2025 Baltimore Ravens Fantasy Preview
2025 Baltimore Ravens Fantasy Preview The Ravens won the formidable AFC North for the second consecutive season but fell to the Bills in a heartbreaking AFC Divisional Playoff loss. For GM Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh, reinforcing the offensive line and secondary were the top priorities for a roster that sits atop the NFL with a preseason over/under of 11.5 wins. QB Lamar Jackson had the finest season of his career en route to an overall QB1 finish. Jackson threw for a career-best 4.172 yards and 41 touchdowns while leading the position with 915 rushing yards. Jackson has zero bust games and accounted for multiple scores in 15 of his final 17 games, including the postseason. Securing Jackson on draft day will be expensive, but he’s one of the safest bets in fantasy for managers looking to secure an elite quarterback early. Derrick Henry (31) is old for a running back, but he is a unique physical freak who showed no signs of slowing down. He led the AFC with 1,921 rushing yards and scored a career-high 18 touchdowns. In his age-30 season, Henry forced the most missed tackles (89) and most breakaway runs (30) of his career. There are no metrics that indicate Henry is past his prime. He’s the perfect fit in Todd Monken’s offense and in fantasy lineups. Ancillary back Justice Hill averaged a solid 8.5 fantasy points as Baltimore’s change-of-pace runner. Hill never received more than five carries in a regular-season game but corralled 42-of-51 targets. He’s a solid handcuff target for Henry managers and offers some weekly flex appeal in deeper PPR leagues. The Ravens add WR DeAndre Hopkins in free agency. Nuk saw steep drop-offs in yards after catch, yards per route run, and ADOT- all signs of a declining player. However, he still has tremendous hands and compiled a 54.2% contested catch rate. He has the potential to be a good possession option for Jackson, with plus red-zone potential. Zay Flowers finished one spot out of WR2 range with a solid 74/1,059/4 sophomore campaign. Flowers was most effective between the numbers, which bodes well for his potential to continue to ascend into the top-20 wideout range with Hopkins and Rashod Bateman commanding attention. Bateman broke out with a career-high nine scores, but is highly unlikely to approach last year’s gaudy stats as the fourth option. Baltimore has a pair of standout tight ends. Mark Andrews led all tight ends with 11 touchdowns and finished as the overall TE6 after a slow start. Isaiah Likely finished 16th with a 42/477/6 showing that included five weekly TE1 finishes. Andrews is on the TE1/2 radar, and Likely is a high-upside mid-to-late round depth target. Fantasy managers should also take note of sixth-round PK Tyler Loop from Arizona, who is the first kicker drafted in franchise history and is expected to take over for Justin Tucker. Fantasy Grade: B+ QB Jackson, Lamar, BAL [QB1] In his third season in Todd Monken’s system, Lamar Jackson posted QB1 overall numbers. He threw for a career-high 4,172 yards and 41 touchdowns against only four interceptions. Jackson has jelled in this offense, posting a +11.6 EPA when under pressure and leading the NFL in passing EPA versus zone coverage and against 2-high looks. In addition to becoming an elite passer, Jackson also ran for a position-leading 915 yards. Jackson is a cheat code that has improved each season in Monken’s offense. He’ll have a hard time topping last year’s numbers, but Jackson is locked in top-3 signal caller. ADVICE: Dual-threat weapon primed for another elite run. RB Henry, Derrick, BAL [RB1] Have you seen Derrick Henry’s workout regimen? If anyone can defeat Father Time, it’s Henry. At 30, when most mortal running backs are retired, Henry set a personal-best with 2,191 scrimmage yards and 5.9 yards per carry. He was second in the league in carries (325), rushing (1,921), and touchdowns (18). Henry was PFF’s top-graded running back and forced a league-high 89 missed tackles. There are no signs that Henry is slowing down in an offense that calls over 32 runs per game, the 2nd-most in the NFL. Finally, Henry won’t catch many passes, which puts him a notch below the elite, three-down studs. ADVICE: The best pure runner in the league, in the perfect offense. RB Hill, Justice, BAL [RB2] Derrick Henry stayed healthy, but Hill still received enough touches to finish as a top 40 running back in PPR leagues. That production’s main driver was putting up career-best numbers (42/j383/3) as an outlet receiver. Hill did not garner more than five carries in any regular-season tilt. He’s not a traditional handcuff because the Ravens wouldn’t use Hill or any other back in the same way they utilize Henry. However, Hill has some RB5/6 value as the Ravens’ main pass-catching weapon. ADVICE: Don’t count