Ravens RB Justice Hill delivered 2 rushing TDs in Sunday's win over the Texans. His 8 carries tied J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards for the team lead, with 7 of those coming after Dobbins suffered a torn Achilles' tendon. Hill managed just 9 yards on his 8 attempts, splitting work evenly with Edwards after Dobbins went down. Edwards took his 8 carries for 32 yards and added a two-point conversion run. The two appear likely to split the backfield going forward, and we'd bet on the Ravens adding another RB.
Ravens S Marcus Williams injured his left shoulder in Sunday's game against the Texans and was ruled out shortly thereafter. We'll see about the severity. Williams lost seven games to a dislocated wrist last year, his first with Baltimore.
Ravens TE Mark Andrews (quad) is officially inactive for today’s game vs. the Texans. That leaves Isaiah Likely as Baltimore’s lead TE. In two games without Andrews and with QB Lamar Jackson last season, Likely registered a 20% target share and receiving lines of 7-77-1 and 1-24-1. He’s in a new offense this year with more target competition for Baltimore’s WRs. But Likely still looks like a lower-end TE1 option for Week 1. Andrews’ absence also moves Rashod Bateman, Zay Flowers, and Odell Beckham up the WR rankings.
On Saturday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported that Ravens TE Mark Andrews "is not likely to play" in Week 1 vs. the Texans. The veteran has dealt with a quad issue for a while and logged limited practice all week leading up to the 2023 season opener. Fantasy managers looking for a replacement should jump on the waiver wire now. Backup TE Isaiah Likely is an appealing option of note, as he's now the TE10 in our Week 1 rankings. Check those out before making a final decision.
Ravens TE Mark Andrews (quad) was limited in practice all week and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s opener vs. the Texans. HC John Harbaugh has been coy on Andrews’ status all week. We’re tentatively projecting him to play on Sunday, but check back around 11:30 am ET for Baltimore’s inactives.
Ravens TE Mark Andrews (quad) remained limited in Thursday's practice. He's seemingly on track to play in this weekend's opener vs. the Texans, but check back tomorrow for another update on his status.
Ravens TE Mark Andrews (quad) was limited in Wednesday's practice. He's reportedly been dealing with this issue for about a week now, but the limited practice early in the week seemingly puts Andrews on track to play vs. the Texans on Sunday.
Ravens TE Mark Andrews has missed the last six practices with an undisclosed injury, according to ESPN's Jamison Hensley. Andrews is expected back on Wednesday for Baltimore's first official practice ahead of Week 1. “We’re still on 'don’t push the panic button',” HC John Harbaugh said. We're not adjusting Andrews' season-long or Week 1 projections right now but will keep a close eye on him heading into Sunday's opener vs. the Texans.
Ravens GM Eric DeCosta gushed about QB Lamar Jackson's standing heading into the season opener. "Lamar’s attitude has been excellent this year," DeCosta said. "I think last year was a challenging year for a lot of reasons, obviously, just where he was with his contract. This year, his enthusiasm has been fantastic. He’s throwing the ball very, very well. He’s been able to build a great rapport with the WRs very, very quickly. He’s taking care of his body. He seems really into the offense – he's excited about it. He has an awesome relationship with his coaches, and he worked very hard this offseason." With a pass-happier OC and significantly upgraded WR corps, Jackson's 2023 fantasy upside extends to the top of the QB position.
The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec writes that Ravens RB Justice Hill's stock is up. "You no longer should be asking whether Hill is a lock to make the team," Zrebiec adds. "It’s probably more pertinent to ask whether he’ll have a notable role on offense. He’s earned it with how he’s practiced this summer and played in the preseason." Hill has turned six preseason touches into 86 total yards, while playing ahead of RB Gus Edwards in the first exhibition. We still don't expect Hill to have tangible fantasy value behind a healthy RB J.K. Dobbins. But Hill might be the Ravens RB to own if Dobbins misses time.
The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec believes Ravens RB Justice Hill is “set” in the RB3 role. Zrebiec thinks it’s down to Melvin Gordon and rookie Keaton Mitchell -- if Baltimore keeps four RBs. Gordon’s made a “compelling case” to make the team, although Mitchell brings more "speed and explosiveness" (plus special teams potential). We should see both guys suit up for tonight's preseason tilt with Washington.
Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey had surgery Wednesday for a nagging issue. "It's been a lingering thing and they took a look at it and said ... 'That's something we want to take care of now instead of waiting,'" HC John Harbaugh said Wednesday, according to the team website. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the team hopes Humphrey will return "in a little over a month." He adds that Humphrey will likely miss the "first couple games." We'll watch for more on Humphrey's expected return as it draws closer. But one of our highest-projected CBs is falling down the IDP rankings. Baltimore is signing CB Ronald Darby to a one-year deal to help a banged-up secondary. Starting CB Rock Ya-Sin is dealing with a knee issue but expected back soon. A couple of reserve corners are also expected back soon from minor issues.
Ravens WR Zay Flowers' impressive August has continued in joint practices against the Commanders this week. “He showed me he can do it against anybody else, not just our team,” QB Lamar Jackson said after Tuesday's practice. “He was making some crazy moves, great route running, great in and out of his cuts, and he was catching the ball, so he was looking pretty good out there." It continues to look like Flowers is ready to make an immediate impact -- and potentially even lead Ravens WRs in fantasy points this season.
Ravens HC John Harbaugh likes what he's seen from WR Rashod Bateman (foot) in his first couple of practices since being activated from the PUP list. “I think we'll see as we go, but it's very promising right now," Harbaugh said. "He looked good to me, and I'm excited to see him out there. Obviously, it's big for us.” Bateman missed a ton of reps in new OC Todd Monken's offense this spring and summer. But he still has a month to go before the start of the season. We'll continue to keep a close eye on his health and standing in the offense.
The Ravens have activated WR Rashod Bateman from the physically unable to perform list, according to ESPN's Jamison Hensley. Bateman missed the first 12 practices of training camp while working back from the foot injury that ended his 2022 early. Bateman had an offseason setback that required a cortisone injection. We'll see how he progresses through the rest of August. Bateman has moved down our WR rankings since the start of camp, though.
The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec tweeted on Monday that Ravens WR Rashod Bateman was seen running on a side field at practice. This is the first time Bateman, who remains on the PUP list while recovering from offseason foot surgery, was seen doing such activity. Zrebiec also noted that Bateman was "moving pretty well," which may signal a potential return to workouts with the team. This isn't a massive update by any means, but when paired with HC John Harbaugh's comments at the end of last week that Bateman might be back soon, it's intriguing, if nothing else. Bateman's absence has (to some degree) allowed for the spotlight to be focused on rookie WR Zay Flowers in camp. As Flowers' star ascends, Bateman's appeal in fantasy continues to dwindle. We'll continue to monitor this situation as more information becomes available. Check out where Bateman sits in our current WR rankings.
On Monday, the Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec wrote a glowing endorsement of Ravens WR Zay Flowers. Zrebiec pens, "It's hard to watch Flowers torch cornerbacks in one-on-ones with his quickness and suddenness and get targeted regularly in full-team sessions and not conclude that he'll have a significant offensive role." This report comes mere days after NBC's Peter King called Flowers his "most impressive rookie I have seen in six camps" he's visited this offseason. The former Boston College standout sits barely within the top 50 at the WR position in ADP. However, that may change as long as this drumbeat grows louder and teammate Rashod Bateman continues to miss time recovering from foot surgery. The Ravens' offense stands to throw the ball with greater frequency under new OC Todd Monken. If Flowers is one of the main focal points of this attack, he'll be a great value pick in 2023 drafts. See where Flowers slots in our current WR rankings.
Ravens HC John Harbaugh said WR Rashod Bateman “has a chance to be out there pretty soon.” It’s not much of an update…but we’ll take it. The former Round 1 pick hasn’t practiced at training camp due to a foot injury. See how low he sits in our WR rankings.
NBC's Peter King made the Ravens the sixth training camp he has visited this week and had this to say afterward: "The most impressive rookie I have seen in six camps in Zay Flowers. Why? He lines up across from a corner, and unless they literally interfere with him or hold him, he has tremendous separation on almost every cut." Flowers remains low in WR4 territory in ADP. That's higher than he currently sits in our WR rankings, across formats. But we expect the Baltimore offense to lean a lot more toward the pass than it has in the past. We can only guess at just how high that pass rate will climb. And we can only guess at how a renovated WR corps will spread the target shares. There's plenty of room for Flowers to outperform our ranking and his ADP. We're in on him as a player and the Ravens as a high-upside offense this year.
The Bears are signing Edge Yannick Ngakoue to a one-year, $10.5 million deal, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. He spent 2022 with the Colts after being traded by the Raiders. Ngakoue totaled 19.5 sacks over the past two seasons but has exceeded 10 just once in seven pro seasons. He has also topped 30 total tackles just once, back in 2017. Ngakoue has primarily been a low-impact IDP factor, especially since leaving the Jaguars (after 2019). He should, at least, step into a starting gig in Chicago. There's upside for deeper big-play leagues.
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