J.K. Dobbins had defied his lengthy injury history until Week 12, when the Los Angeles Chargers running back departed his club’s Monday night loss to the Baltimore Ravens and never returned.
Here’s the latest on the status of the Chargers’ starting running back.
What Is J.K. Dobbins’ Injury?
Dobbins got off to a strong start in Week 12, totaling 59 yards on nine touches in the first half. However, Dobbins exited the sideline with a trainer and walked to Los Angeles’ locker room late in the first half. He was crumpled up on an awkward tackle, leading to speculation about a lower body injury.
The Chargers eventually downgraded Dobbins with a left knee injury, which was subsequently revealed to be an MCL sprain.
When Will Dobbins Return From Injury?
Dobbins was placed on injured reserve the day before the Chargers’ Week 13 game, knocking him out of action for a minimum of four games. The earliest he’s eligible to return is Los Angeles’ Week 17 game at the New England Patriots.
That, however, doesn’t mean that Dobbins is a lock to return for that game. Four weeks may be a reasonable length of absence for an average MCL sprain, but that also doesn’t factor in Dobbins’ extensive history of lower body injuries. He missed the entirety of the 2021 season with a torn ACL and all but one game in 2023 with a torn Achilles.
Dobbins’ regular-season status could simply depend on the Chargers’ playoff status. With Los Angeles in strong shape for a Wild Card berth but highly unlikely to catch the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West, it’s possible the Chargers preserve Dobbins for the playoffs if they’re already locked into a playoff spot.
How Will Dobbins’ Absence Impact the Chargers?
Dobbins was having an excellent season, averaging a robust 4.8 yards per carry while also adding 28 catches for 134 yards in the passing game. His three-down value made him LA’s clear lead back, and there’s not a one-for-one replacement on the Chargers’ roster for him.
Including the Baltimore Ravens game in which Dobbins got hurt, the Chargers have averaged 3.9 yards per carry from their running backs in the last two weeks. That’s put more on Justin Herbert’s plate, who had his second-highest dropback rate (65.1%) in Week 13 vs. the Atlanta Falcons.
From a fantasy perspective, it does appear that Gus Edwards is the clear lead back. Los Angeles ran just 46 plays vs. the Falcons, making for a bit of a tough read since no one got more than six carries. However, the snap share tells a different story, particularly Edwards’ involvement on passing downs.
Gus Edwards had a 52% snap share against the Falcons. Kimani Vidal was half of that at 26%. And then Hassan Haskins played 15%. Edwards led the three in routes run with just 12 (Vidal 6, Haskins 3, per PFF). It's messy.
— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) December 2, 2024
For perspective, Dobbins has a 60% snap share this season, so it doesn’t appear that Jim Harbaugh has strayed too far from having a clear lead back. That could certainly change if Edwards struggles or if the Chargers trail for a much longer portion of a game. At that point, Kimani Vidal would likely cut into Edwards’ workload.