Fantasy Upside
J.K. Dobbins is coming off a very productive three-year career at Ohio State, capped off with 2,003 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground last season. Dobbins has soft hands, with at least 20 receptions each year, and his route running is impressive at this stage in his development. From a talent perspective, he should be ready to contribute immediately. He showed out against some of the best teams in the country. His last four games of his college career, he averaged 178.5 yards and two touchdowns against Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Clemson. The Ravens drafted him in the second round, so they’ll want to give him opportunities early to show what he can do.
Fantasy Downside
Those opportunities may come in a creative way with Mark Ingram still on the roster. The Ravens split touches between Ingram (202 carries), Gus Edwards (133) and Justice Hill (58) last season, and I would expect Dobbins to dig more into the touches Edwards and Hill got than into Ingram’s workload. If that’s the case, Dobbins will cap out as a borderline depth guy in most fantasy leagues.
2020 Bottom Line
Dobbins is a great option for looking toward the future, but he’s risky to bank on as more than a lottery ticket in most redraft leagues. While his receiving ability should allow him to do some damage in the passing game, the presence of Ingram limits his upside. Dobbins is currently being drafted in the ninth round of 12-team leagues, which is probably a little too rich when you’re talking about taking him over guys like Tarik Cohen and Matt Breida, but the upside is there if you like to gamble.
