Ravens RB Ray Rice told the Baltimore Sun that he's hoping to see an increased role in the passing game this season.  It's certainly possible considering the Ravens lost WR Anquan Boldin and his 65 catches from a year ago.  Then again, Rice already leads all RBs with 311 catches over the past 5 seasons.  His 2,713 receiving yards trail only Darren Sproles.  Rice has caught at least 61 balls in each of the last 4 years.  He shouldn't have trouble reaching that mark in 2013.  We'll see if he can best his current career high of 78.

Ravens RB Ray Rice is active for today's game against the Bengals.  ESPN's Adam Schefter now says Rice will play "a series or two."  That obviously makes him a weak fantasy option.  We still like Bernard Pierce as a RB2.  He should see a full workload for at least 3 full quarters.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Ravens RB Ray Rice will NOT play against the Bengals this afternoon.  He's completely healthy, but Baltimore will give him the week off with today's game unlikely to impact their playoff seeding. Rice has racked up 315 touches over the first 15 games.  RB Bernard Pierce figures to start in his place and is a solid RB2 in fantasy.  The rookie is averaging 5.2 yards per carry this season.  Guys like Joe Flacco, Torrey Smith, and Anquan Boldin probably won't play much, if at all, today either.  This is why all fantasy leagues should be wrapped up by Week 16.

As expected, Ravens RB Ray Rice (hip) is active for today's game against the Broncos.  The minor injury won't be a factor.  Rice remains a must-start.

Ravens RB Ray Rice (hip) is probable for Sunday's game against the Broncos.  He played through the injury last weekend and practiced all this week.  Despite a tough matchup, Rice remains a must-start in fantasy.

Ravens RB Ray Rice (hip) was limited in Wednesday's practice.  He suffered a minor hip pointer last weekend but never left the game.  He's in no danger of missing this Sunday's showdown against the Broncos.

Ravens RB Ray Rice was included in HC John Harbaugh's post-game injury report with a hip pointer.  Rice was able to finish out Sunday's game, though, and should be fine for Week 15.  It'll simply be a situation to monitor this coming week.

The Ravens have unveiled an up-tempo, pass-heavy attack this preseason.  But that doesn't mean RB Ray Rice will see a diminished role.  "The bottom line is that he’s always a huge part of what we’re doing and we’re always looking to see how people are defending him to see how we can continue to get him the ball in space,” OC Cam Cameron said.  Rice is one of the most versatile backs in the game.  Even if he sees a decrease in carries, he could easily make up for it with more catches.  And a more efficient Ravens offense will lead to more scoring opportunities for Rice.  He remains a sure-fire top-3 fantasy RB.

Ravens RB Ray Rice has averaged 357 touches per season over the past 3 years.  But the team has no plans to scale back his workload in 2012.  "The game today, you can't save guys," RBs coach Wilbert Montgomery said.  "You have to play them, and you ask them to give you whatever they have to give in return and ask for nothing in return.  You don't buy a new car and put it in the driveway and just park it in the garage.  You buy it, you drive it. If you wear the wheels off, you go  out and get another one. So, Ray carrying 300 times, I'm looking for the next Ray Rice after that."  Rice is still only 25 years old and hasn't missed a game since his 2008 rookie campaign.  We're not worried about a decline yet.  An ultra-talented back set to see another 350 touches this year, Rice is locked-in as a top-3 fantasy back.

The Ravens signed RB Ray Rice to a 5-year deal worth $40 million. He’ll reportedly receive a cool $17 mil in year 1 alone. Working up against a 4 p.m ET deadline, both sides came to an agreement just in the nick of time. The 25-year-old is certainly deserving of the deal, having tallied 3 straight seasons of 1,700+ total yards. He didn't miss a single game over that span, too. Baltimore can now focus on hammering out new contracts for QB Joe Flacco and S Ed Reed.

Ravens RB Ray Rice won't commit to attending OTAs without a new contract.  He was slapped with the franchise tag but is looking for a long-term deal.  "Me and my agent have been going over things," Rice said. "We're going to figure out what's best going forward. Whatever decision we make, you got to protect yourself out there. I look forward to being there. As far as we know, we look forward to being there, maybe under some terms, whether I sign the tag or not. But I want to be there. I like to be around my guys."  It sounds like Rice is looking for top dollar.  "I know I outplayed my contract," he said.  "I was a second-round pick. Two Pro Bowls in four years. I outplayed my contract. There's no ifs, ands or buts about that. If you put me up there with the top five running backs in the league, I'm up there with the best."  Tough to argue with that.  We're expecting the two sides to come to an agreement before training camp.  Missing OTAs wouldn't impact Rice's 2012 fantasy outlook.

The Ravens have used the franchise tag on RB Ray Rice. Both Rice and the Ravens remain interested in a long-term deal, but the sides couldn’t find common ground on a dollar amount. The 25-year-old could become the highest paid RB in the league within the next year if he comes close to repeating his 2011 numbers – 2,068 total yards, 15 total TDs -- in 2012.

Ravens RB Ray Rice was in midseason form in Thursday night's game against the Redskins.  He picked up 72 yards and a score on 13 carries, while hauling in 3 balls for another 12 yards.  But most importantly, Rice got all 3 goal line carries with the 1st-team offense.  2 of those came from inside the 5, and Rice punched in the 2nd one for a 3-yard score.  RB Ricky Williams will function as a change-of-pace back, but Rice appears to be the man in the money zone.  We just added a TD to his preseason projections.

Ravens OC Cam Cameron says that RB Ray Rice will "play a major role in short-yardage and goal-line [situations] this year."  Rice gave way to RB Willis McGahee in the red zone last season, and it was widely-believed that RB Ricky Williams would handle most of the goal line carries this year.  But if the Ravens make good on Cameron's statement, Rice could easily double last year's 5-TD output.  He's locked-in as a top-5 back in our preseason rankings.

The Baltimore Sun reports that Ravens RB Ray Rice underwent minor knee surgery back in March to remove a loose piece of cartilage.  "After the surgery, I had to rest the knee for two to three weeks which is part of the normal process," Rice explained.  "There was no pain, no swelling. Since then, I've participated in my usual workouts and most people know that I'm a hard worker. I haven't missed one workout. As for training camp, the Ravens have a plan. They are going to see how I feel and phase me in. They know they have to be smart with me, and I have to be smart as well. But everything feels great."  Knee surgeries are always worrisome, but this one truly seems extremely minor.  We'll monitor Rice leading up to Week 1, but this doesn't sound like it'll be a concern in 2011.

As expected, Ravens RB Ray Rice (illness) is active for today's game against the Steelers.  He's unlikely to be at 100%, but there's been no indication that his workload will be decreased.

Ravens RB Ray Rice was reportedly throwing up in his hotel room on Friday night.  Via Twitter, he guaranteed that he'll play against the Steelers today, but it's unlikely that he'll be at 100%.  Rice is a shaky fantasy option after totaling just 79 yards with 0 TDs in 2 games against Pittsburgh this year.

Ravens HC John Harbaugh hinted that RB Ray Rice could see more goal line work going forward.  “I think all three of those guys [Rice, Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain] can carry the ball on the goal line,” Harbaugh said. “I don’t think we ever felt Ray couldn’t do it. It’s just that Willis had such a hot hand and Willis was so good at it.”  McGahee has struggled near the end zone this season, which has opened the door for Rice.  Expect them to share goal line duties for the time being.