Should I Pickup Gus Edwards For Fantasy Football Week 17? Waiver Wire Outlook

Baltimore Ravens running back Gus Edwards has been inconsistent this year, causing him to enter the fantasy radar just to fall off of it a week later. However, he's a hot name on the waiver wire after his Week 16 performance, and fantasy managers will exhaust all options in the championship round of the fantasy football playoffs.

Although Edwards doesn't have a workhorse role, he gets plenty of touches, and especially in deep leagues, that's all that matters.

Is Edwards worth picking up ahead of Week 17? Let's find out.

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What Did Gus Edwards Do In Week 16 Fantasy Football?

In the win over the Atlanta Falcons, Edwards rushed 11 times for 99 yards, while J.K. Dobbins rushed 12 times for just 59 yards. On his 37-yard run, he looked as fresh and dynamic as he has all year, so perhaps he's fully healed from all the injuries he's suffered over the past two seasons.

Neither running back scored a touchdown so it wasn't a great fantasy day for them, but it was an ultra-efficient performance for Edwards at 9.9 yards per carry.

Should I Pickup Gus Edwards Off the Waiver Wire in Fantasy Football?

Since Dobbins has come back from a knee injury, Edwards and Dobbins have had a fairly even workload. Dobbins has carried 40 times in those three contests, while Edwards has seen 31 totes. Dobbins has the lone touchdown between the two during that span. However, the red zone touches for the Ravens' running backs are always fluid week-to-week, so both are about equal threats to reach pay dirt in any given game.

Ultimately, the Ravens' Week 17 matchup against the Steelers makes it tough to get super excited about Edwards, though. The Steelers have allowed the 10th-fewest fantasy points to running backs, and if Lamar Jackson (knee) misses yet another game, they'll have next to no incentive to play the pass. That said, there should be plenty of loaded boxes and this doesn't set up for a favorable game for the two Ravens running backs.

In deep leagues, Edwards is a low-end RB3 flex play, but in shallow leagues, there are likely better options available. Most fantasy rosters in the championship likely possess plenty of flex options with higher floors and higher ceilings. Edwards is merely a touchdown-or-bust option, as he's seen just two targets in seven games played this year, meaning he has almost zero receiving upside.

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