Fantasy Football 2018: Top 10 waiver wire Week 12 pickups

Baltimore Ravens RB Gus Edwards

The Baltimore Ravens would like to have an imposing rushing attack this season, but the barrier has always been a lack of talent in the backfield. For the most part, Alex Collins has operated as the team’s lead back, and while he’s good for a few touchdowns, he’s mostly a plodder who isn’t efficient enough to control games.

Backup Javorius Allen is barely worth rostering, and while the Ravens have ostensibly tried to replace him by acquiring Ty Montgomery in a trade with the Green Bay Packers, Montgomery did not register a touch in his Ravens debut last week.

Enter Gus Edwards. The undrafted free agent out of Rutgers became the latest UDFA to make a splash at the running back position, as he dazzled against the Cincinnati Bengals defense in Week 11 with 115 rushing yards on 17 carries.

Edwards chipped in a touchdown and finished the game with a robust 6.8 yards per carry average. While that performance may have been a fluke, the Ravens have to take the “hot hand” approach with Edwards and let him run with the starting job. It’s hard to envision him being worse than either Collins or Allen, who may both be rendered obsolete in fantasy leagues, unless if Collins can keep vulturing scores in deeper leagues.

The Ravens will face the Oakland Raiders in Week 12, and it looks like both Jackson and Edwards could be great starts, pending Joe Flacco’s injury status.