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.
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.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson participated in Wednesday's OTA session. As ESPN's Jamison Hensley points out, it's Jackson's first time on the field since suffering a season-ending knee injury on December 4. With that injury -- and his contract situation -- behind him, Jackson can now focus on learning new OC Todd Monken's offense and building chemistry with new WRs Zay Flowers and Odell Beckham. His Underdog ADP has spiked into Round 3 since he signed his extension at the end of April.
Ravens WR Rashod Bateman (foot) was on the field for the start of OTAs on Monday. He's expected to be "eased back into action this summer" after undergoing Lisfranc surgery in November. Bateman has struggled to stay on the field through two NFL seasons, missing 16 of 34 games. But he's flashed when healthy and remains an intriguing prospect. We'll be keeping a close eye on the Ravens offense this summer after they made an OC change to Todd Monken and added Odell Beckham and Zay Flowers to the WR corps.
The Ravens selected Boston College WR Zay Flowers with the 21st pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Flowers dealt with some bad QB play in college. His raw numbers were solid: 2,715 yards and 26 TDs over the past three seasons. But Flowers looks much more impressive from a market-share perspective. He accounted for 32.7% of his team’s receiving yards over the last three years and a whopping 45.6% of the receiving scores. He’s a fun watch on tape: an explosive route runner and dynamic after the catch. The knocks against Flowers? He’s undersized at 5’9, 182 pounds with second percentile arm length. And he’s a four-year college player who will turn 23 in September. The ceiling feels a bit capped here – at least for 2023. Baltimore’s no longer hurting for pass catchers with Mark Andrews, Rashod Bateman, and Odell Beckham. Flowers projects outside the top-50 in year one.
The Ravens and QB Lamar Jackson have agreed to a five-year deal that will make him the league's highest-paid player. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that it's a $260 million pact with $185 million guaranteed. The deal comes in a little higher than QB Jalen Hurts' recent extension with the Eagles and locks Jackson in as the Baltimore starter for the foreseeable future. The OC switch and investment in WR Odell Beckham Jr. suggest the Ravens would like to throw the ball significantly more than last year. Baltimore ranked just 28th in pass attempts. Jackson sits seventh in our 2023 fantasy football rankings but continues to sport upside to the top of the position.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson won't be attending the team's voluntary offseason program, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. No surprise here. Jackson has not signed his non-exclusive franchise tag and remains in a contract standoff with the team. We're ultimately expecting Jackson back in Baltimore for at least 2023 and won't be moving him down the QB Rankings unless this situation bleeds into August.
Ravens HC John Harbaugh said Monday that WR Rashod Bateman "is in a great place" with his recovery from November surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury to his left foot. "He's healthy and going to be running in three weeks," Harbaugh added. It's noteworthy that Bateman still isn't back to 100% nearly 5 months post-surgery. But it sounds like he'll be available for at least part of the offseason program -- and should be ready to roll come training camp. Bateman has been relatively underwhelming through his first two NFL seasons but remains an upside prospect with a clear path to a big role in 2023.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson announced Monday that he requested a trade back at the beginning of March. That likely helps explain the lack of movement on the free agency front, with Jackson on the franchise tag but allowed to negotiate with other teams. Any franchise signing Jackson would have to surrender two first-round picks to Baltimore, so we can assume the Ravens' asking price would be greater than that. The returns on trades for both Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson were greater just last offseason -- and Jackson is (arguably?) a more valuable asset than either player. This situation doesn't seem close to resolution. We're still drafting Jackson at his mid-QB1 price in best ball drafts. But it might be a good idea to worry a little less about stacking him with Ravens pass catchers for the time being.
The Ravens signed WR Nelson Agholor to a 1-year, $3.25 million deal. It's an uninspiring addition for a team that's made a habit of making uninspiring moves at WR. Agholor has yet to reach 900 yards across 8 NFL seasons and averaged just 26.9 receiving yards per game in New England over the past 2 years. He joins Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay and James Proche in Baltimore's WR room for the time being. Hopefully the Ravens aren't done addressing the position.
