FullTime Fantasy

Facebook-f X-twitter Instagram Youtube

Tag: Baltimore Ravens

Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 11

Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 11 We need redemption after last week’s clunker. Fortunately, this week’s Thursday tilt featured two contenders from the tough AFC North. The FullTime Fantasy Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 11 breaks down the fantasy and

Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 11

We need redemption after last week’s clunker. Fortunately, this week’s Thursday tilt featured two contenders from the tough AFC North. The FullTime Fantasy Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 11 breaks down the fantasy and sports betting prospects for the Bengals versus Ravens slugfest.

The road through the AFC playoffs currently goes through Baltimore. John Harbaugh’s Ravens boast an AFC-best 7-3 mark and will be amped to right the ship after a last-second loss to Cleveland in Week 10. Baltimore’s +113 point differential is the best in the league and the club is preparing for this game as if it were a postseason contest.

Meanwhile, the Bengals are also coming off of an emotional home loss to a Texans team that Baltimore easily handled in Week 1. The Bengals got off to a rough start thanks to Joe Burrow’s calf injury. But Zac Taylor’s had won four straight before Week 10. One of Cincinnati’s losses came to Baltimore, so the Bengals will be extra motivated to even the score.

Baltimore opened as a slight favorite. However, the line has shifted to the Bengals currently listed as 3.5-point underdogs. And the opening total of the game was 43.5.

Matchup 

TEAM OFFENSE PASS RUSH YDS/PLAY POINTS
Cincinnati Bengals 27 16 32 23 20
Baltimore Ravens 4 20 1 5 5

It is quite unusual to see the Bengals sporting a bottom-tier offense. But most of those struggles can be attributed to Joe Burrow’s preseason calf strain. The Bengals scored one of zero touchdowns in three of their first four games- the main culprit in that 1-3 start.

However, things have drastically turned around since that 34-20 drubbing of the Cardinals. Burrow has been the fantasy QB4 over the last four games. Also, the running game has struggled all season. Cincinnati is running for an NFL-worst 74.8 yards per game. Facing the NFL’s top run defense, don’t expect those numbers to improve on Thursday.

While the Ravens rank fourth in the NFL in offense, their performance has fallen flat. Todd Monken’s high-octane passing attack hasn’t come to fruition. Instead, Baltimore is back to being an old-school Ravens’ offense that leads the league in rushing.

Also, Baltimore’s defense ranks fourth overall while leading the league in fewest points allowed. The Ravens have won four of their last five when hosting the Bengals. Another victory would seriously hamper Cincinnati’s postseason hopes.

Finally, weather shouldn’t be a factor. Gametime temperatures are projected to be 52 degrees with less than a 10% chance of showers.

Cincinnati Offense 

Cincinnati’s passing game has improved at the same rate as Joe Burrow‘s recovery…

How will Thursday’s Bengals vs. Ravens game go?

To get Jody’s BEST BET and finish reading this content…

USE CODE: BLITZ50 FOR 50% OFF your first TWO MONTHS! —OR— Use save20 for 20% off our 6-month package!

DEADLINE THIS FRIDAY.

GO PRO! Join FullTime Fantasy.

