The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec believes Ravens RB Justice Hill is “set” in the RB3 role. Zrebiec thinks it’s down to Melvin Gordon and rookie Keaton Mitchell -- if Baltimore keeps four RBs. Gordon’s made a “compelling case” to make the team, although Mitchell brings more "speed and explosiveness" (plus special teams potential). We should see both guys suit up for tonight's preseason tilt with Washington.
Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey had surgery Wednesday for a nagging issue. "It's been a lingering thing and they took a look at it and said ... 'That's something we want to take care of now instead of waiting,'" HC John Harbaugh said Wednesday, according to the team website. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the team hopes Humphrey will return "in a little over a month." He adds that Humphrey will likely miss the "first couple games." We'll watch for more on Humphrey's expected return as it draws closer. But one of our highest-projected CBs is falling down the IDP rankings. Baltimore is signing CB Ronald Darby to a one-year deal to help a banged-up secondary. Starting CB Rock Ya-Sin is dealing with a knee issue but expected back soon. A couple of reserve corners are also expected back soon from minor issues.
Ravens WR Zay Flowers' impressive August has continued in joint practices against the Commanders this week. “He showed me he can do it against anybody else, not just our team,” QB Lamar Jackson said after Tuesday's practice. “He was making some crazy moves, great route running, great in and out of his cuts, and he was catching the ball, so he was looking pretty good out there." It continues to look like Flowers is ready to make an immediate impact -- and potentially even lead Ravens WRs in fantasy points this season.
Ravens HC John Harbaugh likes what he's seen from WR Rashod Bateman (foot) in his first couple of practices since being activated from the PUP list. “I think we'll see as we go, but it's very promising right now," Harbaugh said. "He looked good to me, and I'm excited to see him out there. Obviously, it's big for us.” Bateman missed a ton of reps in new OC Todd Monken's offense this spring and summer. But he still has a month to go before the start of the season. We'll continue to keep a close eye on his health and standing in the offense.
The Ravens have activated WR Rashod Bateman from the physically unable to perform list, according to ESPN's Jamison Hensley. Bateman missed the first 12 practices of training camp while working back from the foot injury that ended his 2022 early. Bateman had an offseason setback that required a cortisone injection. We'll see how he progresses through the rest of August. Bateman has moved down our WR rankings since the start of camp, though.
The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec tweeted on Monday that Ravens WR Rashod Bateman was seen running on a side field at practice. This is the first time Bateman, who remains on the PUP list while recovering from offseason foot surgery, was seen doing such activity. Zrebiec also noted that Bateman was "moving pretty well," which may signal a potential return to workouts with the team. This isn't a massive update by any means, but when paired with HC John Harbaugh's comments at the end of last week that Bateman might be back soon, it's intriguing, if nothing else. Bateman's absence has (to some degree) allowed for the spotlight to be focused on rookie WR Zay Flowers in camp. As Flowers' star ascends, Bateman's appeal in fantasy continues to dwindle. We'll continue to monitor this situation as more information becomes available. Check out where Bateman sits in our current WR rankings.
On Monday, the Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec wrote a glowing endorsement of Ravens WR Zay Flowers. Zrebiec pens, "It's hard to watch Flowers torch cornerbacks in one-on-ones with his quickness and suddenness and get targeted regularly in full-team sessions and not conclude that he'll have a significant offensive role." This report comes mere days after NBC's Peter King called Flowers his "most impressive rookie I have seen in six camps" he's visited this offseason. The former Boston College standout sits barely within the top 50 at the WR position in ADP. However, that may change as long as this drumbeat grows louder and teammate Rashod Bateman continues to miss time recovering from foot surgery. The Ravens' offense stands to throw the ball with greater frequency under new OC Todd Monken. If Flowers is one of the main focal points of this attack, he'll be a great value pick in 2023 drafts. See where Flowers slots in our current WR rankings.
Ravens HC John Harbaugh said WR Rashod Bateman “has a chance to be out there pretty soon.” It’s not much of an update…but we’ll take it. The former Round 1 pick hasn’t practiced at training camp due to a foot injury. See how low he sits in our WR rankings.
NBC's Peter King made the Ravens the sixth training camp he has visited this week and had this to say afterward: "The most impressive rookie I have seen in six camps in Zay Flowers. Why? He lines up across from a corner, and unless they literally interfere with him or hold him, he has tremendous separation on almost every cut." Flowers remains low in WR4 territory in ADP. That's higher than he currently sits in our WR rankings, across formats. But we expect the Baltimore offense to lean a lot more toward the pass than it has in the past. We can only guess at just how high that pass rate will climb. And we can only guess at how a renovated WR corps will spread the target shares. There's plenty of room for Flowers to outperform our ranking and his ADP. We're in on him as a player and the Ravens as a high-upside offense this year.
The Bears are signing Edge Yannick Ngakoue to a one-year, $10.5 million deal, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. He spent 2022 with the Colts after being traded by the Raiders. Ngakoue totaled 19.5 sacks over the past two seasons but has exceeded 10 just once in seven pro seasons. He has also topped 30 total tackles just once, back in 2017. Ngakoue has primarily been a low-impact IDP factor, especially since leaving the Jaguars (after 2019). He should, at least, step into a starting gig in Chicago. There's upside for deeper big-play leagues.
Steelers WR Diontae Johnson left practice with an unspecified lower-body injury on Friday. Dale Lolley of the team website reports that Johnson "went out and tried to go again in team [drills], but shut it down after coming off the field gingerly." That Johnson returned to the field at all after the initial issue in a July practice suggests this isn't serious. But we'll watch for updates.
