Gus Edwards fantasy football – Syndication Server

Fantasy football sleepers to play in Week 2

Here are some sleeper to consider for fantasy football in Week 2.

The first week of the NFL season is officially behind us, and the search for sleepers remains among the top objectives for fantasy football managers.

Regardless of whether you started out hot with a win or are looking to grab that first victory of the season, hitting on the right sleepers brings a massive advantage.

Whether it’s selecting the right streaming option at the quarterback and tight end positions or finding a flex option who boosts the entire lineup, the search for sleepers is endless.

We will be using The Huddle’s weekly PPR projections and rankings as a reference to find some potential boom games this week. Don’t forget to check out our start/bench list either.

Fantasy football: Where to draft Los Angeles Chargers RB Gus Edwards

Analyzing Los Angeles Chargers RB Gus Edwards’ 2024 fantasy football ADP and where to target him in fantasy drafts.

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Los Angeles Chargers RB Gus Edwards had a career-best season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023 and is primed for another solid campaign this season. He came into the league undrafted in 2018 and quickly made his name known, going north of 700 rushing yards in his first 4 seasons before dealing with numerous injuries in 2022. Below, we look at Gus Edwards’ 2024 fantasy football average draft position (ADP) and where you should draft him.

Entering 2024, Edwards is expected to take another major step as the main option for what could be a dynamic offense in Los Angeles. Edwards has top-15 running back potential. The versatile back is intriguing in terms of fantasy value.

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Gus Edwards’ ADP: 88.16

(ADP data courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com; last updated at time of this publishing – ADPs continually change as more drafts occur)

Edwards’ 88.16 ADP in redraft leagues puts him in the range of the 8th to 12th round depending on the size of the league, His ADP is best among his offensive teammates — WR Ladd McConkey is next at 90.72.

Among running backs, Edwards’ ADP puts him 31st at the position, behind Washington teammates Austin Ekeler (86.38) and Brian Robinson Jr. (83.20). Tennessee’s Tyjae Spears (93.20) is 32nd, while Pittsburgh’s Jaylen Warren (94.22) is 33rd.

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Gus Edwards’ 2023-24 stats

Games: 17

Carries | rushing yards: 198 | 810

Rushing touchdowns: 13

Receptions | receiving yards: 12 | 180

Receiving touchdowns: 0

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Where should you draft Edwards?

Edwards’ fantasy value is difficult to predict this season as he’s still with RB J.K. Dobbins and bound to split carries with former Ravens teammate in L.A. Edwards is the projected starter and had a career-best 13 touchdowns last season, so he may continue to get a good chunk of the goal-line work.

The addition of Dobbins does hurt Edwards’ value slightly because of the split in time. Edwards has also had a downward trend in efficiency. He hit a career-best 198 carries last season but had just 4.1 yards per attempt, the lowest of his career.

Edwards did rank as the 14th-best running back in fantasy last season and played in a career-high 42% of offensive snaps. He’ll likely hover around 40% again this season. A plus for Edwards is that he is more of a receiving threat than Dobbins, making make him a better PPR target.

Draft Edwards above his ADP as his ceiling is better than a good number of receivers in his ADP range. Don’t let him fall out of the 8th round, especially in PPR leagues as he should be the team’s main receiving back.

Considering the rarity of solid backs, Edwards is going to contribute to the Chargers offense and should get good usage. Late in drafts, he could be a steal.

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Fantasy football: Breaking down the LA Chargers backfield

Injury concerns, unproven upside, underwhelming veterans … this backfield has it all.

Perhaps no team has seen a bigger overhaul of skill players than the Los Angeles Chargers, which hired new head coach Jim Harbaugh and are in the process of adapting to his style. Among the departed are last year’s Week 1 starters at running back (Austin Ekeler, Washington Commanders), tight end (Gerald Everett, Chicago Bears), and wide receiver (Keenan Allen, Bears, and Mike Williams, New York Jets). Even their No. 2 rusher, Joshua Kelly, remains unsigned and is unlikely to return.

It’s a lot of change, and yet, the top of LA’s backfield looks familiar … to Baltimore Ravens fans. With former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman now running the show for Harbaugh, the Bolts waded into free agency to pluck RBs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards on short-term deals. Both have a lot of experience in Roman’s offense, and Harbaugh’s desire to set a physical tone suggests the Chargers will be running more in 2024 than they did under the previous regime.

Of course, the caveat to such an approach is the presence of quarterback Justin Herbert, who is among the NFL’s best. It’s difficult to imagine they’ll fully marginalize the ascending superstar, but with their wideouts in a state of transition, a healthy dose of the ground game feels likely this season.

Revisiting the Baltimore Ravens’ backfield in fantasy football

A reshaped Ravens’ RB stable requires a fresh look.

While we looked at the Baltimore Ravens’ backfield earlier in the offseason, enough changes have happened to warrant another peek. With that in mind, let’s dive back in and update the Ravens’ backfield situation as we head into the start of the 2022 campaign.

Fantasy football outlook: Baltimore Ravens running backs

What will this backfield offer after a catastrophic 2021 season?

