Free agency and the NFL Draft have come and gone: It’s time to fully embrace the 2023 offseason by breaking down the fantasy football aspirations of each and every team before draft season truly gets underway.

What follows is a fantasy-focused breakdown of the Baltimore Ravens, looking at key questions like:

  1. Does Lamar Jackson deserve to be drafted as a top-three fantasy QB?
  2. Could J.K. Dobbins finally get a true workhorse role in this new-look Ravens offense?
  3. Who is the WR to target inside of this suddenly crowded passing game?

Every fantasy-relevant player from the Ravens will be covered in the following paragraphs. Make sure to check out the Fantasy Life Team Preview Landing Page through the end of June for more all-encompassing fantasy football coverage.

Notable offseason moves

From the front office, to the coaching staff, to the roster: Every 2023 NFL team will be different than its 2022 version.

Head coach John Harbaugh is back for his 16th year leading the Ravens. While he’ll once again be joined by defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, the team made a rather big change by replacing offensive coordinator Greg Roman with long-time air-raid disciple Todd Monken.

Monken spent 2016 through 2018 as the Buccaneers' offensive coordinator and 2019 with the Browns before leading the Georgia Bulldogs offense for the past three seasons.

The middle seasons seem to reflect Monken most at his core: The man loves to throw the football around the yard.

Those offenses ranked 11th, 4th, 11th, and 8th in neutral situation pace.

Don’t be surprised if the 2023 Ravens beat, if not crush, their four-year highs of 15th in PROE and 22nd in pace that they achieved under Roman. This is great news for all parties involved.

Ravens Player Moves

Additionally, the Ravens have made plenty of changes to their roster. The following QBs, RBs, WRs, and TEs have either joined or left Baltimore in some way, shape, or form this offseason:

  • QB: Longtime journeyman Josh Johnson (one year, $1.075 million) signed with the Ravens for the third time (!) of his career to presumably serve as the team’s No. 3 QB. 
  • RB: 2022 spot starter Kenyan Drake remains an unrestricted free agent.
  • WR: Key 2022 contributors (sadly) Sammy Watkins and Demarcus Robinson remain unrestricted free agents. The team accordingly signed former Giants, Browns, and Rams WR Odell Beckham Jr. (one year, $15 million) to a surprisingly steep deal while also adding ex-Eagles, Raiders, and Patriots WR Nelson Agholor (one year, $3.25 million) to a smaller contract.
  • TE: Block-first TE Josh Oliver signed with the Vikings and wasn’t immediately replaced in free agency.

The Ravens made an early splash to their revamped receiver room, drafting Boston College WR Zay Flowers (1.22) late on day one. There’s a lot to like about Flowers’s game, although he is an older prospect without prototypical size. The Ravens didn’t make another fantasy-relevant selection with their final five picks of the draft.

QB: Lamar Jackson (Ian’s QB4), Tyler Huntley (QB44)

Yes, Jackson has only managed to play 12 games in each of the past two seasons, including zero in the fantasy playoffs.

Also yes, the 2019 league MVP has continued to provide top shelf fantasy production whenever healthy enough to suit up:

  • 2022: 19.7 fantasy points per game (QB6)
  • 2021: 20 (QB9)
  • 2020: 22.2 (QB8)
  • 2019: 27.7 (QB1)

The 2019 mark remains the single-season record for fantasy points per game at the position.

The best version of Lamar Jackson is the best fantasy football QB…ever. His 10.84 fantasy points per game from purely rushing production in 2019 remains the gold standard at the position, and oh yeah, he also led the NFL in passing scores the very same year!

Only Justin Fields (10.8) and Jalen Hurts (10.3) averaged more fantasy points per game from rushing than Jackson (7.9) last season. While the passing production has slipped a bit in recent years, Jackson has still averaged more passing scores per game (1.66) than pure pocket passer types like Jared Goff (1.56), Tua Tagovailoa (1.53), and Derek Carr (1.43) since 2018.

The photoshop of Patrick Mahomes handing off to Jackson is objectively hilarious—just realize the general slander around the Ravens’ franchise QB being an RB is ridiculous at this point. Maybe Jackson doesn’t deploy Peyton Manning-esque smoothness in the pocket, but make no mistake about it: The man can sling the rock.

It’d make sense if Monken’s new offense relies less on wheel routes to 300-pound FB Patrick Ricard moving forward.

There’s also the reality that the team’s additions at WR quite easily give Jackson the most complete passing-game arsenal of his career. Per Over The Cap, Baltimore ranks 31st in non-QB spending since drafting Jackson in 2018…and have still managed to score the league’s fifth-most points during that stretch.

Ultimately, the only QBs I have ranked ahead of Jackson have either demonstrated similar levels of rushing upside and exist in far more reliable passing games (Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen) or might very well be the greatest signal-caller to play the game (Patrick Mahomes). 

QBs do tend to run less as they get older, but I’m willing to bet that possibly the greatest rushing talent to EVER play the position has a few more good years left in the tank in that department.

