Week 7 was a devastating week on the injury front. Several big players went down. As a result, fantasy managers are looking to the waiver wire to plug the holes in their rosters. Gus Edwards made his much-anticipated return from last year’s devastating knee injury. How much of a priority is Edwards for fantasy football managers to add off the waiver wire ahead of Week 8?
Gus Edwards was the Ravens’ Clear RB1 in Week 7
Heading into Week 7, I thought the Baltimore Ravens might ease Edwards back into action. And they did…kind of. Edwards only played 36% of the offensive snaps. Based on his playing time, it sure looks like head coach John Harbaugh wanted to be careful with him.
Edwards’ touches tell a different story, though. He may have only been on the field for 23 snaps, but Edwards carried the ball a whopping 16 times. On those 16 carries, he amassed 66 yards and punched in two touchdowns. Edwards looked quite healthy, but the Ravens deserve credit for being careful with him.
Fantasy managers should expect Edwards’ snap share to only grow going forward. The Ravens seldom play any back for more than 50% of the snaps. That’s about what we can expect from Edwards, and that’s plenty enough for him to produce RB2 numbers.
MORE: Where Does Gus Edwards Rank Among Running Backs for Week 8?
The Ravens went back to their running ways against the Browns. Lamar Jackson attempted just 16 passes. On the ground, Jackson ran the ball himself 10 times. The rest of the team combined for 28 carries. That’s 38 rushes against just 16 passes.
While I doubt the Ravens will be this run-heavy every week (game script likely won’t let them be), they did have success doing it.
We also know Edwards is going to be the goal-line back. At the very least, fantasy managers can start Edwards knowing he has as good of a shot as anyone at scoring a touchdown.
How Aggressively Should Fantasy Managers Pursue Edwards Off the Waiver Wire?
J.K. Dobbins is currently on IR. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s played his last snap of the regular season. If and when he comes back, Dobbins probably won’t overtake Edwards anyway, especially if the latter continues to play well.
Regardless, Dobbins is at least a month away. That means Edwards is the main guy for most, if not all, of the remainder of the fantasy regular season.
It’s exceedingly rare that lead running backs pop up on the waiver wire in modern fantasy football. It’s even rarer when those backs are on good offenses. Edwards is the top waiver add of the week. He’s worth at least half your FAAB if he’s still out there in your league.
If your league still uses the continual rolling list waiver system, burn that top priority to acquire Edwards. It’s wheels up for the Gus Bus.