When fantasy team owners were drafting their rosters just before the 2023 NFL season began, it would have been reasonable that they would avoid Baltimore Ravens running backs. After all, the top rusher on the Ravens typically has been quarterback Lamar Jackson.
And Jackson, when healthy, has paid dividends for fantasy owners and Maryland sports betting players.
However, as sound as such thinking might appear, for the 2023 fantasy season, at least so far, it would have been something of a mistake.
Baltimore running back Gus Edwards has stepped up to be a significant factor in the Ravens’ running game and, for the purposes of fantasy owners, a far greater factor in barging in for touchdowns in the red zone. So far in 2023, Edwards has 10 rushing touchdowns to go along with 590 rushing yards.
As fantasy leagues head toward their playoff season, BetMaryland.com – your source for Maryland sportsbook promos - utilized FantasyData.com to compile the current fantasy rankings of running backs after Week 13 of NFL play in a standard points-per-reception (PPR) league and then compared that to the average draft position fantasy rankings for a standard PPR league before the season. In that way, the performances of players during the season can be compared to where they were drafted.
Top Performing Fantasy Running Backs
In fantasy football and sports wagering, information is king. Here are numbers you won’t find on Maryland betting apps.
MORE: Lamar Jackson Fantasy Team Names
Edwards Having Strong Season
In the case of Gus Edwards, fantasy owners who picked the bruising back either in an original draft or after the season started, were rewarded. Edwards’ average draft position was fairly deep (59th overall). So far, he ranks 22nd among running backs for fantasy production, an average of 12 points a game. Comparing his draft position to his current rank, that’s a +37 spots elevation from perception to performance. Edwards has been a major force in the Ravens Super Bowl odds.
Among all running backs, that 37-spot elevation is second only to Miami RB Raheem Mostert, whose average draft position was 47th but whose fantasy output of an average of 17.9 points a game has him ranked No. 2, second only to San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey. Mostert’s rank difference from draft position to performance is +45 spots.
Other top five RBs (in point difference) who have outperformed their draft position have been: No. 3, Carolina’s Chuba Hubbard; No. 4, Washington’s Brian Robinson Jr.; No. 5 (tied), Kansas City’s Isiah Pacheco and Pittsburgh’s Jaylen Warren.
