Tag: JK Dobbins

JK Dobbins leading all rookie running backs in yards per carry

JK Dobbins has earned the lead role back in Baltimore and making it known he’s ready to shine.

The Ohio State football team lost three first-round picks and a slew of others to the NFL in last year’s draft. None may have been a bigger loss than the second-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens, JK Dobbins.

Dobbins came to the Ravens knowing he’d have to work hard to find playing time in a crowded Baltimore backfield. Dobbins has played the back-up role most of the season, but after injuries to guys ahead on the depth chart, J.K. has made the most of his opportunities.

Dobbins has seen his usage increase in recent weeks and has scored touchdowns in four- straight games. Dobbins has also tied Jamal Lewis’ Baltimore rookie touchdown record of six with two games left to play in the regular season and also leads all rookie running backs with a solid 5.2 yards per carry.

Dobbins has rushed for 568 yards in his limited action as a rookie, but now seems to be taking the lions share of carries at this point. His best game as a Ravens’ runner was in Week 7 when he rumbled for 113 yards on 15 carries against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

To listen to Dobbins talk, he certainly sounds like a man on a mission with something to prove. It will be fun to watch the former Ohio State Buckeye continue to grow as the lead back in Baltimore for years to come.

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Ohio State has raided the state of Texas in the Tom Herman era

A look at each of the top recruits who left Texas for Ohio State. The elite talents who chose another program over the Longhorns.

There has been plenty documented about the Ohio State Buckeyes‘ success at recruiting in the state of Texas since the beginning of Tom Herman’s tenure in Austin. In the three years of recruiting before Herman arrived, Ohio State didn’t have a single one of the top 10 players in the Lone Star State. The downfall technically started under Strong, but Herman has failed to stop the floodgates from opening.

Continue reading “Ohio State has raided the state of Texas in the Tom Herman era”

Week 12 fantasy waiver wire: Pass-catches rule the day in latest rankings

These players could help change your season.

It’s that time again fantasy football owners. Time to restart your rosters in preparation for next week. As the season marches on, we are seeing interesting trends as to who is still available on the waiver wire, and who can provided an instant impact once they are taken off of it.

In a season full of unpredictability, the same could be said for the wire itself. New players are emerging as top targets, while others are hidden gems flying under the radar. Whatever the case may be, this particular group of players could be important.

We take a look at top targets on the wavier wire heading into week 12.

Tunnel Vision of Week 9

Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass-Rush TD
 Patrick Mahomes  416-0 5
 Russell Wilson 261-23 4
 Matthew Stafford 336-10 3
 Justin Herbert 278-21 3
 Aaron Rodgers 291-9 3
Running Backs Rush
Receive		 TD
Dalvin Cook 30-163
2-63		 4
Alvin Kamara 12-67
9-96		 0
DeeJay Dallas 18-41
5-17		 2
Giovani Bernard 15-62
3-16		 2
Nyheim Hines  5-8
3-54		 2
Wide Receivers Yards TD
DK Metcalf 12-161 2
Davante Adams 7-53 3
Robert Woods 7-94 2
Corey Davis 8-128 1
Tyreek Hill 4-98 2
Tight Ends Yards TD
Travis Kelce 8-109 1
Jared Cook 5-51 1
Eric Ebron 4-48 1
Jack Doyle 2-18 1
Ross Dwelley 16 1
Placekickers XP FG
Mike Badgley 3 3
Will Lutz 2 4
Cairo Santos 2 3
Younghoe Koo 1 4
Sergio Castillo 0 3
Defense Sck-TO TD
Dolphins 2-4 2
Steelers 4-4 1
Colts 5-2 1
Eagles 4-2 1
Seahawks 3-2 0

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

WR Adam Humphries – Concussion
WR T.Y. Hilton – Groin
WR Kenny Golladay – Hip
RB Darrell Henderson – Thigh
RB Tevin Coleman – Knee
QB Jimmy Garoppolo – Ankle
TE George Kittle – Foot

Chasing Ambulances

Nothing seemed too serious this week. although Monday checkups can surprise.

