Contract Terms
According to multiple reports, J.K Dobbins plans to sign a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, per his agency LAA Sports.
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Fantasy Football Impact
Dobbins' comeback will occur in Los Angeles, and, as NFL.com pointed out, he'll find plenty of familiar faces.
On his way back from a torn Achilles suffered in Week 1 of 2023, Dobbins will rejoin former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman and his former running mate Gus Edwards, who signed with the team last month on a free-agent pact.
Dobbins' first three years were spent with Roman, including a 2020 rookie season when he peaked his potential with an 805-yard, nine-touchdown season. That tenure likewise included a 2021 campaign in which Dobbins missed the year after an ACL tear.
And that's the issue. Dobbins is one of the most explosive backs in the league (as his his 5.8 career yards per carry will attest to) but has struggled to stay healthy. Over the past three seasons, he's missed 42 of the Ravens' 51 games, including the last 16 of last season because of a torn Achilles.
After setting a Ravens rookie record with the aforementioned nine touchdowns, Dobbins was set to take over the starting running back spot in 2021 until he suffered a season-ending left knee injury in the preseason finale. In 2022, he wasn't at full strength and missed nine games while trying to recover from that knee injury.
Heading into the 2023 opener, Dobbins declared himself 100 percent healthy for the first time in three years. Then, five minutes after halftime of the Week 1 game against the Houston Texans, Dobbins took a short pass in the right flat and injured his Achilles when tackled two yards shy of the end zone.
NFL Network's Tom Peillisero first reported late last month that Dobbins had been cleared for football activities by Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
A second-round pick out of Ohio State in 2020, Dobbins has totaled 1,347 rushing yards and 12 touchdown runs in 24 games with Baltimore. He is one of three running backs drafted by the Ravens in the first two rounds (Jamal Lewis and Ray Rice were the others).
Footballguy Dave Kluge is doing his best to take a cautious approach.
I fell hard for Rashaad Penny last year and I’m trying my hardest not to make the same mistake with JK Dobbins again this year.
— Dave Kluge (@DaveKluge) April 18, 2024
That said, Dobbins will have value. Now that we know his landing spot, expect him to move into the Footballguys 2024 Draft Rankings. Those of you currently in best-ball rooms will find him as RB59 on BestBall 10s and RB69 on Underdog. His price will rise, and there's ample room for him to do that with the high end of his price range in the 17th round.
The Fantasy Football Fallout
Edwards was sitting in the RB40-41 range upon arrival in Los Angeles. Given the run-heavy approach Roman has leaned on, including during his time together with Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco, you'd think optimism would have carried Edwards higher than his current RB38-39 Average Draft Positions (ADPs) on BestBall 10s and Underdog.
Perhaps the limiting factor has been the expectation the Chargers will land a running back in the NFL Draft -- possibly even Blake Corum, who had great success under Harbaugh at Michigan. It's still possible the Chargers will add to the position in the draft, but Dobbins' presence gives them flexibility.
The Chargers also have Isaiah Spiller, Elijah Dotson, and Jaret Patterson on their depth chart. None are fantasy-relevant.
The Chargers won't be as pass-heavy as we've seen in the past, but that's been baked into Justin Herbert's projections and rankings. He's fallen to QB19 on the Footballguys 2024 Draft Rankings. In current best balls, you'll find him just outside QB1 territory.
Stock Watch
Risers
Fallers
Overview
Former Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins will sign a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Chargers. The move reunites him with Greg Roman, his former offensive coordinator in Baltimore, and his former Ravens backfield mate Gus Edwards. Dobbins is coming off a season-ending Achilles injury and has been medically cleared. While fantasy managers shouldn't rush to land Dobbins or back off Edwards, both will provide some upside given their later-round average draft positions. This news won't change Edwards' RB4 price much. Dobbins will rise but unlikely inside the single-digit rounds, barring significant developments that suggest a more prominent role.