Paying up for Jackson in the fourth round isn’t cheap in fantasy land; just realize his dual-threat skill-set gives him the sort of alien-level upside that very few other players offer at the position.

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RB: J.K. Dobbins (Ian’s RB19), Gus Edwards (RB75), Justice Hill (RB102)

Dobbins missed the entire 2021 season due to a torn ACL and nine games of 2022 after requiring arthroscopic knee surgery.

And yet, the rising fourth-year back looked like his usual beastly self down the stretch of 2022, ultimately piling up the fifth-most rushing yards over expected per carry behind only Travis Etienne, Tony Pollard, Nick Chubb, and Khalil Herbert.

Overall, Dobbins posted 15-120-1, 13-125-0, 12-59-0, 17-93-0, and 13-62-0 rushing lines in his last five games of 2022. Pretty, pretty, pretty good.

The central problem here: Receiving usage. Kudos to Dobbins for converting five targets into a 4-43-1 receiving line in the Ravens’ Wild Card loss to the Bengals, but he only caught seven passes for 42 yards and a score in eight regular season contests combined.

It’s not exactly a given that this problem is fixed overnight. 

Dual-threat QBs might be great for their personal and fantasy value, but their willingness to 1.) Scramble instead of checking down, and 2.) Factor into the rushing equation near the goal line, has led to some of the league’s highest-scoring offenses like the Ravens, Bills, Eagles, and Seahawks failing to consistently enable high-end fantasy RBs.

The other problem is Baltimore’s tendency to keep multiple backs involved in the picture. This might be a run-first offense, but only the Rams were as unwilling to give their RBs 15-plus touches in a game last season.

In an ideal world, new offensive coordinator Todd Monken both turns this into more of a pass-first offense AND features Dobbins well ahead of Edwards. Still, that’s hardly a guarantee, forcing me to treat Dobbins as more of a low-end, touchdown-dependent RB2 as opposed to the sort of top-10 option that his underlying talent profile suggests he’s capable of being.

As for Edwards: What a baller. Maybe the former undrafted free agent doesn’t have the same open-field moves as Dobbins, but that hasn’t stopped him from averaging five-plus yards per carry on an annual basis.

Seriously: The Gus Bus finds himself as one of the most-efficient RBs ever at this point in his career. The following leaderboard denotes the most yards per carry among all RBs with 500-plus career rush attempts in the Super Bowl era:

  1. Bo Jackson (5.4)
  2. Jamaal Charles (5.4)
  3. Nick Chubb (5.2)
  4. Edwards (5.2)

Of course, the same volume problems hurting Dobbins are also present for Edwards. The latter back received 13, 7, 11, 3, and 12 rush attempts with just one total target in his final five games alongside the former back.

It’d be tough to rank Edwards too high inside the position’s top-24 weekly options even with an injury to Dobbins, but his current standing as the RB60 over at Underdog Fantasy is still too low. Gus joins Jerome Ford and Tyjae Spears as three of my favorite last two-round darts at the position.

WR: Rashod Bateman (Ian’s WR43), Zay Flowers (WR44), Odell Beckham Jr. (WR71), Devin Duvernay (WR132), Nelson Agholor (WR134)

The good news: Lamar finally has himself something resembling an upside WR room.

The bad news: There isn’t any sort of consistent history here of this offense enabling a fantasy-friendly WR.

The Ravens’ top-scoring WR in PPR points per game in the Jackson era (minimum eight games):

  • 2018: John Brown (WR56)
  • 2019: Marquise Brown (WR48)
  • 2020: Brown (WR43)
  • 2021: Brown (WR23)
  • 2022: Devin Duvernay (WR61), Rashod Bateman (WR56) if you go with a minimum of six games

It’d make sense if Jackson is slinging the rock more than ever in 2023 thanks to his new scheme and sudden abundance of playmakers; just realize there’s a pretty long way to go in order to feel good about anybody involved.

Ultimately, Bateman stands out as the player I’d most prefer to place a chip on. From Dwain McFarland’s Fantasy Life WR tiers article:

“Bateman only ran 120 routes thanks to an injury but registered a 23% TPRR and 2.38 YPRR. He would have been the No. 2 prospect in this year’s class using the Rookie Super Model. Bateman is my favorite Ravens WR in drafts right now.”

Just ask Jackson himself who the WR1 is!

Bateman flashed big-play ability both after the catch and deep down the field in 2022. The former first-round pick has more experience with Jackson than any other WR on this roster and is accordingly my top-ranked WR—the only reason I haven’t drafted more of him this offseason is because the RB value tends to stand out a bit more at the point in drafts when Bateman goes off the board.

And then there’s Flowers, who was selected with the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s summary on Flowers from his always excellent “The Beast”:

“A three-year starter at Boston College, Flowers was an inside/outside receiver in offensive coordinator John McNulty’s offense and was often schemed across the formation with motions (jets, orbits, etc.) and tight splits so he could attack space. He was presented with several lucrative NIL offers to transfer as a senior but stayed loyal to the program and had a record-breaking 2022 season, becoming Boston College’s all-time leading receiver. Flowers, who became the first BC receiver drafted since 1987, is fluid in and out of his breaks with playmaking potential after the catch. He is more of a glider than sprinter and won’t dust NFL corners with pure speed, but he does a great job utilizing gear change to tie defenders in knots with his quickness. Overall, Flowers is undersized and doesn’t have an ideal skill set for outside work, but he is a savvy and sudden competitor with the play speed and route pacing to create space. He projects as an early NFL starter who is at his best in the slot.”

