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J.K. Dobbins

Can Ravens revive their running game?

J.K. Dobbins is back, but can the Ravens get him going? They’re not running the ball the same way they did a few years back.

A few years back, Baltimore had a crushing running game – on par with what the Eagles were doing in the second half of last year. The Ravens averaged 206 and 192 rushing yards in the 2019 and 2020 season. But they’re more balanced now. They ran for only 146 yards per game last year, and they’re down at 135 this season, even though Lamar Jackson has run for over 100 yards two weeks in a row.

Gone, it seems, are the days of the Ravens lining up and just running the ball down people’s throats. Now it’s more about Jackson making plays as a dual threat.

They’re getting J.K. Dobbins back now. He missed all of the 2021 season and carried 7 times for 23 yards on Sunday in New England. But he doesn’t look likely to become a reliable 1,000-yard back.

And for fantasy purposes, Baltimore’s running backs are also hurt by their limited receiving production. They’re not used much in the passing game. Using PPR scoring, Baltimore’s running backs ranked only 26th in overall production in the 2021 season. (They were 15th in 2020.)

Using PPR scoring, a running back typical needs to score 13 points to finish with top-20 numbers. No Baltimore running back has hit that mark yet this year, and it only happened six times (in 17 games) last season.

Below see all of Baltimore’s games since 2019. In 24 of those 52 games (slightly less than half) the team had a running back with top-20 PPR numbers. Those guys are in bold. In four of those games, the team also had a second back with at least 13 points, and those guys are tagged with black dots.

I don’t see Dobbins as a priority at the position right now. For the time being, I expect he’ll be sharing time with Justice Hill. Hill wasn’t much of a factor in his first three years but on Sunday had his best game as a pro, with a cool 34-yard run that nearly went for a touchdown. He finished with 60 yards on 6 carries – his first game with 40-plus yards.

BALTIMORE'S BEST GAME-BY-GAME RUNNING BACKS (since 2019)
YearPlayerOppResultRunRecPPR
2019Ingramat Mia.W 59-1014-107-20-0-022.7
2019IngramAriz.W 23-1713-47-02-30-09.7
2019Ingramat K.C.L 28-3316-103-34-32-035.5
2019IngramCle.L 25-4012-71-01-0-08.1
2019Ingramat Pitt.W 26-2319-44-12-5-012.9
2019IngramCin.W 23-1713-52-12-22-015.4
2019Ingramat Sea.W 30-1612-46-01-7-06.3
2019IngramN.E.W 37-2015-115-02-29-016.4
2019Ingramat Cin.W 49-139-34-10-0-09.4
2019IngramHou.W 41-713-48-03-37-223.5
2019• G.EdwardsHou.W 41-78-112-10-0-017.2
2019Ingramat LARW 45-615-111-11-7-124.8
2019IngramS.F.W 20-1715-59-02-3-08.2
2019Ingramat Buff.W 24-1715-50-03-29-010.9
2019IngramNYJW 42-2113-76-11-10-121.6
2019Ingramat Cle.W 31-158-55-02-36-117.1
2019• J.Hillat Cle.W 31-153-19-13-32-014.1
2019G.EdwardsPitt.W 28-1021-130-01-2-014.2
2020DobbinsCle.W 38-67-22-20-0-014.2
2020Ingramat Hou.W 33-169-55-12-22-015.7
2020DobbinsK.C.L 20-341-6-04-38-08.4
2020Ingramat Was.W 31-178-34-11-3-010.7
2020DobbinsCin.W 27-31-34-03-21-08.5
2020G.Edwardsat Phil.W 30-2814-26-10-0-08.6
2020G.EdwardsPitt.L 24-2816-87-10-0-014.7
2020• DobbinsPitt.L 24-2815-113-01-8-013.1
2020G.Edwardsat Ind.W 24-1011-23-12-11-011.4
2020G.Edwardsat N.E.L 17-237-42-01-31-08.3
2020DobbinsTen.L 24-3015-70-12-15-016.5
2020G.Edwardsat Pitt.L 14-199-10-10-0-07.0
2020DobbinsDall.W 34-1711-71-10-0-013.1
2020G.Edwardsat Cle.W 47-427-49-21-4-018.3
2020DobbinsJac.W 40-1414-64-11-17-015.1
2020G.EdwardsNYGW 27-1315-85-02-37-014.2
2020• DobbinsNYGW 27-1311-77-10-0-013.7
2020Dobbinsat Cin.W 38-313-160-20-0-028.0
2021T.Williamsat L.V.L 27-339-65-13-29-018.4
2021T.WilliamsK.C.W 36-3513-77-02-16-011.3
2021L.Murrayat Det.W 19-177-28-00-0-02.8
2021L.Murrayat Den.W 23-718-59-10-0-011.9
2021FreemanInd.W 31-251-1-03-34-06.5
2021L.MurrayLACW 34-69-44-12-12-013.6
2021FreemanCin.L 17-414-14-13-25-012.9
2021FreemanMin.W 34-3113-79-02-4-116.3
2021Freemanat Mia.L 10-2210-35-03-23-08.8
2021Freemanat Chi.W 16-1316-49-16-31-020.0
2021FreemanCle.W 16-1016-52-01-8-07.0
2021Freemanat Pitt.L 19-2014-52-15-45-020.7
2021Freemanat Cle.L 22-2413-64-05-8-012.2
2021L.MurrayG.B.L 30-317-48-01-3-06.1
2021Freemanat Cin.L 21-416-17-12-3-010.0
2021FreemanLARL 19-2014-76-01-1-08.7
2021L.MurrayPitt.L 13-1616-150-10-0-021.0
2022Drakeat NYJW 24-911-31-01-15-05.6
2022J.HillMia.L 38-423-16-00-0-01.6
2022J.Hillat N.E.W 37-266-60-00-0-06.0

—Ian Allan

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