Quarterbacks

Jordan Love – (23.9% Owned)

One of the biggest surprises of week 1 was how good Jordan Love looked. Most including myself were skeptical about how well Love would perform as the main man for Green Bay. Safe to say he blew away expectations and finished as QB3 on the week. Love threw for 245 yards and 3 touchdowns on the day. Most importantly he was only sacked 1 time which is encouraging for a young quarterback.

Running Backs

Kenneth Gainwell – (34.3% Owned)

You were smart if you stayed away from any Philadelphia Eagles running back during draft season. We did however get an indication that Gainwell could end up being the lead back when the season started. That was very much the case on Sunday as Gainwell had 18 touches compared to just 2 for D’Andre Swift. If you’re thin at the running back position grab Gainwell but I still have concerns about his full-season value.

Gus Edwards – (20.7% Owned)

Another year and another unfortunate injury for J.K. Dobbins. This time it’s a torn Achilles that will cause Dobbins to miss the entire season. In his place will once again be Gus Edwards but Justice Hill may sneak some goal line carries. Hill had 2 touchdowns on Sunday on just 9 yards rushing.

Wide Receivers

Puka Nacua – (5.3% Owned)

He’s much more than just a name. Nacua is Matthew Stafford‘s new favorite in LA as the rookie had a whopping 15 targets on Sunday. Perhaps we should’ve seen this coming as Nacua was the 2nd highest-graded college WR last season according to PFF. Nacua will have value until Cooper Kupp returns.

Curtis Samuel – (13.5% Owned)

Samuel was one of our fantasy football sleepers coming into this season. While Jahan Dotson and Terry McLaurin received the majority of the buzz most forgot about Samuel. He led the Commanders on Sunday with 54 yards on 5 targets. Samuel also had 1 carry for 6 yards as he will continue to be used in the backfield.

Tight Ends

Adam Trautman (0.1% Owned)

Trautman led the Denver Broncos with 5 receptions on Sunday as it appears he will be the TE1 for some time. We received word today that Greg Dulcich is set to miss several weeks with a hamstring injury. Trautman is still a risky play in this offense but the usage is encouraging.

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The Good

For several years now the Ravens wide receiver core was mediocre at best. They tried to address this in the draft but had more misses than hits. This past offseason they decided to address this position by bringing in Odell Beckham Jr. on a one-year contract. While OBJ may not be as explosive as he once was, he still has plenty left in the tank. He will want to prove his doubters wrong and will elevate the young wide receivers on this team. One of those being of course Rashod Bateman.

Bateman has shown that if he can stay healthy he can be the weapon the Ravens desperately need. The key of course is health as Bateman has yet to play a full season. Pairing him with OBJ and rookie Zay Flowers should finally give the Ravens a formidable wide receiver group. Add to that one of the best tight ends in the NFL in Mark Andrews and this offense will be tough to stop for opposing defenses.

The Bad

While it may be tough to find a glaring hole on the Ravens, one area of concern is the running back position. The Ravens will once again rely on J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill in their backfield. Dobbins may have come back too early from ACL injury in 2022 and he really wasn’t effective until late in the year. The hope is Dobbins is now fully healthy in 2023 and ready to take on the full-time role. Still, I would’ve liked to see the Ravens bring in a veteran to shake up this unit and provide insurance in case Dobbins goes down again.

The Prediction

The bottom line for the Baltimore Ravens is they will once again compete for the AFC North title and more. Getting Lamar Jackson back was obviously huge for their future success. Jackson finally has a legitimate wide receiver group to throw to and the defense will take another step forward. Expect the Ravens to finish 1st in the division and make a deep run in the 2023 NFL Playoffs.

2023 Record: 12-5

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By Chris Moore (Twitter: @fantasy_moore)

After an unfortunate season-ending injury to Ravens star running back J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards is now in store for a larger workload in 2021. Edwards has soured up fantasy draft boards over the past few days due to his new role in the Ravens backfield. While he may not be the talent J.K. Dobbins is, Edwards has been a highly efficient running back during his time with the Ravens. Over the past three NFL seasons, there have only been six running backs with over 700 plus rushing yards. Aaron Jones, Ezekiel Elliot, Nick Chubb, Alvin Kamara, Derrick Henry, and Gus Edwards. That’s an impressive list. I think it’s fair to say Edwards has been sneaky good over his NFL career so far. Edwards has averaged five yards a carry over his first three years in the league.

While Edwards took a backseat to J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram in the Ravens running back committee last season, he produced 723 rushing yards on 144 carries and scored six touchdowns. Like him or not, Edwards has been rock solid for the Ravens in his short career, rushing for over 700 yards in each of his first three years in Baltimore. The Ravens believe in Edwards as a player, bringing him back on a two-year deal earlier this offseason. Edwards might not be the most talented runner in the NFL, but he is a highly efficient back who is underrated.  

Gus Edwards’ new fantasy ADP

Like I stated earlier in the article, Gus Edwards’ ADP has already skyrocketed in drafts over the past week. Edwards is currently the 77^th player off the board in PPR leagues, being drafted as the RB29. With Edwards set to lead the Ravens backfield in carries in 2021, I think it’s safe to say Edwards has a very high chance of exceeding his current ADP. Volume is king in fantasy football, and Edwards will see a lot of it in 2021. With the Ravens having one of the league’s best rushing attacks, Edwards has the potential in 2021 to finish as a high-end RB2. While we don’t know if the Ravens will add more competition to their backfield before the start of the season, Edwards should be the primary ball carrier for the Ravens in 2021.

2021 fantasy projection  

With J.K. Dobbins set to miss the entire season, Edwards is a solid RB2 option for fantasy managers in 2021. The Ravens will still run the ball a ton, giving Edwards and Jackson plenty of opportunities to produce on the ground. I project Edwards to rush for over 1,000 yards and have around 8-10 rushing touchdowns in this offense this season with the potential for more. While Edwards’ fantasy potential is limited due to his lack of receiving production, he is still a solid RB2 with upside.

The Ravens have led the NFL in rushing yards and attempts over the past two seasons, and I expect that trend to continue this year. Edwards is in one of the best rushing offenses in the entire NFL, and he should have a huge season operating as the Ravens’ lead rusher in 2021.

Projected fantasy finish: RB18

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