Is it ever too early for fantasy football? If you want true success and to take your skills to the next level, the answer is no. A part of getting ready for the fantasy football season is studying rosters and finding offensive playmakers. There are quite a few methods to complete that research, and one of my ways to do that is to organize skill players by team. Here, I suggest four Baltimore Ravens skill players that should be on your fantasy football radar to draft this upcoming season.
Best Baltimore Ravens Fantasy Football Options
The No Brainer: Lamar Jackson
LAMAR JACKSON! Action Jackson! “Big Truzz,” as he would say. Whatever you want to call him, he’s gone in the first two rounds. Some draft experts would tell you that you don’t draft quarterbacks early, but not every QB is Lamar Jackson, who scores touchdowns on the ground, finishing third in rushing touchdowns by a QB as well as fifth in passing TDs over the past two seasons.
Where Jackson sets himself apart is with his rushing numbers. He has the sixth-most rushing yards by ANY player in the NFL the past two years. That combination of scoring and yards on the ground makes Lamar Jackson a lethal part of a fantasy football starting lineup and a top pick candidate.
Set It and Forget It Starter: Mark Andrews
One of the toughest positions to secure is tight end. From a fantasy football perspective, there is a large drop-off from elite talent to general starting talent, so you have to be strategic and have a good idea of who’d you want to target. Ravens fourth-year tight end Mark Andrews is a great candidate for your TE1. He has led all TEs in touchdowns over the past two seasons, with 17.
Being one of Jackson’s favorite targets isn’t the only reason he deserves consideration for your first tight end pick. Mark Andrews is a hard worker and knows how to work the field and get open, so plenty of opportunities are there, even if the Ravens finished last in passing attempts per game.
Up–and-Coming Starter: J.K. Dobbins
Running back is one of the most important positions, if not the most important position, on a fantasy football roster. It’s not always about who you draft, but also when you do it. That’s why strategy and research are key when entering your draft.
We know some of the top RB picks will be Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, Alvin Kamara, then going down a tier below you have guys like Nick Chubb, Saquon Barkley and Ezekiel Elliot. The third tier is where you might have guys like Josh Jacobs, Miles Sanders and Ravens breakout RB J.K Dobbins.
The Ravens lead the league in rushing the past two years, and Dobbins lead all running backs with 6.3 yards per carry and seven touchdowns in the Ravens last six games of the season. The Ravens are set to give J.K Dobbins the RB1 spot. Some may be skeptical about how many touches he will receive due to the fact Jackson lead the team in rushing yards in 2020, but the Ravens also lead the league in attempts, clearing the second-most team by 30. The Ravens also finished in the top 10 in points per game last year, with 29.3, and impressively lead the league in 2019, with 33.2 ppg, so there’s plenty of opportunity for Dobbins.
Deep League Stash: Devin Duvernay
Most fantasy leagues hold about 10-12 teams. With that number of teams, the benches and free agent pool usually have some nice talent and backup options. The deeper the league, the deeper your roster goes, and you need to research and have a game plan. Filling your team with third and fourth-string offensive skill players isn’t an easy task, especially if you aren’t an expert on NFL rosters and fantasy football. Here, I’m going to suggest a player who deserves some consideration as a possible breakout skill player for the Ravens: wide receiver Devin Duvernay from Texas.
He is a speedy and electric receiver that the Ravens used on end-arounds, quick passes, kick returns and punt returns. One of Duvernay’s highlights was a 93-yard kickoff return against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football. Earlier this year, Baltimore hired former Tennessee assistant coach and USC offensive coordinator Tee Martin as their new WR coach, replacing David Culley and Keith Williams as the passing game specialist. Williams is a former college WR coach and a revered positional coach working with top talent, including All-Pros and perennial Pro Bowlers Davante Adams and Tyreke Hill.
A different approach and new blood in the passing game, mixed with newly-showcased skills and talent from Duvernay, make him an under-the-radar Raven to watch out for in the 2021 fantasy football season.
