Gus Edwards Injury Update Sends Ty'Son Williams and Le'Veon Bell Fantasy Outlooks Skyrocketing

Ty'Son Williams and Le'Veon Bell both see massive increases to their fantasy outlook after Gus Edwards has possibly suffered a torn ACL.
Ty'Son Williams and Le'Veon Bell both see massive increases to their fantasy outlook after Gus Edwards has possibly suffered a torn ACL. / Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
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The Baltimore Ravens' string of terrible luck with running back injuries continues. After J.K. Dobbins and Justice Hill both suffered season-ending injuries, presumed lead back Gus Edwards is now feared to have torn his ACL at practice on Thursday.

This is brutal news for fantasy football managers who drafted Edwards, but it makes Ty'Son Williams and Le'Veon Bell both must-roster players in fantasy football.

Gus Edwards Backup

An undrafted free agent in 2020, Williams spent most of his rookie season on the practice squad. Head coach John Harbaugh had said that he was going to get the first crack at the RB2 role behind Edwards after Dobbins got hurt, so he's likely in line for the first shot at the lead back role now as well.

We haven't seen what Williams can do at the NFL level, but he did explode for 130 yards on just 24 carries in the 2021 preseason, adding 8 receptions on 8 targets.

And really, if the Ravens' coaching staff is confident enough to give him lead-back volume, that's all we need to know for fantasy football. Dobbins (RB17) and Edwards (RB28) were both top-30 running backs in standard scoring last year, and Mark Ingram (RB8) was a top-10 back in 2019. This offense will generate fantasy goodness at the running back position.

And that is, of course, why a likely washed-up Le'Veon Bell is suddenly an incredibly valuable fantasy football asset again.

He averaged just 4.0 yards per carry with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020 after averaging 3.3 in 17 games with the New York Jets. But getting significant rushing volume while also likely having the inside track on leading the backfield on passing downs puts him in a great spot. And if the unproven Williams struggles, Bell could start to really dominate the volume in this backfield.

Trenton Cannon Fantasy

The other wild card in the equation is Trenton Cannon. Cannon hasn't stuck on an NFL roster since being drafted by the New York Jets in 2018, but he's a versatile playmaker (48 carries to 20 receptions in his NFL career) who could be a dark horse to earn some receiving work, especially if Bell is truly washed.

Cannon isn't worth an add in anything except deep leagues right now, but he's someone you should keep your eye on as a potential waiver wire add if he starts to see some significant volume.

Both Williams and Bell are must-roster players, and if either are on your waiver wire you need to go add them right now.


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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.