NFL Fantasy Preview: Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson (Darron Cummings, Google Images)

In a 32-part series leading up to the start of the 2021 National Football League season, we will take a look at each NFL franchise from a fantasy perspective. The third team we will review is the Baltimore Ravens.

When the Baltimore Ravens made the quarterback switch from Joe Flacco to Lamar Jackson during the 2018 NFL season, there was some genuine apprehension among the Baltimore fanbase. Flacco had guided Baltimore to a Super Bowl title back in 2013, and was widely popular in the Maryland region.

Even though Jackson has won 30 of 37 regular season games with Baltimore over the last three seasons, it is his struggles in the postseason that have been a major topic of conversation. Despite a sensational quarterback rating of 102.6 in the regular season, Jackson only has a quarterback rating of 68.3 in the playoffs.

From a fantasy perspective, owners should be a little concerned about Jackson’s drop in overall play in 2020 compared to 2019, when he was the NFL MVP. Heading into last year, you could make the argument that Jackson was the number one fantasy quarterback, but at the end of the season, he dropped to number nine. In 2020, Jackson had 10 fewer touchdown passes compared to a year before (26 compared to 36), 370 fewer passing yards (2757 compared to 3127), three more interceptions (nine compared to six), and 201 fewer rushing yards (1005 compared to 1206, which is a NFL single-season record for most rushing yards by a quarterback).

Still one must realize that by Jackson running the football as much as he does in Baltimore, the Ravens’ other offensive weapons around him have less value. J.K. Dobbins is the 16th top running back in fantasy, and would probably be closer to 10th, if Jackson had fewer carries. One must also realize that Gus Edwards is an above-average backup running back, who will eat into Dobbins’s workload.

Due to the fact the Ravens run the ball frequently, it is not worth time and energy to select a Ravens wide receiver until the later rounds. Marquise Brown is the highest-ranked Ravens receiver at number 39.

If you are looking to draft a Baltimore catching option, you might want to consider tight end Mark Andrews, who is the fourth-best tight end in fantasy. In 2020, he had 58 catches for 701 yards and seven touchdowns. However, just like Jackson, Andrews saw a drop in his statistical value from the year before.

When it comes to defense, the Ravens are among the NFL’s elite units, and have been for a while. There is a lot to be excited over linebacker Patrick Queen, who at the age of 21, already led the Ravens last season in combined tackles (106).

You cannot forget about their opera-singing kicker in Justin Tucker. Yes, Tucker may kick in cooler conditions, but you cannot ignore the fact he has made 90.7% of his field goal attempts since joining the Ravens in 2012. Tucker is ranked sixth in the kicker rankings.

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