It's incredibly unusual for a team to bring in two RB reclamation projects, and it's even more unusual for one of those projects to produce at or above expectations. It's easy to forget that J.K. Dobbins had an RB41 ADP on the eve of Week 1, while Gus Edwards clocked in at RB39. Both were behind Zeke Elliott and far behind guys like Raheem Mostert and Zamir White. The only presumed Week 1 starter who ranked worse than Dobbins/Edwards was Chuba Hubbard (RB42).
So when Dobbins exited in the second quarter with a knee injury, the entire Chargers' offense transformed. Although injuries and frequent inefficiencies have rendered Edwards unstartable, Dobbins has been a revelation as the RB16 in points per game. Entering last night, the formerly frequently sidelined Dobbins led the league with a sterling mark of 1-broken-tackle-per-8.4-carries. In tandem with a revamped passing attack, Dobbins had become a dependable offensive contributor, surpassing eight starts for the first time in his career.
When he went down, L.A. mustered only six points in their next four drives. They finally found the end zone with less than a minute left, thanks in part to three untimely Baltimore penalties to extend the drive -- including one on 4th-and-6 and another on 3rd-and-10.
One could argue that the Chargers were an overrated 7-3 entering Monday Night Football. They're now 1-4 versus teams with winning records. Their other wins include two against 4-7 teams, three against 3-8 teams, and one against the 2-9 Raiders.
Justin Herbert, Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, and Will Dissly have earned weekly streaming consideration in part (or *large* part) because of a relatively favorable schedule. They're also benefited from a running game that's helped move the chains.
If Dobbins' injury is serious, no one can fill his shoes. The 29-year-old Edwards is post-prime and one-dimensional, while rookie Kimani Vidal is a longshot to make sufficient noise. More would be expected from Herbert. Maybe that would be a good thing for McConkey, Johnston, and Dissly. Or maybe it equate to more stalled drives, fewer offensive plays, and fewer scoring opportunities. Dobbins is irreplaceable, in that no other rostered RB can fill his shoes. That's why his injury matters for anyone rostering other Chargers players.
For Baltimore, Monday marked the seventh time in his last 15 games where Lamar Jackson attempted fewer than 23 passes. That's a pretty insane statistic for an MVP candidate. Somehow three of yesterday's receivers were relevant, though only Mark Andrews produced must-start numbers. Rashod Bateman and Zay Flowers both finished out the top 24 WRs. For some managers, that was enough. But it's hard to have blow-up performances when your quarterback throws it only five or six times per quarter.
On the ground, Derrick Henry hit 24+ touches for the fifth time this season, putting him on track for 327. That's actually pretty reasonable for a guy like Henry, despite his advanced age. And at 8-4, Baltimore can't afford to slow him down. Great news for managers, because it's highly unlikely this team will lock down a playoff seed (assuming they reach the postseason) until at least Week 17.
And one more word on Jackson. He's on pace for 146 carries. He surpassed 50 rushing yards in five of his first seven contests, but hasn't reach that level since. Last year he did it seven times, spread throughout the season. The year before, eight times in only 11 full games (he was lost for the season early in game #12). So Jackson's rushing-yardage drop-off is at least mildly notable.
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