The 2-0 Baltimore Ravens will take on the 2-0 Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, in what is undoubtedly the most anticipated game on the entire Week 3 slate. Considering that the Ravens lead the NFL in yards and points, and the Chiefs are third and fourth in those categories, this game is a positive gold mine of potential fantasy goodness.
To help gear you up for fantasy football in Week 3, I’ve gone over some of the Ravens you might have on your fantasy team. Here, I’ll offer my thoughts on players to start, and players to sit this week.
START – QB, Lamar Jackson
This probably goes without saying, but you’d be mad to even consider going into your Week 3 fantasy matchups with Lamar Jackson on your bench. He has simply been a fantasy superstar through the opening two weeks of the season. Jackson leads all quarterbacks in fantasy points, passing touchdowns, and rushing yards.
This one projects to be something of a shootout, and while the Chiefs were able to impose their defensive will upon the Raiders in Week 2 they did allow a combination of Nick Foles and Gardner Minshew to score 26 points in Week 1. It’s also worth mentioning that the Chiefs allowed 5.2 yards per rush attempt to quarterbacks last season.
This is will likely be the sternest test of the season for Jackson and the Ravens. But he hasn’t let anyone down yet, and I don’t expect him to start now.
START – TE, Mark Andrews
If we can start Jackson with confidence, then the same principle must extend to his most reliable target. Mark Andrews has reeled in 16 of his 17 targets so far this season and has amassed 220 yards with a touchdown in each game.
He’s still not playing every down for the Ravens, as evidenced by his 47.2% snap share through two games. But Andrews is being used when he is on the field. His target per snap rate of 25.4% is No.2 among all tight ends.
Stopping opposing tight ends has been something of an issue for the Chiefs going back to 2018. They allowed an average of 5.2 receptions and 65.2 receiving yards per game to the position last season, as well as a league-leading ten receiving touchdowns. Tight ends have reeled in 17 of 21 targets against the Chiefs this season so far, although they are yet to let a tight end score a touchdown. This may well change come Sunday.
START – WR, Marquise Brown
Last week, I advised caution with regards throwing Marquise Brown into fantasy lineups based solely on his Week 1 form. Yes, he had been excellent against the Dolphins. But I wanted to see him emerge as a more regular part of the offense, and not a boom/bust play. Well, in Week 2, he did just that.
Brown played on 67.1% of the Ravens snaps against the Cardinals and ran 27 routes as opposed to his 15.3% snap share and six routes against Miami. He responded to this increased workload with eight receptions for 86 yards. Brown is currently the No.3 wide receiver in terms of yards after the catch, with 115 of his 233 yards coming once he has secured the ball.
If we are to assume that the Ravens will be forced to air the ball out against the Chiefs, then Brown should be in for another big day. He has one of the best wide receiver v cornerback matchups of the entire week, according to Pro Football Focus. They give him a 33% advantage over his opponent, Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward.
SIT – RB, Mark Ingram
In an ideal world, you would think that the Ravens would like to lean on their ground game against the Chiefs and limit the amount of time Patrick Mahomes has on the field. While I’m sure they would dearly like to do this, the high flying nature of the Chiefs offense makes it unlikely to happen.
This would mean that Mark Ingram’s role would be significantly reduced. Ingram is the current leader in the Ravens backfield, with a 35% share of the team rushing attempts propelling him to 154 yards and two touchdowns. But he has played little to no part in the Ravens passing game. He has just two targets through two games.
The Chiefs have only faced 31 rush attempts from running backs so far this season, as teams inevitably look to keep pace with their offense through the air. This makes Ingram a risky proposition for the week ahead. If you can find someone else, I’d go with them.
SIT – Ravens D/ST
In a game that projects to be something of a shootout, you are probably not going to be considering the Ravens DEF as a starting option this week.
Despite not allowing a passing touchdown last week, the Ravens secondary was lit up to the tune of 349 passing yards by rookie Kyler Murray. Murray was making only his second NFL start, of course. Patrick Mahomes, and his cadre of speedy wide receivers, not to mention tight Travis Kelce, could be a much tougher proposition.
Indeed, Mahomes has thrown multiple touchdown passes in each of his last 13 games, two behind the all-time record for such a streak. He has completed 71.4% of his pass attempts so far this season, with seven touchdown passes and zero interceptions. Look elsewhere for your starting defense this week.
