Today - Your world champion Baltimore Ravens!
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Okay, the Baltimore Ravens may or may not be your favorite NFL team, but either way there could be fantasy glory to be found here. After all,
they are the defending Superbowl champions! The path to a fantasy
championship is won with your head not your heart, so forget about your real world alliances and how you may feel about the Ravens. Let's take a look at some
of the Ravens for fantasy football.
Ray
Rice - Ray Rice is more like a WR wearing an RB jersey. He should still
get the majority of the touches even with Benard Pierce due for an
increased role in the offense. He will still catch passes out of the
backfield and will still see plenty of goal line carries as well. With
the WR position thin in Baltimore, there may even be times Rice lines up
on the outside as a WR. This would enhance his value in PPR leagues
even more. Don't put too much emphasis on Pierce taking carries away
from Rice this season. A fresher Ray Rice could bode well for his
fantasy owners down the stretch come fantasy playoff time. (A key strategic point!)
Bernard
Pierce - Honestly, the main value Pierce holds in fantasy drafts should
be to Rice owners. While Pierce is in line for an increased role, Ray
Rice is still the bell cow in the Ravens offense. While there aren't
many obvious handcuffs to starting RBs this season, Pierce goes without
saying. But again, there isn't much reason to draft him unless you want
that insurance policy for your first round pick in Ray Rice. Rice has
proven to be durable over his NFL career so far but if Rice were to get
hurt, Pierce would hold more value. You probably don't want to use a bench spot to draft
Pierce unless you've already drafted Rice.
Joe
Flacco - While Flacco may be an "elite" NFL QB, his fantasy status isn't
on the same level. Yes he is the reigning Superbowl MVP, but he's
not anything more than a QB2 in fantasy circles. Flacco is a good bye
week fill in at QB but drafting him as your every week starter could put
you behind the 8 ball every week. The problem with Flacco is he is
inconsistent from a fantasy perspective. He may not lose the week for
you, but he certainly will not help you win either. Feel good if you can
get Flacco late in your draft after your QB1 is already on your
roster.
Jacoby Jones - Jones may end up not
being fantasy relevant but due to the departure of Anquan Boldin, Jones
has the chance to slip into the role Boldin previously occupied. Where
Jones real value lies is if your league gives points for kick/punt
returns. Even though Jacoby Jones' role in the offense should increase,
he should keep his return duties. You can target Jones late in drafts as
a potential sleeper, but don't expect significant returns on that pick.
He probably won't be a productive every week WR for fantasy purposes
but could hold some value just being one of the top WRs in Baltimore
this year.
Dallas Clark - By default, Clark
could be the starting TE in Baltimore when the season begins. With
Dennis Pitta out for the season with a dislocated hip and Ed Dickson
nursing a hamstring injury of his own, newly signed Dallas Clark could
quickly become a safety net for Flacco. Since Clark has probably seen
his better days in Indianapolis, he will most likely go undrafted in
most shallow leagues and may be worthy of a waiver wire pickup if you
find yourself in need of TE help once the bye weeks start rolling
around.
Torrey Smith - Smith is obviously the
number one WR in Baltimore but the question is, is he ready to be?
Torrey Smith is not a possession WR but rather a deep threat. You can
consider him boom or bust. On any given week he can have a big game
while the next week could net you very little points. His game is
predicated on catching deep passes which Flacco is more than capable of
delivering but no shows from a number one WR just won't cut it on a week
to week basis for your fantasy team. Grabbing Smith as your third WR
could be your best bet. You need that consistency and Torrey Smith will
not give you that.
Ed Dickson - Although banged
up a bit, Dickson could provide some fantasy value if drafted in later
rounds. As previously stated, Dallas Clark's better days are behind him
and Pitta is out for the season so Dickson could step up this year once
healthy. He knows the offense and could be a serviceable TE in a thin
class at his position. Where Pitta was red zone favorite of Flacco, it
is possible Dickson steps into that role in 2013.
Justin
Tucker - It isn't often that a kicker gets fantasy love but Justin
Tucker should be one of the first kickers off the board. This doesn't
mean reach for a kicker, but Tucker is a reliable option and rarely
missed last season. He should remain one of the most reliable at his
position again in 2013.
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