Update: Johnson's absence was heat-related. Carry on.
Bills QB Josh Allen said WR Deonte Harty could have a “potentially bigger role” following Nyheim Hines’ ACL tear. The Bills had “semi-high hopes” for Hines on offense, per The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia. Now, the door opens for Harty, only 5’6, 170 pounds, to see additional short-range targets. He’s a name to monitor in deep PPR leagues.
The Ravens have placed WR Rashod Bateman on the PUP list to open training camp. Bateman had a cortisone shot earlier this offseason in the foot that ended his 2022 prematurely. We'll be watching his progress closely through training camp. Bateman could lose ground to WR Odell Beckham Jr. and/or rookie WR Zay Flowers if he's out long.
Ravens WR Rashod Bateman has been reinstated and activated from the reserve/did not report list. He didn't show up for the first day of camp, but the team didn't seem concerned. We'll be keeping a close eye on Bateman leading up to Week 1. He missed time this spring after getting a cortisone shot in his surgically repaired foot and faces increased target competition with the additions of WRs Odell Beckham and Zay Flowers.
Ravens WR Rashod Bateman has been placed on the reserve/did not report list to open training camp. "I have spoken to Rashod and we expect him here very soon," Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said. We'll keep a close eye on this situation. Bateman was sidelined for part of the spring after getting a cortisone shot in his surgically repaired foot. He's missed 16 games over his first two NFL seasons.
Fantasy managers shouldn't overlook Steelers WR Diontae Johnson this season. As bad as it was that he scored zero receiving TDs in 2022, Johnson led the Steelers in targets (147), target share (26.8%), and receptions (85). Unfortunately, that only translated to Johnson finishing as the WR42 in PPR points per game (10.63). Those aren't the results you want to see from a team's WR1. Even so, his zero TD season was somewhat historic. Among NFL WRs in the Super Bowl era who caught zero receiving TDs in a season, Johnson’s 2022 campaign ranks first in PPR points (180.7) and targets, third in receiving yards (882), and sixth in PPR points per game. Not so bad, all things considered. Assuming he even catches a small handful of TDs, Johnson stands to improve in 2023. He's likely to maintain his status as the lead pass-catcher in the Steelers' offense and should be considered a strong flex option for fantasy managers. See where Johnson appears in our latest WR rankings.
It's easy to be wary of Titans RB Derrick Henry in fantasy football. The 29-year-old exceeded 300 carries three of the past four years. The player aging curves that guide our dynasty projections say RBs see a bigger production drop-off at this age than any other position -- even among elite types. It would be quite abnormal for Henry to continue producing strong numbers. But Henry has always been abnormal, even among high-end NFL rushers. More importantly, he didn't show signs of decline last year. Henry actually improved his yards after contact per attempt, elusive rating, and Pro Football Focus rushing grade vs. his 2021 numbers. His rushing yards over expected rebounded from 0.05 per attempt in 2021 to 0.45 last season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, despite a weak Tennessee offense and average O-line. Henry also did all of this despite seeing 8+ defenders in the box at the league's second-highest rate among RBs. The Titans drafted RB Tyjae Spears in Round 3 and might push some work his way. But we expect Henry to remain the workhorse in a run-favoring offense with an aging QB and mostly questionable pass catchers. Best of all, Henry's early ADP (late in Round 2, often into Round 3 in best ball drafts) lowers the risk to betting on him in fantasy. See how Henry's spot in our fantasy football rankings compares.
ESPN analyst Matt Bowen expects the Ravens to play at a faster pace this season. That wasn’t the case last year; Baltimore ranked bottom-5 in plays per minute (1.63) and no-huddle rate (4.4%). “They decided last year under [OC Greg] Roman they were going to control tempo by slowing it down,” Bowen said. “[It was] a lot more condensed formations; they had much different personnel than you’ll see this year. [Fullback] Patrick Ricard last year played a critical role in that offense; I don’t know that he has a pivotal role this year with what I expect to see out of Monken." Bowen, a former NFL safety, shared more on his forecast for the 2023 Ravens. “This year, and I have old playbooks of Todd Monken, is a lot more spread, a lot more trips, a lot more empty," he continued. "What they’re trying to do with pace of play is to be more aggressive and control tempo in terms of creating more tempo.” We detailed more of Monken’s impact in a new article on NFL Coaching Changes. Overall, we’re bullish on this offense making considerable improvements.
Ravens WR Rashod Bateman received a cortisone shot in his foot, per HC John Harbaugh. He’s only expected to be out for a couple of days. “We decided to let him keep rehabbing and make sure he's ready to go for training camp," Harbaugh said. We’re not concerned about the foot right now, but it’s worth monitoring after November surgery. Bateman’s missed 16 games over his first two NFL seasons.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson expects to throw more and run less under new OC Todd Monken. While that's good news for Baltimore's pass-catchers, it might be bad news for Jackson's fantasy value. For his career, Jackson is averaging 0.59 fantasy points per pass attempt vs. 0.81 fantasy points per rush attempt. Of course, Baltimore's improved WR corps should help Jackson's passing production. And we're ultimately not expecting him to run significantly less than he has over his first five NFL seasons. We'll be keeping a close eye on this new Monken-led Ravens offense this summer, but Jackson looks like a clear top-6 fantasy QB with upside into the top 3.
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