Gus Edwards

Week 2 at Carolina Panthers

As long as J.K. Dobbins is healthy and looking as explosive as he did last week on his long touchdown run you're essentially going to be hoping Gus Edwards hits the end zone once or twice himself. Unfortunately that's really the only path forward with a healthy Dobbins. Jamaal Williams is a similar back in a somewhat similar situation and he managed to put up about 12 points last week with a touchdown. That's about what you're hoping for from Edwards. He's a flex option if you're desperate because the matchup is pretty good.

Fantasy Upside
Gus Edwards isn't the most talented back in the league, but prior to 2023 he had proven to be a high yards-per-attempt guy and had the ability to gain yards after contact at an elite clip and gain a high percentage of runs for a first down. Last year, with more of the workload, he did struggle a bit with the Ravens and a revamped offensive line. Now with the Chargers' talented offensive line and back in Greg Roman's run scheme, he should be able to get back to the more efficient runner he was in 2022. He'll be the first in line at the goal line which should bode well for him.

Fantasy Downside
Edwards isn't going to catch a lot of passes and the offense itself won't be a high-volume attack. It's also possible with more of the workload we see another dip in efficiency with more work. Edwards could also cede more work to J.K. Dobbins or Kimani Vidal as we don't totally know the rotation as of yet.

2024 Bottom Line
This seems pretty simple, at RB36 in half-point PPR Underdog he seems like a solid bet with the majority of the goal-line work in what should be a run-heavy offense with Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman at the helm. In full-point PPR leagues, he should be docked as he's unlikely to catch many passes and won't have the full workload at running back anyway. In redraft leagues, his ADP ranges anywhere from 100-126th overall, so he's also a buy on sites where his ADP is in the 120s.

Week 16 at San Francisco 49ers

Gus Edwards found the end zone against the Jaguars on Sunday night. It was his 11th touchdown of the season. He also received 16 carries, his most since late-October, largely aided by a serious knee injury to the emerging Keaton Mitchell. Edwards is likely to get back to a larger workload with Mitchell out for the remainder of the season.

This week, Edwards faces a San Francisco defense that ranks 22nd in aFPA to opposing running backs. Edwards will likely continue to share time with Justice Hill - and possibly newly elevated Melvin Gordon - making him risky to trust, but the upside is there as a RB3 or low-end flex option. He’s going to be touchdown dependent, but he finds the end zone often enough to hold value.