The 2019 NFL regular season is merely weeks away. That means fantasy football drafts are beginning to ramp up. Over the years, the Ravens have not exactly been a team that overflowed with viable candidates for fantasy stardom. But that may not be the case in 2019.
The Ravens sport a revamped offensive scheme under new coordinator Greg Roman, some additional talent added via the 2019 NFL draft and free agency, as well as the continued development of young players. That all equals fantasy gold and pretty amazing NFL fantasy football rankings for those looking to keep some Baltimore players on their roster.
Here are three Ravens players that you should be looking to acquire on your league’s draft day.
QB, Lamar Jackson
There may not be a single quarterback in the NFL with more tantalizing upside than Lamar Jackson in 2019. Despite his struggles as a passer in 2018, Jackson was still among the top fantasy performers after he ascended to the starting job for Baltimore thanks to his rushing ability.
There seem to be mixed messages coming out of Baltimore regarding his rushing in 2019. Coach John Harbaugh, when asked if Jackson was likely to challenge Cam Newton’s career-high of 139 rush attempts, told reporters to “take the over“. Meanwhile, owner Steve Bisciotti claimed Jackson wouldn’t run as often this season. But with Jackson adding 7-10 pounds of muscle this offseason, he seems to be gearing up to take more hits in his second season. Either way, it appears certain that Jackson will be using his legs more than the average quarterback this season and this rushing appeal makes him a bargain at his current average-draft-position.
The real question about Jackson is whether he has developed as a passer. From Week 11 onwards last season, Jackson led all quarterbacks in rushing yards but was 23rd in passing yards. He’s since worked this offseason on his mechanics in order to become more consistent and accurate in the passing game. He looked fairly sharp in the Ravens’ first preseason game, completing four of his six pass attempts for 59 yards and a touchdown. New Baltimore safety Earl Thomas has been impressed with what he’s seen from Jackson, telling reporters he’s “dropping dimes” during practice.
Hopefully, he can continue to grow throughout the preseason and develop chemistry with his young and relatively untested pass catchers. If Jackson can do that, fantasy owners will reap the benefits of waiting to take their quarterback. If not, Jackson is still an excellent value thanks to his rushing ability.
RB, Mark Ingram
The Ravens are expected to be among the most run-heavy teams in the NFL this season. Ingram, one of Baltimore’s free-agent acquisitions, is the player expected to lead the team in carries. Yet, he’s not being drafted very early on, with a current ADP in the fourth round. These two facts make him a player that I want on my rosters and you should too.
Ingram was 26th in fantasy points-per-game among all running backs in 2018, despite seeing only 10.4 opportunities (carries and targets) per game. But he’s sure to see more touches this year with the Ravens. His skills as a pass catcher and pass blocker should ensure he remains on the field in passing situations in addition to his heavy workload on early downs.
If Ingram doesn’t see his touches (especially goal-line touches) too badly dented by players like Gus Edwards and Justice Hill, he should have no problem meeting or exceeding his current draft value.
TE, Mark Andrews
All of the Ravens’ tight ends project to play a big role in 2019 but the one who has the most fantasy appeal is clearly Andrews. Andrews enjoyed a successful rookie campaign in 2018, with franchise rookie records in receptions (34) and receiving yards (552).
Andrews was far from an every-down player in 2018, playing only 34.7% of the Ravens snaps. But he was 11th in the league in targets-per-snap, was second among all tight ends in yards-per-target and also yards-per-reception. Andrews was the TE16 in fantasy football between Weeks 11 and 17 when Jackson had taken over the starting role at quarterback.
On average, Andrews’ current NFL fantasy football rankings have him as the 15th TE off the board. That might seem a little pricey considering some question marks at quarterback and Baltimore’s expected run-heavy offensive philosophy but he has a ton of upside. In leagues in which you are allowed to start more than one tight end, as well as tight end premium leagues (leagues that award more than one point per reception), then he’s certainly a worthy candidate as a solid TE2 with the upside of being a TE1 if the passing game clicks around him.
