The AFC North could be up for grabs on Sunday as the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens square off. Fantasy football managers who are still playing are hoping this game means something, as this is championship weekend. Until the NFL makes a ruling on how they’re handling the postponed Bengals-Bills game from Week 17, these teams will treat this as a must-win contest.
Two Ravens playmakers in the spotlight to produce are running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. We’re on top of all angles in this matchup for fantasy managers and bettors alike — let’s dive into whether you should start Dobbins or Edwards against Cincinnati.
Should You Start J.K. Dobbins vs. the Bengals?
After totaling 245 rushing yards and one touchdown on his first 28 carries upon returning from his knee injury, Dobbins looked ready to blast off against the Atlanta Falcons’ weak defense in Week 16. Dobbins had a letdown game, though, totaling 59 yards on 12 carries while playing on 42% of snaps.
Last week, we recommended that you should stick with Dobbins as he braced for a rematch against the Steelers only three weeks after blowing them up for 120 yards and a touchdown, and that call paid off. Dobbins bounced back with 93 yards on 17 carries. It was his second game this season with 50% of the team’s offensive snaps played.
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Both of Dobbins’ explosions against the Steelers were uncharacteristic for Pittsburgh’s defense, as they’re allowing 90 yards and 0.47 touchdowns on the ground this season. Baltimore totaled 335 rushing yards between the two matchups, proving to be a uniquely great rushing offense even without Lamar Jackson in their lineup.
Dobbins is currently ranked as the RB26 in our Week 18 PPR fantasy football rankings. He’s a solid RB2 or Flex option with this ranking. I feel more confident than not that Dobbins will live up to or outperform his ranking.
The Bengals offer a stout, difficult rush defense that held Dobbins to only 44 yards in Week 5. The Chiefs and Steelers are the only two teams to have reached the 100-yard rushing mark since Week 9, with New England, Cleveland, and Tennessee most notably finishing well below that mark in their matchups. Dobbins will have his work cut out for him.
But skeptics said the said thing about Pittsburgh’s similarly-ranked run defense. Dobbins will get solid volume and have the chance to be the star of the offense. That’s enough for me to trust him as a Flex option.
Should You Start Gus Edwards vs. the Bengals?
After taking a backseat to Dobbins in Weeks 14 and 15, Edwards was the hot hand against Atlanta. He played in only 40% of snaps but racked up 99 yards on 11 carries. His 37-yard scamper helped make the rest of his day easier to put up numbers.
Averaging an impressive 5.2 yards per carry, Edwards is still a stud as a complementary back. But he’s not a receiving threat at all, with only 18 receptions over four seasons and zero this year. He also hasn’t reached the end zone since Week 12, with all three of his scores coming across two games.
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What’s most concerning is his drop in workload from Week 16 to Week 17. Edwards played only nine snaps and had three carries for two yards despite playing in a close game against Pittsburgh. It’s the second week in the last three where he played only 17% of offensive snaps, making a strange trend where his production doesn’t positively lead to more playing time.
I’d opt against starting Edwards against a solid defense at all costs this week. We have no idea how much he’ll play, and his upside in the red zone and as a receiver is far too low to be a fantasy asset.