RB Tevin Coleman – Left in the first quarter and never returned when he re-injured the same knee that held him out for most of the year.   Raheem Mostert is on injured reserve with a high-ankle sprain. Jerick McKinnon suffers from “tired legs” and only had three carries in the loss. James Hasty is still the only healthy man standing. He only carried 12 times in Seattle but scored once and the 49ers abandoned the run.

TE George Kittle – Left the game with an ankle injury. If he cannot play, HC Kyle Shanahan said that Jordan Reed is expected back this week and would take his place again.

QB Jimmy Garoppolo – Hobbled by his ankle again, he gave way to Nick Mullens who was sharp with 238 yards and two scores against a defense that had stopped caring. Hosting the Packers this week isn’t that attractive if Mullens gets the start.

RB Darrell Henderson – Injured his thigh at the start of the second quarter after running for 47 yards on eight carries.  Malcolm Brown (10-40) and Cam Akers (9-35) shared the workload for the rest of the game. The Rams head onto their bye, so Henderson likely has time to heal unless the injury is worse than expected.

WR Kenny Golladay – Injured his hip and left without a catch in the loss to the Colts. Marvin Jones only caught three passes for 39 yards but two were touchdowns. Marvin Hall replaced Golladay with four receptions for 113 yards thanks mostly to a 73-yard catch.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

QB Philip Rivers – After posting only four touchdowns over his first five starts, Rivers has thrown for three touchdowns in each of the last two weeks. He finished with 262 yards and three scores at the Lions this week and heads to Minnesota this week.

Chargers backfield – The committee approach now includes three running backs – Justin Jackson (17-89), Troymaine Pope (10-67), and Joshua Kelley (7-32). Austin Ekeler is expected to be back in Week 10 at Miami but this week hosting the Raiders will again use all three backs. Jackson is the only safe start with the most usage. Pope only had one carry on the year until showing up on Sunday. In the end, they probably have just one more week before Ekeler takes most of the workload back.

QB Drew Lock – He threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns in the win over the Chargers though all three scores happened in the  fourth quarter. It’s likely just a blip on his season, but the Broncos will face the Falcons this week.

RB Jordan Wilkins – He only had one carry in the two games prior to Sunday, so it was a surprise to see him lead the Colts with 20 runs for 89 yards and a touchdown plus catch a 24-yard pass. Jonathan Taylor was limited to 11 carries for only 22 yards in that game. Wilkins provided the hot hand and took over the game in the second half, helping the Colts to their win over the Lions. Taylor remains the starter but the team won’t be shy about giving Wilkins a chance to contribute if Taylor is struggling.

Ravens backfield – Mark Ingram missed Week 8 with an ankle injury and never practiced despite coming off their bye. Facing a Steelers defense that allowed just 68.8 rushing yards per game, the Ravens used Gus Edwards (16-87, TD) and JK Dobbins (15-113) with great success even in a loss. The Ravens play at the Colts this week but Edwards and Dobbins are pairing for much better production than the average backfield.

RB Giovani Bernard – He has minimal involvement while Joe Mixon is healthy, but starting for the last two weeks, he’s been productive. After totaling 96 yards and a touchdown against the Browns in Week 7, Bernard ran for 62 yards and a score versus the Titans and caught three passes for 16 yards and another touchdown. The Bengals head onto their bye and Mixon should be back for Week 10, but Bernard was a big part of the Bengals win over the Titans.

WR Jarvis Landry – It was very windy and rained in the Browns loss to the Raiders. Baker Mayfield only completed 12-of-25 for 122 yards in that contest but Landry dominated the throws with 11 targets and four receptions for 52 yards. No other receiver was thrown more than three passes and this was the first game without Odell Beckham. It was a bad weather game, so it’s harder to draw conclusions, but Rashard Higgins (1-14) did little to replace Beckham.

RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire – The rookie is now splitting the carries and catches with Le’Veon Bell. The impact was softened when  Edwards-Helaire ran in a score in Week 7, and his eight runs for 46 yards were matched with six runs for 39 yards from Bell. Against the Jets – who Bell would have a chip on his shoulder about – the rookie only ran for 21 yards on six runs while Bell gained seven yards on six carries as well. Both had three catches.  This is nothing but a negative for Edwards-Helaire and yet not enough so far to justify a fantasy start for Bell.

