JK Dobbins Will Be A Fantasy Rockstar In 2021
It’s time to call my shot. Last year I wrote a similar post declaring Kyler Murray to be a fantasy rockstar of the season. I hit the nail on the head there. Heading into this year, there isn’t another obvious quarterback breakout star. Both Josh Allen and Kyler took the expected leaps. This year, we have a cast of running backs ready to bust the doors down. JK Dobbins will be a fantasy rockstar in 2021. Book it.
I just want to put this here. I also feel the same way about Cam Akers. That might be a separate post. However, with Dobbins, there’s clear and obvious evidence he’s going to turn into a star. Actually, forget about star… Dobbins should become one of the best running backs in the NFL.
Dobbins, 22, led all running backs in yards per carry (6.0) as a rookie. You didn’t need to see much here. Dobbins was a monster every single time he touched the ball. Dobbins wasn’t just a product of the Ravens’ weird rushing attack. According to Next Gen Stats, the former Ohio State product notched a rush yard over expected mark of 1.67 yards per carry. That essentially means Dobbins was picking up more than a yard and a half more than what he should have been based on the help he got from his offensive line.
That number was second in the NFL trailing just Nick Chubb (who I’ve been trying to tell you is just on a different tier than everyone else). Talent will never be the issue here. The Ravens found themselves a star. There is no denying it OR your eyeballs just don’t work. It’s one of those situations where I can’t help you if you can’t see the talent here.
Really the only thing you worry about here is the ticking time bomb of Lamar Jackson. If this is the year Lamar falls off a cliff (I would guess that will be start of 2022) Dobbins will probably take maybe a minor step back. Regardless, this offense will rely on the running game more than anybody. That’s fantasy points all day here.
Dobbins scored nine touchdowns as a rookie and that was with Mark Ingram on the roster and taking a significant portion of the snaps during the early portion of the season. Gus Edwards can absolutely play but make no mistake about it. We all know who the lead dog is here. Who runs the ball more than Baltimore? The answer is nobody. What are we doing here?
Fantasy Pros has Dobbins ranked below Joe Mixon and Antonio Gibson which is as hilarious as it gets. Barring injury, there is no chance the Ravens starting running back doesn’t finish in the top 10 of the position. There’s top five and maybe even top three potential here. Buy this stock all day.
