The Fantasy Six Pack crew is back at it once again. We will be pumping out the (pre-season) fantasy football content all summer, so be sure to look out for all the great content coming soon. To start things off, we will be going team by team. Tonight, we fly off with the Baltimore Ravens in the 2023 Fantasy Football Baltimore Ravens Preview.
Well, the Baltimore Ravens experienced some hiccups last year (to say the least). The Ravens squeaked into the playoffs with a 10-7 record, in which they lost to the Bengals. They did lose Lamar Jackson for the season (controversially) after an 8-4 start. This led to an absolutely bananas off-season for the Ravens.
For a hot minute, we thought Lamar was leaving Baltimore. They (Baltimore) weren't budging on the money, and Lamar wanted to be traded. All that was fluff, as Lamar got his money (highest paid). They even doubled down by beefing up the o-line (Zeitler) and beefing up the receiver group (signed Odell Beckham Jr and drafted Zay Flowers).
Let's also mention that the Ravens have a new offensive coordinator who is there to unlock Lamar Jackson. All of this bodes well for Lamar in fantasy, continue reading the 2023 Fantasy Football Baltimore Ravens Preview for your fix on fantasy content.
2023 Fantasy Football Baltimore Ravens Preview
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Quarterbacks
- Lamar Jackson
- Tyler Huntley
'Let's go into the 2023 season hoping for a healthy season from Lamar Jackson. With that being said, we should all be drafting Lamar Jackson as a top-five QB in fantasy.
In 2022, Lamar Jackson was QB5 before getting a season-ending injury. He had seven QB1 finishes, this includes two No. 1 Quarterback overall finishes. His threat in the running game is fearsome. Lamar was top-10 in all rush categories (carries (5th), carries/game (3rd), Red Zone carries (7th), rush yards (3rd), and rush touchdowns(9th).
Heading into your 2023 drafts, please target Lamar Jackson. Currently being drafted as QB5, you could be getting a Quarterback with the potential to finish No. 1 overall. As I mentioned before, they beefed up the o-line, re-tooled the receiving group, and will be healthy. Not just Lamar, but Ronnie Stanley and JK Dobbins as well.
As for Tyler Huntley, you can leave him on the waiver wire.
Running Backs
Will this be the year we get a full season from J.K. Dobbins?
We are talking about a menace in the running game(when healthy). In 2022, Dobbins averaged 5.7 YPC (8 games). This would be an NFL high, but he didn't play enough games to qualify. In his final four games, Dobbins rushed for 397 yards on 57 carries (6.9 YPC). This was good enough for RB25 in fantasy. As he is currently being drafted as an RB19, Dobbins is right where he belongs (even with a full season).
Dobbins has NFL star written all over him, but fantasy star is a whole other entity. This is something Dobbins will never be, which pains me to say. He will always hover around the mid-low RB2 range. With his 4.2% target share, Dobbins is a ghost in the passing game, which is why he will never be a fantasy "star". In Half-PPR leagues, Dobbins could be a fantastic RB2 and I would be happy leaving the draft with that. As for PPR leagues, I like Dobbins more as a flex option, or rotational piece.
As for Gus Edwards, he can be a worthy late-round draft stash. He rushed for three touchdowns, which was more than Dobbins. Edwards's opportunity share is lower than I like (38.5%; 48th in NFL according to player profiler), but he is still a fine depth piece.
Next up, are the wideouts as we continue the 2023 Fantasy Football Baltimore Ravens Preview.
Wide Receivers
- Odell Beckham Jr.
- Rashod Bateman
- Zay Flowers
- Nelson Agholor
- Devin Duvernay
What a group we got here. We've got a former "star" (Odell Beckham), a prolific rookie (Zay Flowers), an injury-prone sophomore (Rashod Bateman), a savvy veteran (Nelson Agholor), and Devin Duvernay.
Is there even a guy we can trust from this team?
The answer to this is no, but I am intrigued to see what they can bring.
Odell Beckham hasn't played since 2021 and hasn't been fantasy relevant since 2019 (WR25). He has faced multiple serious injuries, but still he prevails. When he played in 2021, Odell had a 41.1% (38th) route win rate according to playerprofiler.com. This is something Lamar needs. A mid-late round pick on Odell would be fantastic, but there will be someone who will fall for the trap and take him way too early. Don't be that guy, let someone else suffer that pain.
As for Rashod Bateman, he is the one that has the highest probability of producing (consistently) for your fantasy teams. Although he is "injury-prone", Bateman still has to be respected. In 2022 he sported an 18% target share (second on Baltimore) and showed off his big-play ability (19.0 Yards Per Reception). In his five games played (2022), Bateman had one WR2 finish (WR13) and two WR3 finishes (WR13 and WR26). If you want someone from this team, take Bateman in the middle rounds. He should be a solid flex option or depth piece.
Zay Flowers (Round 1 pick 22), should be implemented into the offense immediately (based on his draft stock). He was able to garner a sporty 29.6% target share in college. I wouldn't go out of my way to draft him, but he is worth a stash in the late rounds. You can leave Duvernay and Agholor on the waiver wire for now.
Stick with me as we continue the 2023 Fantasy Football Baltimore Ravens Preview. Up next are the Tight Ends.
Tight Ends
This is the position (other than QB) to target on this offense. Mark Andrews is one of the best, if not the second-best fantasy tight end, and his stats prove this.
In 2022, Andrews had his struggles (9 drops; 2nd among Tight Ends) but he still prevailed with a TE4 finish (15 games). He put up nine TE1 finishes, which includes two finishes as the number one tight end. Andrews's run of nine straight games without a TD will never be seen again, you can thank poor QB play and his drop issues on that one.
Mark Andrews was first in target share (29%) and air yards (1109), fourth in Red Zone targets, and fifth in ADOT. As you can see, Andrews is no doubt a top-flight TE for 2023. Can he take the crown back from Kelce? Unlikely, but it has been done before (2021).
Keep that in mind when drafting Andrews, you can also get him at a later price than Kelce.
As for Isaiah Likely, you should be keeping him on your radar. In a limited workload, Likely garnered 60 targets (22nd). He sported a 14.2% target share (18th) and was 12th in Red Zone targets. Isaiah Likely finished as a TE1 on three occasions, so keep that in your tool belt.
The Tight Ends are used prominently in this offense, so a dart throw on Likely wouldn't be a bad idea.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, the Ravens boast a couple of impressive fantasy assets (Jackson and Andrews), some great depth pieces, and a few question marks at Wide Receiver that can turn out. Don't be afraid to take Lamar Jackson before the likes of Justin Fields, Justin Herbert, and even Joe Burrow. Well, folks, that should do it for the 2023 Fantasy Football Baltimore Ravens Preview.
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