Ravens wide receivers: the best of the rest

The Ravens will have to do without the services of Steve Smith for the second half of the 2015 season.  There isn't a #1 target for Joe Flacco to use in the passing game, but there is a variety of guys for Joe to throw the ball to and here's what I think they finish with:

Kamar Aiken

Aiken takes over as the #1 receiver now that Steve Smith is gone. Aiken has caught 25 out of his 44 targets for 333 yards and two touchdowns. He is currently on pace to have 50 receptions for 666 yards and four touchdowns. Now that Steve Smith is out, I'd expect that he has better numbers than that.

Projection: 70 receptions, 750 yards, six TDs

Chris Givens

Givens moves up to the #2 slot, and with an average of 16.1 yards per catch, he is the best deep threat on the Ravens until Breshad Perriman gets on the field. Givens has caught seven out of his 11 targets for 113 yards. Expect Givens to be on the field more, and get targeted more now that Steve Smith is out.

Projection: 30 receptions, 300 yards, two touchdowns.

Crockett Gillmore

With Steve Smith gone Joe Flacco will certainly turn to the tight ends more often on third down and Crockett Gillmore will get the majority of the targets. Gillmore has been recovering from a calf injury for the last few weeks, but he should be fully healthy after the bye. Gillmore has caught  20 out of 30 targets for 242 yards and three touchdowns. Those numbers will definitely go up, as Flacco will turn to Gillmore on third downs and in the redzone.

Projection: 50 receptions, 650 yards, seven touchdowns.

Maxx Williams and Nick Boyle

Crockett Gillmore won't be the only tight end to get involved more in the offense. Nick Boyle and Maxx Williams both have more than 10 receptions this season and I think both of them will get more involved in the passing game late in the season.

Projection: Maxx Williams: 28 receptions, 275 yard, two touchdowns

Nick Boyle: 20 receptions, 150 yards, one touchdown

With Steve Smith out, the Ravens will start spreading the ball around, as we saw already in the Chargers game. This should help the Ravens evaluate their younger players and give them some more time to develop chemistry with Flacco, so the team can evaluate them for the future.