Fantasy Football 2017 : Sorting the Ravens

It is getting to be that time of year again. Over the next couple months, fantasy football aficionados will be pouring over rankings, stats, injury reports and depth charts in order to gain a winning edge in their league’s draft. An early primer of the Baltimore Ravens fantasy assets:

Weekly Starters

• Justin Tucker

The top kicker in the NFL, bar none, nailed 38 of 39 field goals and 27 of 27 extra points. Tucker should receive consistent opportunities to put points on the board and his strong leg is a real asset in leagues that award bonus points for long field goals.

• Ravens D/ST

In 2016, the Ravens defense and special teams finished around the tenth best, depending on the format. After spending the vast majority of their free agent dollars and early draft picks on defense, Baltimore is expected to maintain their takeaways and special teams prowess, while improving in the points allowed and sack categories.

Flex Considerations

• Breshad Perriman

Considerable buzz is growing for the third year speedster. Perriman will have ample opportunity to serve as the Ravens top receiver and posted impressive fantasy points per target numbers last year.

• Terrance West

West was a low end RB2 last year and is expected to receive a bigger workload next season. Even if Woodhead or Dixon serve as the feature back some weeks, West is the Ravens rusher best suited to poach touchdowns on the goal line.

• Mike Wallace

Wallace performed as a low end WR2 in 2016, but his production tapered off in the second half of the season. He should earn plenty of targets and brings value to leagues with a big play bonus, especially if the Ravens get their play action game working.

• Danny Woodhead

A useful player in point-per-reception formats, he should be able to pile up the catches as a safety valve out of the backfield. Woodhead will serve as Baltimore’s primary third down back, at least initially while Dixon serves his suspension.

Streaming Options

• Dennis Pitta

To the chagrin of many Ravens followers, Pitta led the team with 86 receptions last season. While not the yardage or touchdown threat he was earlier in his career, Pitta provides a high floor streaming option in PPR formats.

• Joe Flacco

Flacco has proven to be an inconsistent regular season quarterback. Depending on the matchup, he could serve as a decent bye week or injury fill-in at quarterback. His best statistical games often occur against potent offenses.

Watch List

• Kenneth Dixon

He has the potential to rack up yardage but may not be worth rostering to start the season due to a four-game suspension. Shrewd managers will want to pickup Dixon in Week 3 and root for him to overtake Woodhead for snaps.

• Maxx Williams

Entering his third season, Maxx has much to prove. Still, his skillset combined with the Ravens probable weekly gameplan means Williams could become a top-8 overall tight end if everything falls into place.

• Chris Moore

The Ravens are not expected to field a passing offense prolific enough to make the third wideout fantasy relevant. However, if either Perriman or Wallace go down to injury, Moore is a worthwhile speculative add.

• Darren Waller

The prototypical touchdown dependent receiver could be in line for a larger role. Monitoring Waller’s early season snaps counts and red zone targets is recommended.