What the J.K. Dobbins injury mean in fantasy football: Hello, Kimani Vidal

Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins has been having a terrific year, with eight touchdowns and 4.8 yards per carry.

But he’s going to miss some time, per Ian Rapoport, with a knee sprain he suffered on Monday, meaning he’ll miss this week’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, at least. Beyond that? No info as of publishing this, but it sounds like it could be a multi-week injury.

So what does that mean for the Chargers’ running back room in fantasy football? Great question! Let’s examine their current RBs and how their stock is affected by the Dobbins knee injury:

Stock slightly up: Gus Edwards

We know this: the volume might be there — since he returned from injury earlier in November, he saw at least six carries in three games. That number will go up and maybe he finds the end zone like he did against his former team, the Baltimore Ravens.

But will the yardage be there? That I’m not so sure about. It feels to me like he could be touchdown-dependent. And he’s probably going to split time with the guy below.

Stock up: Kimani Vidal

The rookie out of Troy came with a lot of buzz in the offseason after the Chargers made him a sixth-round pick. And what little we’ve seen of him hasn’t been much to love.

But he’s got explosivity and that counts for a lot in fantasy football. Pick him up and see if he’s a FLEX type or more on a team that likes to run.