Today, we keep the dynasty target train moving as we break down our next recommended dynasty target, J.K. Dobbins!
What would you do if I told you that the team that led the NFL in rushing in 2020 by almost 400 yards got rid of two players who accounted for 33% of their targets without replacing them, got their All-Pro Left Tackle back, drafted a center in the first round, and signed one of the top Right Tackles on the Free Agent market? Well, you better figure out your answer quickly because that is exactly what the Ravens did this offseason. The Ravens took every imaginable step this offseason in order to get back to their high volume rushing attack and leading that charge will be his highness and dynasty target J.K. Dobbins.
Background
J’Kaylin Dobbins will be coming back healthy in 2022 having torn his ACL in late August 2021 and having a full calendar year to recover. Last we saw Dobbins he was the leading Running Back for the Ravens in his rookie year toting the rock 134 times for 805 yards for a girthy 6.0 yards per carry. The Ravens have a diverse running back room with Dobbins, Gus Edwards, Tyler Badie, and now Mike Davis. All of that depth is to protect the team from what happened last year losing Dobbins and Edwards, but make no mistake, J.K. Dobbins is the lead dog in this fantasy football backfield and should be going forward. Dobbins was not only the Baltimore Ravens’ most efficient running back in 2020 but he was also their top target getter in that backfield, albeit that number was a measly 24 targets. So if like me, you are an avid fan of rushing attacks with high volume and high efficiency then you should be paying attention to J.K. Dobbins.
Current Situation
The Ravens’ offense is shaping up to be a power run unit while still relying on Mark Andrews to be their top target in the passing game with Rashod Bateman hopefully taking a big step in his sophomore season. At the end of the 2021 season, the offensive line in Baltimore was starting Alejandro Villanueva, Ben Powers, Bradley Bozeman, Kevin Zeitler, and Patrick Mekari. As of today that O-Line has Ronnie Stanley, Tyre Phillips, Tyler Lindenbaum, Kevin Zeitler, and Morgan Moses. That could be the most improved O-Line in the NFL and the primary beneficiaries of that are going to be Lamar Jackson and J.K. Dobbins.
The stock argument against J.K. Dobbins and the Baltimore backfield is “BuT lAmAr JaCkSoN iS a RuNnInG bAcK”. To that, I say we saw what happened to Lamar when that offense leaned too heavily on him in 2021, he wore down and eventually ended up injured. The Ravens are going to allow Lamar Jackson to once again show the world that he is an improved passer which will open up multiple running lanes for Dobbins and his backfield running mates.
Outlook
#Ravens fans, are you excited to see J.K. Dobbins back on the field this season?pic.twitter.com/1fy1GgTNhn
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) June 5, 2022
So what does an improved offensive line and a renewed focus on the running game mean for J.K. Dobbins?
It means a healthy amount of opportunities as well as increased red-zone opportunities.
In 2020, Dobbins was the Ravens’ best running back inside the ten-zone and it wasn’t close. Dobbins converted a monumental 61.5% of his carries inside the 10 to a touchdown and a predictably higher conversion rate inside the 5 of 87.5%.
So why is J.K. Dobbins a target?
Quite simply he is undervalued. Dobbins is a 23-year-old third-year running back with 152 career touches, with a late first and early second-round draft capital who is the unquestioned RB1 on one of the top rushing teams in the NFL. He is currently the RB14 in dynasty ADP right behind Cam Akers who is coming off a much more serious injury and right ahead of 28-year-old Derrick Henry. In my mind and in my rankings Dobbins is a top 10 dynasty running back and he should be treated as such.
I hope after reading this you can take a step back and see the bigger picture of the Ravens’ offensive situation and be able to see Dobbins’ true value and capitalize on a buy window before it slams shut in a few months.
Thanks for checking out our Dynasty Target article on J.K. Dobbins. Over the course of the summer make sure to click here for more Dynasty Target articles discussing players for you to acquire this season!
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