The Baltimore Ravens have been as dominant a team as there has been in the NFL this year. They are currently 7-2 on the year and coming off a dominating 37-3 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
The Ravens lost J.K. Dobbins to an Achilles injury at the start of the year, but they continued to run the ball successfully. Gus Edwards is tied with Jalen Hurts and Travis Etienne Jr. for third with seven rushing touchdowns.
In the win against the Seahawks, rookie RB Keaton Mitchell showed his potential with nine carries for 138 yards and one touchdown, including a 60-yard run. With that in mind, which one of these Ravens running backs should fantasy football managers in their lineup?
Should You Start Gus Edwards or Keaton Mitchell This Week?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Edwards is the player to start. His projected 9.1 points include a projection of 65 rushing yards. That doesn’t seem like a big stat line, but it outperforms the consensus projection for Mitchell (6.5 points).
This is a tough one, but I’m going to go against the optimizer on this one and roll with Mitchell as long as he’s healthy.
The Ravens have a tough matchup this weekend, as the Cleveland Browns have arguably the best defense in the league. The Browns rank first against the pass (145.0 yards) and are tied with the Chargers for sixth against the run.
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While the Ravens have a much better offense than the Cardinals, the Browns are still tough for any team. Because of that, you have to have guys capable of big plays to beat Cleveland. You can’t just go on 80-yard drives and expect to score a lot against the Browns.
Mitchell gives the Ravens a player who is a threat to score on every touch. However, this would be a good week to look at other RB options that aren’t going up against a defense quite like Cleveland’s. But if you have to make a decision between these two, then Mitchell is your guy.
Mitchell’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
The nine carries for 138 yards were the first carries of Mitchell’s career. He had one catch in the win against the Detroit Lions in Week 7 but hadn’t yet been involved in the rushing game. The rookie from East Carolina has game-breaking speed and is a perfect fit with Edwards and Lamar Jackson.
While the Browns have been great on defense, they are susceptible to the big play. In a 39-38 win against the Indianapolis Colts two games ago, Cleveland gave up at least six plays of 20+ yards. They were especially hurt in the passing game, giving up passes of 32, 59 and 75 yards.
Mitchell has the ability to make plays catching the ball, while that isn’t Edwards’ strength at all.
Edwards’ Fantasy Outlook This Week
Edwards fits the old-school physical style of running the ball and is a great complement to Baltimore’s offense. One positive thing about him is that he’s going to get the ball a good amount, as he is averaging 12.2 carries per game.
Of Edwards’ seven touchdowns, six of them have come in the last three weeks. In the previous meeting vs. the Browns, he carried the ball 15 times for 48 yards.
However, Edwards has only six catches on the season, and that’s where Mitchell’s emergence makes him the play this week. I would stay away from Ravens running backs this week, if possible, but Mitchell’s playmaking ability is the difference.
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