NFL Week 1 Texans at Ravens: DFS & Fantasy Preview

Lamar Jackson Baltimore Ravens

NFL Week 1 Texans at Ravens: DFS & Fantasy Preview Betting Line: Ravens – 9.5 Over/Under: 44.0 Baltimore has a primo matchup for their offense in Week 1, and Lamar Jackson has a much better receiving corps heading into 2023. Zay Flower has been getting plenty of hype in training camp for his speed and quickness, and Rashod Bateman looks ready to shine out of the gate. The Ravens have a stud tight end (Mark Andrews) with plenty of firepower at the position off the bench. Baltimore will run the ball a lot against Houston’s run defense, which ranked poorly in 2022. The Texans stroll into this matchup with a high-upside rookie quarterback (C.J. Stroud). They upgraded their tight end position in the offseason by signing Dalton Schultz. Houston has a young group of wideouts – Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and John Metchie that will give defenses fits as the season progresses. With Baltimore expected to have success scoring, the Texans will have to air the ball out to stay in the game. Note: The fantasy points per $1,000 are based on the early projections for Week 1. The above grid shows the top players excepted to contribute in Week 1 in the fantasy games. I listed each player’s salary at DraftKings and FanDuel, plus their fantasy points expected per $1,000 of salary invested. In GPP (grand prize pools) events, the goal is to find players with a chance to score four times their salary at DraftKings ($50,000 salary cap and three times at FanDuel ($60,000 salary cap).  Houston Texans C.J. Stroud Stroud makes his first start in the NFL vs. Ravens defense that ranked 26th in passing yards allowed while minimizing the damage in passing TDs (20). Baltimore did get after the quarterback (48 sacks) in 2022. Over his final 25 starts at Ohio State, Stroud threw 85 touchdown passes with only 12 interceptions. He offered minimal value in the run game. Houston has some intriguing young wide receivers that should help move the chains. Baltimore had a top-tier run defense last year, pointing to the Texans needing to finish drives with passing touchdowns in the red zone. I don’t see a difference-maker gain by Stroud. He needs about 250 passing yards and three scores to pay off. I expect him to be on a low percentage of rosters, making him worth a dart or two. Dameon Pierce Pierce played well in his rookie season (220/939/4 with 30 catches for 165 yards and one touchdown), but he was worthless in the fantasy market after Week 10 (55/167/1 with eight catches for 39 yards) while missing the final four games with an ankle injury. His pass-protecting skills are below par, pointing to Pierce standing on the sideline on passing downs. Houston will rotate in a second back, limiting the ceiling of Pierce. A top run defense should limit his scoring upside. Pierce almost needs 100 yards rushing and two scores to pay off. I have him in my fade column in the DFS market in Week 1 Devin Singletary Most Dameon Pierce supporters don’t respect Singletary. He’s gained over 1,000 combined yards in back-to-back seasons with the high-scoring Bills.  Singletary averaged 38.7 catches over the past three seasons with some value in scoring (14 combined touchdowns in 2021 and 2022). Game flow may favor him in this matchup. He scored over 18.00 fantasy points in PPR formats twice last season.  Nice Collins In the early draft season, Collins ranked 54th at wide receiver, translating to just over 7.00 fantasy points in PPR leagues last year.  He has three career scores over his 24 games with Houston while averaging 2.9 catches for 39 yards.  Last year, Collins scored more than 15.00 fantasy points in one game (5/49/1). His size (6’4” and 215 lbs.) gives Stroud a big target at the goal line, and Collins worked more as a big play receiver (17.8 yards per catch) in college. He needs the best game of his career to be winning play. I’ll pass due to Houston expected to rotate in four wideouts plus service Dalton Schultz with targets at tight end. Robert Woods Veteran wide receiver with an excellent three-year run with the Rams from 2018 to 2020 (86/1,219/6, 90/1,134/2, and 90/936/6). Wood also had success rushing the ball (266/3,289/14) over this span. A torn ACL cost him eight games in 2021, followed by a quiet year with the Titans (53/527/2). At age 31, his best days are behind him. Woods has the resume and experience to post a 5/50/1 game that works for his Week 1 salary. More of a gamble than a winning play in the DFS market. John Metchie The Texans drafted Metchie in the second round in 2022, but he missed all of last season with a battle with promyelocytic leukemia. The year off did help him recover from a torn ACL with Alabama. In his best season in college, Metchie caught 96 balls for 1,142 yards and eight scores on 133 targets.  His stock should rise as the second moves on, but without a starting job, he would only be a flier in the DFS market. Tank Dell Dell was a beast over his final two seasons (90/1,329/12 and 109/1,398/17) at Houston.  His skill set and quickness point to a slot role with the Texans in his rookie year. Dell is undersized (5’8” and 165 lbs.), but he looks ready to handle the next step in his career. Dell had a 5/65/1 game in the preseason before being limited with a slight hamstring issue. For someone looking for a $3,000 salary savior at DraftKings, he should have the opportunity to be a winning play based on game flow. Dalton Schultz Schultz blossomed into a top-12 tight end over the past three seasons at Dallas (63/615/4, 78/808/8, and 57/577/5). The Texans’ tight ends had 77 catches for 959 yards and eight touchdowns on 130 targets in 2022. Schultz scored 19.00 fantasy points or more in three (19.10, 24.60,

2023 Baltimore Ravens Outlook

Lamar Jackson Baltimore Ravens

2023  Baltimore Ravens Outlook The 2023 NFL season is right around the corner and that means fantasy football drafts are underway. Before you assemble your championship dynasty, redraft, or high-stakes squad, FullTime Fantasy members will have an in-depth, player-by-player preview

2023  Baltimore Ravens Outlook

The 2023 NFL season is right around the corner and that means fantasy football drafts are underway. Before you assemble your championship dynasty, redraft, or high-stakes squad, FullTime Fantasy members will have an in-depth, player-by-player preview of all 32 teams from football legend Shawn Childs.

Also, check out Jody Smith’s NFL offensive line rankings and exclusive 2023 Strength of Schedule analysis.

Up next in our extensive NFL and fantasy football preview series is Shawn’s deep dive into the 2023 Baltimore Ravens Outlook.

— Offense —

The foundation of the Ravens’ game plan and attack remains the same. They want to run the ball as much as possible while playing well on the defensive side of the ball. Baltimore ran the ball 51.9% of the time in 2022 while averaging 30.9 carries per game. They finished 22nd in combined yards. In 2022, their passing game showed more promise (4,267 yards). This may be a hint of more passes this season, helped by the additions at wide receiver in the offseason.

— Quarterback —

Lamar Jackson

After gaining over 1,000 yards rushing in 2019 (1,206) and 2020 (1,005) with an edge in rushing touchdowns (14), Jackson missed five games in back-to-back years. He was on pace for 1,087 and 1,082 rushing yards if he played 17 games in 2021 and 2022. In his career, Jackson has averaged 63 rushing yards over 70 contests. 