on another top-40 finish, but Hill has some value as a receiver. WR Flowers, Zay, BAL [WR1] Zay Flowers’s sophomore numbers were strikingly similar to his rookie season. He ranked 30th in fantasy points during his rookie season and 25th in 2024. Last year, he was top-20 in targets (116), target share (25.7 percent), and yards (1,059). However, Flowers only had four WR1/2 weeks, with two dud outings (not including Week 18). He has settled in as a dependable weekly source of targets and catches, who will occasionally pop a huge play (10th in YAC and 11th in deep targets). That makes him a high-upside WR3/flex option in the NFL’s top-ranked offense. ADVICE: Steady WR3 who offers weekly WR1 upside. WR Bateman, Rashod, BAL [WR2] Bust After averaging 78.5 fantasy points per season in three years, Rashod Bateman exploded to finish with 174.6 points in 2024. The main reason- he jumped up to nine touchdowns after scoring four total in three years. Not only was last season an outlier, it’s also not sustainable. Bateman only averaged 3.9 targets per game, scoring on six of his nine red-zone targets. DeAndre Hopkins will also
2024 Baltimore Ravens Fantasy Preview
2024 Baltimore Ravens Fantasy Preview Baltimore finished sixth in offense and defense in 2023, but another disappointing playoff loss saw the top-seeded Ravens ousted in the AFC Championship. Even after leading the league in rushing, there will be wholesale changes
Baltimore finished sixth in offense and defense in 2023, but another disappointing playoff loss saw the top-seeded Ravens ousted in the AFC Championship. Even after leading the league in rushing, there will be wholesale changes to Baltimore’s offense in 2024.
QB Lamar Jackson’s first season in Todd Monken’s offense was a success. Jackson completed a career-best 67.2% of his attempts and set a personal best with 3,678 passing yards. On a per-game basis, Jackson rushed less than he was accustomed to but still led the position with 821 yards on the ground.
In all, Jackson finished fourth in fantasy scoring despite being the centerpiece of a run-first offense. The Ravens have only produced one 1000-yard wide receiver during Jackson’s tenure. Finding weapons to restore balance to Baltimore’s attack would go a long way.
Second-year WR Zay Flowers is the logical choice to join Marquise Brown as Jackson’s next 1000-yard wideout. Flowers led the Ravens in targets (108), catches (77), and yards (858) during his rookie campaign. Flowers began to assert himself as a legit No. 1 receiver during the playoff drive. He is a strong breakout candidate with top-20 upside.
After Flowers, things are more uncertain. Rashod Bateman is a candidate to see an increased role, but Bateman hasn’t been able to stay healthy or live up to his first-round billing. The Ravens also added Devontez Walker from North Carolina with a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Walker boasts 4.36 speed and will compete with Bateman and Nelson Agholor for WR3 snaps.
TE Mark Andrews remains the best bet to lead the club in targets and touchdown grabs. Andrews ranked fifth in PPR points per game but missed nearly half the campaign with an ankle injury. An Andrews/Jackson stack is among the top contrarian builds to exit your draft with.
Third-year TE Isiah Likely faired well when Andrews was sidelined. Given Baltimore’s lack of depth in the receiving corps, expecting Monken to utilize 12 sets more often than last year’s 11.1% (27th in the league) seems like a good bet.
When the NFL’s top-ranked rushing attack adds a stud fantasy option like Derrick Henry, fantasy managers should take notice. Henry is showing signs of slowing down. However, he is an elite touchdown scorer and a strong bet to lead the league in that category in 2024. He won’t catch a ton of passes in this offense, but Henry looks like a good bet for 1,200 rushing yards and 12-14 scores.
The Ravens will remain a run-heavy offense that features a potential top-10 player at three positions and a sophomore wideout that could break out in a big way.
Quarterbacks
QB LAMAR JACKSON – STUD (LOW RISK)
Year One in Todd Monken’s offense resulted in the finest passing season of Lamar Jackson’s career. Jackson set career-best numbers in attempts (457), completions (307), completion rate (67.2%), and yards (3,678). He also remained one of the position’s most potent rushing threats, leading all quarterbacks with 821 yards and an additional five scores on the ground. Baltimore doesn’t have the deepest receiving corps, but the addition of RB Derrick Henry will further help open things up downfield for a Ravens offense that led the league in rushing last season and ranked fourth in points. Since entering the league, Jackson’s rushing production has given him a safe floor behind an elite offensive line. ADVICE: Elite starter with top-3 upside…