In a span of less than three weeks last preseason, the Baltimore Ravens lost running backs J.K. Dobbins, Justice Hill, and Gus Edwards to leg injuries — Dobbins and Edwards suffered torn ACLs, whereas Hill ruptured his Achilles.

With their depth chart in shambles, the team wound up with veterans Devonta Freeman and Latavius Murray as the top options. Neither player is set to return in 2022, however, leaving the Ravens without a single back who carried the ball for the team last season. With that in mind, it’s a good time to preview what Baltimore’s backfield will look like this year.

J.K. Dobbins

Prior to his injury, Dobbins was a popular breakout candidate after he averaged a whopping 6.0 yards per carry as a rookie to go along with nine TDs on just 134 carries. He’s a compact, powerful runner who can break tackles while still possessing elusiveness in the open field. Dobbins is easily the most talented of Baltimore’s options and should fill the primary role.

There’s a caveat within that designation, though, as the Ravens have long been a proponent of the committee approach. In fact, over the past nine seasons there have been only two Baltimore backs to top 1,000 yards in a season: Mark Ingram (1,018 in 2019) and Justin Forsett (1,266 in 2014). Couple that with Dobbins’ perceived limitations as a pass catcher, and it’d be smart to temper any expectations of the Ohio State alum posting RB1 numbers.

Gus Edwards

Steady as she goes has been the mantra for Edwards, who has gained between 710 and 725 yards rushing in each of his three NFL seasons while averaging at least 5.0 yards per carry. Checking in at 6-foot-1, 238 pounds, Edwards is a big back, but with only 10 career touchdowns in 414 carries. He has never shown a penchant for goal-line work; that could certainly be a byproduct of his height making him too large of a target for consistent short-area usage.

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Edwards has yet to show anything as a receiver, either, managing just 18 career receptions. Take that with the lack of scores, and suddenly the fifth-year pro profiles as a middle-of-the-field, early-down back, which limits his upside. Assuming health, Edwards can safely be penciled in as the complementary option to Dobbins.

Mike Davis

Signed in May, Davis is a true journeyman, having played for five NFL clubs in his seven seasons. While he offers little in the way of explosiveness — something his career average of 3.7 YPC can attest to — the veteran is a capable receiver and typically reliable ball carrier with six career fumbles over his 719 total touches, though four of them came in 2021. He’s cut from the same well-worn cloth as Freeman and Murray from last season.

Justice Hill/Tyler Badie

A fourth-round pick in 2019, Hill saw limited opportunities in his first two seasons and then watched his chance for extended work dashed last year by the Achilles injury. He’s more reliable than explosive, and entering the final year of his rookie deal he’ll need to fend off Tyler Badie, who the Ravens snagged in the sixth round of this year’s draft. Badie runs hard and is a capable receiving threat, which might give him a leg up in the battle for a roster spot.

Fantasy football takeaway

If everyone can stay healthy, Dobbins and Edwards should carry the load. Their lone season together in 2020 saw Edwards (144) get more carries than the then-rookie Dobbins (134) while Ingram (72) was also involved.

This season look for the latter’s touches to be redistributed among the top two backs with whoever emerges among Davis, Hill and Badie getting spot duty. Dobbins has borderline top-20 appeal, and Edwards is a solid RB5 depth type. The rest can be bypassed entirely.

Here’s how you try to replace Gus Edwards in fantasy football

A Baltimore bloodbath at RB has fantasy footballers scrambling for help.

Just as fantasy football owners were starting to come to grips with the loss of J.K. Dobbins, his replacement, Gus Edwards, also appears to have torn an ACL, an injury which would end his 2021 NFL season before it begins.

In that event, the snakebitten Baltimore Ravens will have lost both of their top-two running backs in the past 10 days. A third running back, Justice Hill, joins them, but he had lost his job prior to an Achilles injury.

Veteran Le’Veon Bell was signed to the practice squad, it’s unclear how much of the offense he possibly could have digested in such a short period of time, even if he gets activated for Week 1’s Monday Night Football tilt at the Las Vegas Raiders.

Running back Ty’Son Williams, a 2020 rookie practice squader, is the safer bet for the bulk of the action this week, and likely the rest of the way. The Ravens may attempt to pair Williams with Bell, given the latter’s immense talent as a receiving outlet.

While we don’t know for sure yet if Edwards will be done for the season, the initial reports sound anything but encouraging. He’s almost guaranteed to miss Week 1, and if we don’t hear the dreaded confirmation of an ACL tear in the next 48 hours, he may not be an automatic drop just yet.

Be patient, but if you have roster room and open waivers right now, check for Williams and Bell, although he looked fairly close to washed up in 2020. Williams is fresh and, at 6-foot, 220 pounds, has the size to withstand an NFL beating. The BYU product is no stranger to injury that granted him this opportunity, tearing an ACL of his own in 2019. He probably was drafted or added already on the wire in competitive leagues that chose late, but it’s worth a look.

This situation is fluid and developing, so be ready to pounce on the wire as soon as possible. The Ravens may not even be done yet adding running backs. There’s a chance someone like Todd Gurley, who has been in contact with the team this offseason, could be in the cards, given his receiving prowess. That is, if Bell doesn’t show enough to be elevated to the active roster, because he, too, is obviously a talented pass-catching back.

