Fantasy football: Dawn of a new day for Ravens’ J.K. Dobbins, Kenyan Drake

Hype can be fun. But often it leads to disappointment. When something is hyped too much, expectations become too grand to realistically deliver.

Think: the most recent “Star Wars” trilogy. The entire world was super-excited. Then “Force Awakens” came out, and most were satisfied. But then “Last Jedi” left many concerned. And “Rise of Skywalker” turned the fan base on its head. A few years later, there was more love for the new “Dune” than “Star Wars.”

Well, J.K. Dobbins is having a “Star Wars” moment. And Kenyan Drake is his “Dune.”

Like “Star Wars,” Dobbins’ breakout had been long anticipated, but repeatedly delayed by injury. When he finally made his season debut in Week 4, he was fine — 13-for-41 rushing and 4-for-22 receiving, with two total touchdowns. It wasn’t as technically impressive as hoped, but it delivered.

Then came Week 5. His efficiency rose a bit (8-for-44 rushing), but he failed to score. So though technically a better performance, it didn’t deliver what fantasy critics and fans wanted.

Finally, we have Sunday: Dobbins’ “Skywalker” plummet. His carries were down (seven) and his yardage took a dive (15) with again no role in the passing game. So after his “Force Awakens” 22.3 PPR debut, he has followed with games of 4.4 and 1.5. That is the-emperor-has-returned-somehow level bad.

There is a wrinkle that coincides with this collapse of Dobbins enthusiasm, and that is the return of Drake. He was entirely unimpressive in Weeks 1-2 before being inactive for Weeks 3-4, after a lackluster 2021 season in Vegas. So why on Earth would this outdated Kenyan Drake idea get in Dobbins’ way? Drake was, after all, more 1984 “Dune” than the “2021” reimagining.

Only, Drake looks reimagined. Week 5 was nothing to see, other than he had replaced Justice Hill as Dobbins’ backup. Then came Sunday: 10 carries, 119 yards, one touchdown.

Even in good times with marquee RBs, you can’t expect that type of efficiency. But it isn’t just the efficiency, it is Drake’s share of the work.

Remember, Dobbins had just seven carries. And he gained just 15 yards. So while Dobbins barely topped 2 yards per carry, Drake was averaging 11.9 against the same defense.

Now, be aware, this could be a hot-hand anomaly, and next week Dobbins could get 65 percent of the workload again. That is possible. But is it reasonable to think that will be the Ravens’ initial plan?

Drake looked like the better back this past week, by a lot. Would John Harbaugh and the coaching staff ignore that completely? Plan for next week without taking last week into account whatsoever?

The Madman thinks the Ravens are too smart to turn a blind eye to game film. We expect Drake to get more opportunities next week than he would have otherwise, then more later if he does well again.

Put simply: Drake earned the opportunity for a sequel. His “Dune” franchise might have legs, while Dobbins’ “Star Wars” run might get put on hold.