Fantasy football championships are, on the whole, won thanks to the players you invested early-round selections on. But that doesn’t mean that fantasy owners should sit back after the fifth round, hit “auto draft” and just make do. You never know when injury, suspension or a complete loss of form may strike any player on your team. A healthy bench can be the key to turning a possibly lost season into a triumphant one.
With that in mind, here are three players on the Ravens who are currently available late in drafts who may be called upon at some stage in the season. You may be very glad you took them when you did.
RB, Justice Hill
The Ravens project to be one of the most run-heavy offenses in the NFL in 2019. Quarterback Lamar Jackson and free-agent acquisition Mark Ingram are expected to handle the bulk of the carries for the team.
There are question marks as to just how often Jackson will carry the ball after his 147 carries as a rookie. Plus Ingram will be 30 years old during the season and has never handled more than 230 carries in a season. These factors, plus the mentality of the offense, make Justice Hill a name to consider at his current 12th-round ADP.
Hill offers speed and burst, after posting a 4.40 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine. He was a productive rusher in his three seasons at Oklahoma State, rushing for 3,539 yards and 30 touchdowns. But he also showed considerable skills as a pass-catcher. Hill caught 31 passes for 190 yards in his sophomore season.
Hill should start the season as the clear backup to Ingram, while maybe stealing some of the work on passing downs as a receiver out of the backfield. This role is unlikely to give him standalone fantasy value at this point. But should anything happen to Ingram, or the Ravens are forced to pass more often than projected, then Hill could certainly make some noise.
WR, Miles Boykin
Marquise Brown was the first wide receiver taken in this year’s NFL Draft. His big-play potential (he averaged 17.6 yards-per-reception for Oklahoma) ensured he attracted a fair amount of attention during the offseason. But injury has prevented him from taking the field, with Brown only just being activated from the PUP list and having yet to take any snaps in a preseason game. In his absence, fellow rookie wide receiver Miles Boykin has been drawing attention and praise for his quick chemistry with Jackson and play in the preseason.
Boykin announced himself to the NFL Combine as an athletic freak, boasting a rare combination of speed (he clocked a 4.42 40-yard dash) and athleticism in spite of his 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame. He posted a 94th percentile SPARQ-x score of 125.6. Boykin also flashed during one particular drive of the Ravens first preseason game against the Jaguars, with back to back receptions and a great touchdown grab that sadly didn’t count.
Boykin is an afterthought in fantasy drafts at present and is not even being taken in the majority of them. His value is more weighted towards dynasty leagues at the moment, in the hope Jackson is able to develop enough as a passer in order to make use of Boykin’s skill set. The fact that the Ravens don’t project to throw an awful lot limits his, and every other Baltimore pass catcher’s fantasy appeal in 2019. But Boykin is a name to consider, especially in leagues with deep bench spots.
TE, Hayden Hurst
If there is to be a tight end breakout among the Ravens this season, then the smart money would seem to be on the man in question being Mark Andrews. Andrews did flash as a rookie, with 34 receptions for 552 yards and three touchdowns last year. But the Ravens did select another tight end before him in 2018 in Hayden Hurst and people seem to be sleeping on him. This is true in real life, as well as fantasy football.
Hurst was an older rookie coming into 2018 and injury wrecked most of his first season. Hurst only played in nine games, catching 13 passes for 163 yards. But Hurst has been fit and well in camp, performing “like a first-round pick.” One has to remember that he was a first-round pick and that high draft picks are usually given more chances than those taken later. This may lead to his seeing more playing time than Andrews, especially considering his skills as a blocker, and thus perhaps more opportunities to catch passes.
Hurst is another Ravens pass-catcher that is getting no love from the fantasy community. He is not currently being drafted, with his teammate Andrews finding a home by the middle of the 13th round. A lack of volume will likely hinder Hurst, Andrews and pretty much every receiver on the Ravens roster in 2019. But Hurst is a name to monitor in deep leagues, especially those with a tight end premium scoring set up.