Which Ravens players are worth drafting in fantasy football?

Expectations of fantasy-relevant Ravens for 2021.

After averaging an NFL-best 33.2 points per game in 2019, along with 407.6 yards, the Baltimore Ravens saw those numbers slip to 29.3 points (seventh) and 363.1 yards (19th).

In response to that regression, the Ravens added free-agent wideout Sammy Watkins (37-421-2 w/ KC) and first-round receiver Rashod Bateman, which they hope will elevate dual-threat Lamar Jackson as a passer. Still, there are a lot of unknowns entering the 2021 fantasy football season, so let’s look at Baltimore’s offense.

Lamar Jackson fantasy football outlook

From a purely statistical standpoint, Jackson’s second full year as a starter wasn’t that different from his first. In 2019, he averaged 208.5 yards passing, 80.4 yards rushing and 2.9 combined TDs per game. Last year, Jackson posted 183.8 yards passing, 67 yards rushing and 2.2 combined scores per contest. Those shortfalls add up over a full season, though, and it was the difference between elite fantasy production and fringe QB1 status.

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Expect a bit of a bounce back from Jackson this year as Baltimore’s investments in the passing game (four high-round picks in three years) and offensive line (signing Kevin Zeitler and Alejandro Villanueva) should help diversify their attack. Don’t expect much of a philosophical shift, however, as what makes the Ravens dangerous is the threat of Jackson making things happen with his legs.

Could we see a little more throwing and a little less running? Sure, but at age 24 there’s little reason to rein in Jackson, who has never missed a game due to injury. Even with two documented cases of COVID-19, one of which cost him a game in 2020, Jackson is draftable as a midrange QB1.

J.K. Dobbins fantasy football outlook

One of the great mysteries of last season was why it took roughly two months to give Dobbins steady work — he averaged 4.2 carries per game in his first six and 12.1 over his final nine. The Ohio State product showed great burst, averaging 6.0 yards per carry as a rookie and scoring in each of his final half-dozen games. While he continued to share snaps with Gus Edwards, Dobbins’ numbers over that stretch project out to 1,403 yards and 20 TDs over a 17-game campaign.

Those numbers are still based off modest usage, and if Dobbins can carve out a larger slice they could improve quickly. It’s a dubious proposition to rely on the Ravens to change up a model that has led the NFL in rushing the past two years, so Dobbins is best drafted as a lower-end RB2, but there’s top-10 upside.

Gus Edwards fantasy football outlook

Edwards has quietly carved out three solid seasons as part of Baltimore’s running back committee, averaging 717 yards and 3.3 rushing scores on a 5.2 YPC clip. He’s been a nonfactor as a receiver, though, with just 18 career receptions, which figures to limit his usage to running situations.

While the departure of Mark Ingram leaves 72 carries to be redistributed, the smart money suggests most of those will go to Dobbins. Consider Edwards a decent fourth/fifth fantasy RB and possible handcuff.

Sammy Watkins fantasy football outlook

After seven NFL campaigns, Watkins’ status as talented but oft-injured is well earned. The former fourth overall pick missed a combined 23 games over the last five seasons, which is a big reason Watkins has topped 1,000 yards just once as a pro.

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His yards-per-catch have declined each of those five seasons, though some of that can be chalked up to his role in a Chiefs offense that featured the NFL’s top field stretcher in Tyreek Hill. Still, the bloom is off the rose. Between the injuries and middling production, Watkins isn’t worth more than final-round flier consideration.

Marquise Brown fantasy football outlook

Brown returns as the nominal WR1 in Baltimore after leading the team in catches (58), yards (769) and TDs (8) last year. The diminutive wideout has shown he can get deep — only nine WRs had more receptions of 40-plus yards last year — but the consistency has yet to develop with Brown topping 100 yards in a game just twice. The question is whether adding talent around him will create more opportunities by opening things up or fewer looks in the NFL’s least-active passing attack; Baltimore threw 406 passes last season, 79 fewer than Tennessee, which ranked 30th.

To date, Hollywood has been more straight-to-DVD than summer blockbuster, but he’s arguably the only Ravens receiver worth drafting, albeit no more than a WR4.

Rashod Bateman fantasy football outlook

When Baltimore used the 27th pick in the ’21 draft on Bateman there were thoughts that he could be an immediate starter given his advanced route running and toughness after the catch. Unfortunately, Bateman went down early in camp and ended up undergoing core-muscle surgery that could keep him sidelined into October or later.

Even if there are no hiccups in his recovery, he might have trouble carving out a significant role as a rookie. He’s purely dynasty-league material.

Mark Andrews fantasy football outlook

Andrews led the Ravens with a 64-852-10 line in 2019 and was just slightly off Brown’s pace last season when he posted a 58-701-7 mark. His size has been a boon down in the red zone, and he has generally operated as Jackson’s go-to receiver.

Even with an influx of new and developing options there’s no reason to think that Andrews won’t continue to be a volume target. He deserves serious consideration once Travis Kelce and Darren Waller are off the board.