QB Tua Tagovailoa – The No. 2 overall draft pick debuted with a win over the Rams though he was mostly there while it happened, rather than being an instrumental part. The rookie only completed 12-of-22 passes for 93 yards and one touchdown while running twice for a net of no yards.  He’ll need to do more this week in Arizona.

RB DeeJay Dallas – The rookie from Miami ran for 41 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries plus caught five passes for 17 yards and another score in the win over the 49ers. Chris Carson was a game-time decision that was inactive, but chances are that he’ll be active for this week at the Bills. But Dallas’ only start resulted in two touchdowns.

WR Jalen Reagor – The Eagles 1.21 pick returned after missing  five games with a thumb injury and caught his first NFL touchdown when he ended with three receptions for 16 yards in the win over the Cowboys. He also gained six yards on his first NFL run. Travis Fulgham (6-78, TD) remains the primary wideout but Reagor is getting back on track.

TE Dallas Goedert – The Eagles tight end was active this week after coming off injured reserve but only caught one pass for 15 yards. It was only his first game since Week 3 but he was quiet in the two games after his productive season opener. The Eagles may finally be turning away from being a tight-end heavy attack to using their wideouts more.

RB Zack Moss – He’s starting to look more like Devin Singletary of last year. In 2019, Frank Gore would typically get the highest number of carries even though Singletary would do much more with his fewer touches. Now, Singletary is the less productive runner and Moss was finally given the same 14 rushes that Singletary had in the win over the Patriots. Singletary ran for 86 yards on 14 carries while Moss gained 82 yards on his 14 runs and scored his first two rushing touchdowns in the NFL. This is a committee backfield but Moss is getting a bigger share of the workload.

Huddle player of the week

Dalvin Cook  –  The Packers had no answer for Dalvin Cook who rushed for 163 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries and added a 50-yard score on his two receptions for 63 yards as the leading receiver as well. The Packers kept the game close enough that the Vikings never bothered to let the other backs handle the fourth-quarter mop-up duty.  Cook cranked out 48.6 fantasy points in a PPR league and 46.6 without receptions points.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Philip Rivers 262 3 QB Josh Allen 177 1
RB Nyheim Hines 62 2 RB Johnathan Taylor 31 0
RB DeeJay Dallas 58 2 RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire 31 0
WR Corey Davis 128 1 WR Kenny Golladay 0 0
WR Mecole Hardman 96 1 WR Diontae Johnson 6 0
WR Marvin Jones 39 2 WR Calvin Ridley 42 0
TE Eric Ebron 48 1 TE George Kittle 39 0
PK Mike Badgley   3XP   3 FG PK Robbie Gould 3  XP
Huddle Fantasy Points = 143 Huddle Fantasy Points = 28

Now get back to work…

Daily Fantasy: The one Ravens player you need to start in Week 1 on DraftKings

Look no further than the reigning MVP as the best Ravens bet for Daily Fantasy in Week 1.

The 2020 NFL season is upon us and for Baltimore Ravens fans that means seeing if the reigning NFL MVP can run it back. Jackson was named the 2019 NFL MVP at NFL Honors in February after the Raven star signal-caller earned all 50 first-place votes, making him only the second unanimous MVP in NFL history (Tom Brady 2010).

Fans and experts alike have been clamoring for fantasy football for months and we’re just days away from the Ravens hosting the Browns in the season opener. With multiple options on offense to choose from, Jackson is the obvious choice for the one Baltimore player you have to start on DraftKings fantasy site.

Jackson is the No. 1 ranked fantasy quarterback on DraftKings with a salary of $8,100, while the Browns defense is looking to gel and take the next step in a division that has seen the Steelers and Ravens dominate.

With Jackson under center, the Ravens averaged an NFL high 31.9 points per game but did struggle in the Ravens’ Week 16 win over the Browns in Cleveland.

