J.K. Dobbins Fantasy Outlook Grows More Uncertain By the Day

There's a cloud hanging over the heads of fantasy football managers who drafted Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins. And, that cloud is growing by the day.

Dobbins continues to work back from a major ACL injury and the Ravens have been suspiciously quiet on declaring anything definitive for his Week 1 status. The uncertainty was made worse on Wednesday when Baltimore signed Kenyan Drake following the final 53-man roster deadline.

J.K. Dobbins Fantasy Outlook

Is Drake's signing simply the franchise jumping at an opportunity to sign a talented playmaker? Is this insurance in case Dobbins doesn't return to his 2020 form following a major ACL injury? Or, are the Ravens trying to tell us something about Dobbins' potential Week 1 status?

Honestly, this is a "time will tell" situation but things aren't looking good for Dobbins, at least to start the year. Prior to this suspicious signing, Dobbins ranked as RB23 on The Duel's fantasy football preseason rankings for PPR leagues, coming in with an ADP of RB23.

Dobbins burst onto the scene as a rookie, taking over nearly 50% of the team's snaps and putting up RB24 numbers throughout the season. His breakout potential came crashing down with the preseason ACL tear in 2021.

J.K. Dobbins Injury Update

Coincided perfectly with the Drake signing, a video of Dobbins dealing with a noticeable limp during solo practice drills emerged on Wednesday afternoon. That's not a great look for your lead running back just one week away from live NFL action.

At this point, fantasy managers need to continue paying close attention to any injury reports stemming from Ravens' camp. Even if Dobbins is ready to go in Week 1, it might be better to keep him as a FLEX option to start instead of your RB2. It's hard to imagine he steps right back into a 50% snap share, and we'll want to get a better picture of Baltimore's usage in Week 1.

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Adam Taylor McKillop is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Adam Taylor also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username atmckillop. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.