Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Chargers opened the 21-day window for Gus Edwards to return to practice. Edwards injured his ankle in Week 4, and landed on IR soon after that. In his stead, the Chargers have been rotating J.K. Dobbins, Kimani Vidal, and Hasaan Haskins in the backfield.
The month of our discontent has come to an end, however. Fantasy football’s beloved Gus Bus practiced in a limited fashion both yesterday and today (Wednesday and Thursday), so it appears as if his chances of playing are trending up.
Therein suggests some fantasy value. Let’s talk.
Analysis
The Kimani Vidal breakout so many of us were hoping for during Edwards’s recovery didn’t happen. Since his Week 6 arrival game, in which he caught a thirty-yard wheel route touchdown dime from Justin Herbert, he’s been less-and-less involved in the passing game.
In fact, he hasn’t seen a single target since Week 7. In that time, he’s only carried the ball 14 times. His offensive snap count since Week 6 is as follows: 17, 11, 10. This is likely less a total condemnation of Vidal’s potential, and more a result of the Chargers finding a winning formula in the passing game with the starters on the depth chart.
Vidal still has the potential to be a secret ingredient in this offense, and does have second-half breakout potential. But he hasn’t climbed the depth chart ladder just yet.
Which is to say: if anyone was thinking Edwards would need to earn his role back as the immediate backup to J.K. Dobbins, we can dispel those concerns now. Gus was hyper-involved in the offense the first two weeks, with 11 carries in Week 1 and 18 in Week 2. His YPC never eclipsed 3.3 in a single game yet, and he’s yet to find the end zone.
The good news? He returns to a team whose offensive vision has now become an offensive identity. There’s a shot that’s going to create runway for Edwards within this Greg Roman offense to be as productive—especially in the red area—as he used to be.
He’s only 20.8% rostered in fantasy leagues,. And, just last year, Edwards converted eight of his nine goal line carries. Once the ankle is fully greased and back to total mobility, he could be just as effective, if not more, as a Bolt.
Bottom Line
Whenever Edwards is activated—and it’s looking like that’ll be as soon as Sunday—he’s a heartbeat away from the presidency, as they say, insofar as he’s going to recapture his role as 1B to Dobbins’s 1A. Should Dobbins get injured, Edwards is the starting running back on a run-first team with one of the best offensive lines in the league.
Edwards, as ever, is a great fantasy football handcuff for the home stretch of the season. He’s well worth a bench slot in season-long leagues, and a close eye re. volume and trends for DFS contests.
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