The Browns defense was average last season, ranking 17th against the pass and 30th against the run, and will be forced to deal with Jackson and two monster running backs in Mark Ingram and the rookie JK Dobbins. With so much attention on the running game, look for the Ravens to utilize the passing game, focusing on tight end Mark Andrews and ever bulked up Marquise Hollywood Brown.

Jackson had two monster offensive performances against the Browns last season, posting fantasy points of 33.8 and 26.48 DraftKing points in his two games against the Browns last year. With the talented Miles Boykin and rookie, Devin Duvernay joining the madness, look for Jackson to explode in the season opener.

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Jonathan Taylor led the country in this PFF statistic last season

On Thursday morning, Pro Football Focus released a ranking on Twitter for the most runs of 15 plus yards since the 2018 season in college football.

This ranking was led by former Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor who earned 64 carries of over 15 plus yards in the last two seasons. The ability to break off long runs will surely be appreciated at the next level, and Taylor’s explosive speed was proven in his blazing 4.39 40 yard dash time that led all running backs at the NFL combine.

On Thursday morning, Pro Football Focus released a ranking on Twitter for the most runs of 15 plus yards since the 2018 season in college football.

This ranking was led by former Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor who earned 64 carries of over 15 plus yards in the last two seasons. The ability to break off long runs will surely be appreciated at the next level, and Taylor’s explosive speed was proven in his blazing 4.39 40 yard dash time that led all running backs at the NFL combine.

Taylor was followed in this stat by the notable names of JK Dobbins from Ohio State with 38, Chuba Hubbard from Oklahoma State with 40, Eno Benjamin from Arizona State with 41, and Travis Etienne from Clemson with 59. Hubbard and Etienne will return to college football for next season, but the other three running backs were all selected in this spring’s NFL Draft.

These statistics on Jonathan Taylor from PFF keep showing how rare of a talent that Taylor was for Wisconsin, and leads me to believe that he will continue his excellence at the next level.

Fans freak out about Ravens taking RB J.K. Dobbins in 2nd round

Take a look at some of the best twitter reactions from the Ravens second pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

[jwplayer dFPo5xNk-ThvAeFxT]

The Baltimore Ravens went with the best available option with their first pick of the second round (No. 55 overall), taking Ohio State RB J.K. Dobbins. It was a shock to many, even those that figured the team would take a running back in this draft. But no one really expected them to take on with their second pick.

Even though Dobbins is entering a crowded backfield (the Ravens already have solid options in Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill on the roster), Twitter seemed to be more than thrilled with the latest addition to Baltimore’s record-breaking rushing attack, under the command of QB Lamar Jackson.

 

Adding insult to injury, rival fans don’t appear to be too thrilled about facing the returning AFC North Champions with the addition of Dobbins to that prolific rushing attack.

But this may be my favorite tweet in response to the draft. This kid is my spirit animal. I was on the fence about the Ravens taking Dobbins, yet I am now completely convinced . . . and onboard with it.

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Lance Zierlein predicts the Bucs take this running back in Round 2

Draft expert Lance Zierlein’s latest Day 2 mock draft has the Bucs finding backfield help in Round 2 and turning to defense in Round 3.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers struck Hawkeye gold last night when they landed Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs with the 13th overall pick in the NFL draft. The Bucs traded up a spot to ensure they found Tom Brady’s new enforcer up front, and heading into round two, Tampa Bay may look to get even more help for Brady.

Running back is another position of need for the Bucs, and there are several still left on the board. Lance Zierlein over at NFL.com predicts the Bucs take Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins with the 45th pick. “The run on running backs continues, as Dobbins has ‘start now’ potential for Tom Brady and the Bucs,” Zierlein said.

If you are wondering why he says “the run on running backs continues” it’s because he has two other backs going before Dobbins — D’Andre Swift to the Miami Dolphins at No. 39 and Jonathan Taylor to the Jaguars at No. 42. If the Jaguars make that selection, you can be sure Leonard Fournette will be on the move soon. Maybe Tampa Bay would make a good fit? 

In Round 3, Zierlein has the Bucs going with a defensive player, safety Ashtyn Davis out of Cal.

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