 2019. Davis ran for 503 yards and only three touchdowns with the Falcons last year, while averaging only 3.6 yards per attempt.
Dobbins is currently coming off the board as the RB25 in standard leagues. Expect that number to change.
Davis is RB 70, and is going largely undrafted.
It looks like we can expect Dobbins to be fighting to get the start.
