With the fantasy football playoffs looming ever so close, and managers make numerous waiver claims for Week 13, hoping to strengthen their roster, should Baltimore Ravens RB Gus Edwards be a priority addition off the waiver wire vs. the Broncos?
Making His Return, Gus Edwards Once Again Led the Ravens’ Backfield for Fantasy
The Ravens have made one thing abundantly clear this year. If Edwards is active, he’s their guy. After knee and hamstring issues kept him out of the majority of the last two games, Edwards was back on top of the Ravens’ depth chart, rushing 16 times for 52 yards and a score in Week 12.
Edwards played on 50% of the snaps but dominated in the early downs, goal line, and short-yardage situations. Kenyan Drake, meanwhile, was relegated to a timeshare role with Justice Hill but remained the primary No. 2 option behind Edwards.
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Although he’s played in three games this year, Edwards has double-digit rushing attempts in all three, with 16 carries and/or 65+ yards in two of his three games. This type of utilization and efficiency is nothing new.
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Before his season-ending injury last year (ACL), Edwards had three straight years of 133 or more carries with 710+ rushing yards thanks to the Ravens’ offensive scheme that is very conducive to running backs, as it is the foundation of their offense.
With that said, Edwards is rarely a ceiling option due to his lack of passing involvement. It’s difficult for him to put up consistent mid-RB2 numbers in PPR formats unless he’s finding the end zone, something he did twice during his season debut against the Browns in Week 7 (RB10).
It’s worth noting that J.K. Dobbins could return at any moment if Baltimore deems him healthy enough, which does need to be factored into Edwards’ rest-of-season upside and value. With that said, does Edwards carry enough value to make him a waiver wire claim for Week 13 with fantasy managers finalizing their hopefully soon-to-be playoff lineup?
Should Edwards Be a Top Waiver Wire Priority for Fantasy Managers in Week 13?
Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been relatively lucky regarding the waiver wire. There were a few where there was nothing out there to be had, but sprinkled in were a handful of waiver wire periods where roster-changing additions were floating around.
Week 13 lies somewhere in the middle, but Edwards is squarely in the mix of players who need to be rostered in most formats with fantasy playoffs on the horizon.
Although the matchup this week against Denver isn’t the best for running backs, it’s not like this defense has been quite as stout as of late. The Broncos sit 17th in rushing DVOA and EPA while sitting 12th in success rate and fantasy points allowed (21.53 PPR).
Additionally, the Ravens’ upcoming schedule is solid with a Week 14 matchup against the Steelers, followed by games against the Browns and Falcons, both of whom sit inside the bottom six in EPA and bottom five in success rate.
If you’re like me, you probably still have deadweight guys on your roster. If so, I would cut one of those players to add Edwards. While Dobbins would likely jump back into the mix, we’ve already seen his knee bother him, so I can see Baltimore being cautious with their approach.
The starting Ravens RB has always been a valuable commodity for fantasy, even if as nothing more than a Flex option. Barring health concerns, that’s precisely where Edwards is. He will sit right around the RB2 threshold and, in a pinch, will be a reliable option for fantasy managers looking for consistency out of the back end of the roster.