Bills GM Brandon Beane said that the team envisions WR Deonte Harty filling the “four role." Harty got a surprisingly lucrative two-year, $9.5 million deal from Buffalo, but it doesn't sound like he's slated for an every-down job on offense. (Not surprising considering he's just 5'6 and 170 lbs.) With WR Isaiah McKenzie likely on the outs, Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis, and Khalil Shakir currently project as the Bills' top three WRs. We'll see if they add another WR in the draft.
The Bills are expected to sign WR Deonte Harty to a two-year deal, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The contract will reportedly include $9.5 million total, with $5 million of that fully guaranteed. Incentives could push it to a $13.5 million max value. Those numbers don't guarantee a significant offensive role for Harty, who has done his best work as a return man. Harty collected 64 total receptions and 15 rushing attempts across four years with the Saints, compared with 152 total returns. He figures to push RB Nyheim Hines out of the primary return role. We'll see if Buffalo plans to let Harty compete with Isaiah McKenzie and Khalil Shakir for more on offense. If it does, Harty's speed would make him an intriguing late-round flier. You can consider him near the end of best ball drafts now for that reason.
The Ravens are placing the non-exclusive franchise tag on QB Lamar Jackson. That means Jackson can negotiate with other teams after NFL free agency opens. If he reaches agreement with another team, Baltimore would have the option to match or get two first-round picks from the new team. Given that the two sides haven't been able to agree on a new deal yet, this move makes sense. Now the Ravens can let the market set Jackson's value. We'd still bet on him re-signing, but it'll be an interesting situation to watch. We'll also see whether the uncertainty can push Jackson's best ball ADP down any further. (If so, pounce.)
The Ravens are hiring Todd Monken as their OC. Monken spent the past 3 seasons as Georgia's OC, helping the Bulldogs to National Championships in both 2021 and 2022. The offense improved each season, climbing from 41st to 26th and then to 5th in yards per game. Monken spent the 4 years before that Georgia stint as an NFL OC. The first 3 came with the Bucs, who climbed from 18th in total yards to 9th and then 3rd with QB Jameis Winston. Monken then headed to Cleveland, where his 2019 Browns struggled to a 22nd-place finish in total yards in QB Baker Mayfield's 2nd season. Each of Monken's final 3 NFL offenses ranked higher in pass attempts than rush attempts. All 4 were at least league-average in terms of Pass Rate Over Expected, with the 2017 Bucs finishing at +2% and the 2018 Bucs finishing at +5%. That makes this a fascinating hire considering the Ravens were a run-leaning offense under former OC Greg Roman. We'll keep an eye on Monken's exact plans for the 2023 Ravens.
The Titans have promoted passing-game coordinator Tim Kelly to OC. 2022 was Kelly's first season in Tennessee. He spent the previous 3 years as Houston's OC. Those first 2 Texans teams had middling finishes in points and total yards under QB Deshaun Watson before sinking to bottom-3 levels in 2021 with QBs Davis Mills and Tyrod Taylor. It's not an overly inspiring hire by Tennessee. Expect the offense to again revolve around RB Derrick Henry in 2023.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport believes QB Lamar Jackson will get the exclusive franchise tag. The exclusive tag would allow Baltimore to set the price in a potential deal, while the non-exclusive variety would net the team only two 1sts. Rapoport makes clear that a trade is unlikely, although such an outcome isn’t totally dismissed. An exclusive tag for Jackson would cost Baltimore roughly $45 million.
Ravens WR Rashod Bateman is making good progress in his recovery from November foot surgery, HC John Harbaugh said Thursday. "He's going to be ready to soon run at full speed," Harbaugh said. Bateman flashed early this past year with 2-59-1 and 4-108-1 lines to open the season, but a Lisfranc injury to his left foot limited him to just 4 more games the rest of the way. It doesn't sound like that'll be an issue in 2023, though, setting up the 23-year-old Bateman as an intriguing post-hype sleeper. We'll see who Baltimore hires at OC and if that new OC opens up the passing game.
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