His peak total in pass attempts (401 – 26.7 per game) came in 2019 over 15 starts. In 2021, he was on pace to throw 541 passes (31.8 per game). Jackson struggled to deliver rushing touchdowns in 2021 (2) and 2022 (3). That lowered his ceiling in fantasy points. He only needs 1,673 more rushing yards to pass Michael Vick (6,109 – 143 games) for the most in NFL history. 

Jackson busted out of the gate over the first three weeks last season with 992 combined yards (749/10 passing) with a dozen scores. Over his next eight complete games, he averaged only 185 passing yards on 29.3 attempts. That’s a modest 6.3 yards per attempt figure. Jackson also scored only once on the ground over this span.

Fantasy Outlook: Jackson’s success and fantasy value start with impact yards on the ground. He must regain his lost momentum in rushing touchdowns to push higher in the quarterback rankings. The Ravens look to have the most receiving depth since Jackson arrived on the scene, pointing to a career-high in his passing output. He ranks sixth at quarterback in the early draft season in the high-stakes market. His ceiling looks to be 4,500 combined yards with 35 scores. And I view Jackson as reasonably priced. My only advice is to add a second quarterback of value to protect against a season-ending knee injury. 

Other Options: Tyler Huntley, Anthony Brown, Nolan Henderson

— Running Backs —

The Ravens’ running backs remain active in touchdowns over the past three seasons (16, 16, and 15). They continue to have a low ranking in the receiving categories, highlighted by their receiving yards (267 – 31st) and yards per catch (5.5 – 31st). Last year, their backs averaged 20.48 fantasy points in PPR leagues. Lamar Jackson steals many chances in the run game, and his pass attempts tend to be low in most matchups. This creates a lower ceiling for the Ravens’ running backs.

J.K. Dobbins

Baltimore stole Dobbins in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Dobbins brings a fighter’s mentality to the ground game with strength in his runs. He aims to drive the ball forward with quickness and vision, with against-the-grain cuts. He’ll take a hit and lose his balance, but Dobbins finds a way to stay upright on many plays while offering a stiff arm.

While playing in a great system at Ohio State, Dobbins looked elite in his freshman year (1,538 combined yards with eight touchdowns and 22 catches on 216 touches), seeing about 55% of the running back opportunity. His game regressed in 2018 (1,316 combined yards with 12 touchdowns and 26 catches) due to Mike Weber (172/954/5) outplaying Dobbins on many days. In 2019, Dobbins regained his bounce in his step, which led to a high volume opportunity (301/2,003/21 plus 23 catches for 247 yards and two touchdowns).

Over the first six games in 2020, Dobbins only averaged six touches per game. This resulted in 228 combined yards and two touchdowns and 11 catches. His opportunity became fantasy relevant over the Ravens’ final 11 matchups (827 combined yards with eight touchdowns and 11 catches), resulting in 12.88 fantasy points per game in PPR leagues. His highlight game came in Week 17 (13/160/2).

In 2021, Dobbins suffered a torn ACL in his left knee before the start of the year, leading to a lost season. He didn’t look healthy last year, resulting in eight more missed starts (a clean-up knee surgery midseason) over the first 12 games (35/123/1 with six catches for 39 yards and one score). Dobbins ran the ball much better over his final five contests (70/459/1 – 6.6 yards per rush) while picking up five catches for 46 yards and a touchdown.

Fantasy Outlook: With an entire offseason to get his knee in shape and work on his strength, Dobbins should be ready to rock and roll in Week 1. He won’t make much impact in the passing game, and Baltimore will rotate in a second runner on early downs. Dobbins also takes a hit from Lamar Jackson sniping goal-line carries and scores. I see about 250 touches for 1,300 yards, double-digit scoring, and 25 catches. At best, a mid-tier RB2 in PPR formats with a limited ceiling and outcome of impact games. 

Gus Edwards

In his four seasons with the Ravens, Edwards gained at least 5.0 yards per rush every year (5.2, 5.3, 5.0, and 5.0). He has limited value in the passing game (18/194 – no catches in 2022), but his play in this area flashed more explosiveness in 2020 (9/129 – three catches over 20 yards) while finishing with 852 combined yards with six scores and nine catches on 144 carries). Baltimore gave him more than 10 touches in six of his 18 games (including playoffs).

Edwards also blew out his left knee before Week 1 in 2021, leading to no touches. His slow recovery led to him missing the first six games last season. After two helpful games (16/66/2 and 11/65), Edwards was back on the sidelines for the following three weeks with a hamstring issue. Over his final seven appearances, he gained 354 combined yards with one touchdown and one catch.

Fantasy Outlook: Edwards posted a floor of 700 rushing yards in his first three years with the Ravens. He plays with power while offering a closing mentality when Baltimore plays from the lead. Edwards should be back to full strength at the start of the year while resuming his RB2 role for Baltimore. I expect him

 

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT OUT OF THE RAVENS IN 2023?

To finish reading Shawn’s in-depth 2023 team outlook, with in-depth offseason reports, projections, and fantasy outlooks for all players

 

GO PRO! Join FullTime Fantasy.

 

Check out our FREE profiles of top RB Bijan Robinson and elite WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba to see the kind of in-depth reports you can expect, only from FullTime Fantasy!