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Who will be the starting running back for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024? Tony Camino takes a look at the credentials of each candidate to see who is likely the lead running back.
The Chargers experienced a good amount of roster turnover this offseason, including letting RB Austin Ekeler walk in free agency to the Washington Commanders. With the addition of Greg Roman as offensive coordinator on new head coach Jim Harbaugh's staff, Los Angeles added Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins, who both are very familiar with Roman's offense.
The Chargers also experienced a concerning amount of change in their pass-catching unit, as rookie Ladd McConkey looks to be the top target as of now. The offense will look drastically different than what we're accustomed to over the last few years where they put up a ton of points and leaned on the play of Justin Herbert.
With Harbaugh and Roman's history of ultra-run-heavy offenses, there should be plenty of work to make the backfield relevant in fantasy football. Who will be the RB1 in Los Angeles this season and which one should you go after in fantasy drafts?
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Who is the Los Angeles Chargers' Starting Running Back?
Due to a brutal injury history for Dobbins, there is only one season under Roman where both Edwards and Dobbins shared the backfield in the way they will this upcoming season. In the 2020 season, Dobbins and Edwards trailed only Lamar Jackson in rushing attempts on the team.
Gus Edwards Career Games: 69
🔹Career Games with 20+ Carries: 3
🔹Career Games with 3+ Targets: 3
🔹Career Games with 100+ Total Yards: 9We like Gus Edwards, but Kimani Vidal and J.K. Dobbins are going to get plenty of opportunities
🔸Gus Edwards FFPC ADP: 119.69
🔸JK Dobbins… pic.twitter.com/gLfVGyPrm8— RosterWatch (@RosterWatch) July 11, 2024
Coming off an Achilles injury, it would seem like Edwards will start the season as the early-down and goal-line back at least until they ease Dobbins into a full workload. Although the Chargers also added Kimani Vidal via the sixth round of the draft, it would be surprising to see him work himself into a starting role until late in the season at the very earliest.
Who Should I Draft in Fantasy Football?
As long as Dobbins remains healthy, the two should share the bulk of the work early on and throughout the season if they perform. The style of offense will open the door for them to have fantasy relevance, and the track record of Justin Herbert's offenses shows there could be a solid amount of scoring opportunities near the goal line.
Edwards is being drafted the highest at an ADP of RB37 in PPR formats thanks to his 13 touchdowns last season. Dobbins is being drafted after Vidal, currently being taken as RB54 in PPR formats.
Gus Edwards Chargers RB1 pic.twitter.com/MtJQADKgtn
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) July 17, 2024
On pure upside alone, Dobbins has the most value if he can stay healthy because of his efficiency (5.8 career Y/A). However, his loaded injury history is real and he hasn't seen 100 attempts in a season since his rookie year in 2020. Edwards is the safe pick because of his projected volume and goal-line work in what should be an average offense at worst.
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