Does J.K. Dobbins have RB1 potential? Kay Adams claims Ravens RB being overlooked in 2023 fantasy football

J.K. Dobbins is one of the trickiest running backs to project for the 2023 Fantasy Football season. His injury history is a big reason why.

Dobbins has only appeared in 23 of a possible 50 regular-season games since being selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2020 NFL draft. This includes being sidelined for the entire duration of the 2021 NFL season.

While Dobbins has been consistently impressive when he's on the football field, the issue is that injuries have taken away more than half of his career games. This has resulted in his Fantasy Football value slipping a bit ahead of the 2023 NFL season.

Speaking on "Up & Adams," Kay Adams recently gave her take on Dobbins' 2023 fantasy value:

“He’s had some injuries in the past, but he’s being sorely undervalued right now. His ADP places him squarely in round four right now. He’s gotta move up. What’re we doing here? You can see he’s ranked 18th at the RB spot. If he’s able to stay healthy, I don’t see why he can’t perform much better than that and be a strong RB2 option.

"When he’s on the field, he was very special. He has RB1 potential, honestly. In 23 games, he has racked up almost 1500 yards, he’s scored 12 TDs, he’s averaging an NFL best 5.86 yards per carry since 2020. No one else is even close.”

As Kay Adams pointed out, no running back in the entire NFL averages more yards per carry than J.K. Dobbins. This comes as a result of his explosive running style, as well as the Ravens' offense. Quarterback Lamar Jackson forces opposing defenses to account for his elite scrambling, opening additional holes for Dobbins to burst through.

His averages of nearly six yards per carry and 65 total yards per game give Dobbins the elite upside of outperforming his current ADP and elevating himself into RB1 territory.

He's currently being selected around the same time as backs such as Cam Akers and Miles Sanders, but carries significantly more upside as long as he can stay healthy.

New Ravens OC could further increase J.K. Dobbins' fantasy value

J.K. Dobbins

The only downside to J.K. Dobbins' previous performances in Fantasy Football is his relative lack of receiving contributions. Some of this had to do with Greg Roman's dynamic rushing offense. Roman was replaced this year by Todd Monken, who plans to call many more passing plays this season.

While some may be worried that this could potentially reduce Dobbins' usage, it actually gives him an opportunity to add another layer to his value. If he becomes involved in the passing game, his chances of being a fantasy RB1 significantly improve.