While the Ravens clearly drafted Flowers as highly as they did for a reason, I’m concerned that he faces similar year-one problems as Jaxon Smith-Njigba and struggles to obtain a full-time role in an offense with two clear-cut outside WRs and multiple TEs that the coaching staff wants to keep involved. 

No team utilized less 11 personnel on first downs than the Ravens last season; Flowers is likely an injury or two away from seeing the sort of requisite target share that warrants top-24 consideration.

Rashod Bateman and Demarcus Robinson

Sep 11, 2022; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (7) celebrates with wide receiver Demarcus Robinson (10) after scoring a touchdown reception during the second half against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

As for OBJ: He posted an average 4.2-52.3-0.6 receiving line in 11 full games with the Rams—good for a 17-game season-long projection of 71-889-11 and an average of 13.4 PPR points per game, which would have ranked inside the position’s top-30 wide receivers in 2022. 

This is good, but certainly not something we can assume continues inside of a far less pass-happy offense.

The surprisingly steep one-year deal will inevitably lead to plenty of Beckham on the field in 2022; just don’t be surprised if we’ve already seen the best of the former Browns, Giants, and Rams WR. 

I haven’t drafted him yet this offseason at his WR4-level ADP—don’t expect more than boom-or-bust WR4 production at best as the likely No. 4 pass-game option inside of a (likely) still run-first scheme.

TE: Mark Andrews (Ian’s TE2), Isaiah Likely (TE30)

While Andrews’s 2022 campaign was widely viewed as a disappointment, he did still finish as the TE3 in PPR points per game. The extended absence of Lamar as well as lingering knee and shoulder issues didn’t help; the larger problem was Andrews falling well behind Travis Kelce just one season after snatching away his TE1 fantasy crown.

Still, Andrews’s status as the Ravens’ clear-cut No. 1 pass-game option continued to yield excessive fantasy-friendly opportunities relative to everyone at the position other than Kelce. Only six TEs averaged at least 11 expected PPR points per game last season:

  1. Kelce (17.2 expected PPR points per game)
  2. Andrews (14)
  3. Zach Ertz (13)
  4. T.J. Hockenson (12.9)
  5. Dalton Schultz (11)
  6. Kyle Pitts (11)

It’s Kelce and everyone else at TE—but Andrews has earned the benefit of the doubt as the top dog among “everyone else.” 

He joins Kelce and probably Darren Waller as the only players at the position who should tentatively be expected to lead their offense in targets; I’m fine drafting Hockenson inside the first four rounds of drafts when faced with elongated WR2 and RB2 tiers without someone I overly prefer available.

Likely flashed some high-end receiving ability throughout 2022, posting 6-77-1, 1-24-1, and 8-103-0 receiving lines in his only three games with a snap rate above 50%. Still, he otherwise failed to reach 50 yards once as the clear-cut No. 2 player at the position behind Andrews. 

It’d be tough to keep Likely out of the position’s top-eight (five?) options should Andrews miss any time, but the team’s willingness to stock up the WR room makes it unlikely a full-time role emerges for the talented rising second-year TE.

I do like the idea of throwing last-round best-ball darts at the rising second-year TE; Likely sure looks like the only player likely (ha!) just one injury away from having a chance to ascend into their position’s top-five players. Handcuff TEs aren’t a thing for a reason; just realize there’s a high ceiling here should an opportunity present itself.

2023 win total: 10 (-120 juice on the over)

Mike Tomlin’s incredible 16-year stretch without a losing record deservingly gets plenty of headlines every year, but John Harbaugh’s 15 seasons only consist of *one* year with fewer than eight wins himself. This includes 10, 14, 11, 8, and 10 wins with Jackson under center.

The latter variable really is the key here: Baltimore has been a different team without No. 8 on the field over the years.

  • 2018: 4-5 without Jackson; 6-1 with Jackson
  • 2019: 1-0 without Jackson, 13-2 with Jackson
  • 2020: 0-1 without Jackson, 11-4 with Jackson
  • 2021: 1-4 without Jackson, 7-5 with Jackson
  • 2022: 2-3 without Jackson, 8-4 with Jackson
Ravens Depth Chart

Four games per season against Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson isn’t ideal, but this remains one of the league’s most stable organizations that has regularly racked up wins with even somewhat good injury luck.

I’m taking over 10 wins as a sign of faith toward both Harbaugh’s team-wide culture as well as Jackson’s overall ability to ball the hell out when healthy. Taking back the AFC North crown from the Bengals might be wishful thinking, but it’d be surprising to see Baltimore not snipe one of the conference’s Wild Card spots.

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Baltimore Ravens Team Preview