Current line (KC -3.0 | O/U 46.5)

Thursday night is the start of regular season football again, and what better way to kick off the season than Patrick Mahomes vs Lamar Jackson. 

Chiefs vs Ravens can turn out two ways in my opinion. Either super high scoring or a chess match, medium scoring game. Let’s take a look at both ways and who I think will win.

If the game ends up to be high scoring I would take the Ravens. I think the Ravens have the firepower to outscore the Chiefs with Mark Andrews, Zay Flowers and Lamar Jackson. 

If it’s a chess match give me the Chiefs, I think the defense and Mahomes ability to control the clock could hurt the Ravens. 

Overall, give me the Chiefs 27-23 over the Ravens in a thrilling opener.

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The Good

For several years now the Ravens wide receiver core was mediocre at best. They tried to address this in the draft but had more misses than hits. This past offseason they decided to address this position by bringing in Odell Beckham Jr. on a one-year contract. While OBJ may not be as explosive as he once was, he still has plenty left in the tank. He will want to prove his doubters wrong and will elevate the young wide receivers on this team. One of those being of course Rashod Bateman.

Bateman has shown that if he can stay healthy he can be the weapon the Ravens desperately need. The key of course is health as Bateman has yet to play a full season. Pairing him with OBJ and rookie Zay Flowers should finally give the Ravens a formidable wide receiver group. Add to that one of the best tight ends in the NFL in Mark Andrews and this offense will be tough to stop for opposing defenses.

The Bad

While it may be tough to find a glaring hole on the Ravens, one area of concern is the running back position. The Ravens will once again rely on J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill in their backfield. Dobbins may have come back too early from ACL injury in 2022 and he really wasn’t effective until late in the year. The hope is Dobbins is now fully healthy in 2023 and ready to take on the full-time role. Still, I would’ve liked to see the Ravens bring in a veteran to shake up this unit and provide insurance in case Dobbins goes down again.

The Prediction

The bottom line for the Baltimore Ravens is they will once again compete for the AFC North title and more. Getting Lamar Jackson back was obviously huge for their future success. Jackson finally has a legitimate wide receiver group to throw to and the defense will take another step forward. Expect the Ravens to finish 1st in the division and make a deep run in the 2023 NFL Playoffs.

2023 Record: 12-5

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Cincinnati Bengals: Is Their Defense Super Bowl Worthy?

The Cincinnati Bengals were a field goal away from consecutive Super Bowl appearances. One of the biggest reasons for their success has been the defense, especially in the second half of the season. After the bye in Week 10, they had six games where opponents failed to score 20 points. In the Championship game, they only allowed 23 points to the Chiefs. The offense is one of the league’s best so a lot of blame goes on their defense. The Bengals lost some pieces in Jessie Bates III, Vonn Bell, and Eli Apple. The secondary is now shorthanded and lost key pieces in their two playoff runs. In the draft, they went Myles Murphy, DJ Turner II, and Jordan Battle with the first three picks. Only time will tell if the rookies can overcome the losses on defense. If the defense is lacking, other teams in the AFC will pounce for their spot.

Baltimore Ravens: What’s The Ceiling Of This Team With The New Look Offense?

The Baltimore Ravens were on the news the most this offseason with all the Lamar Jackson drama with his extension. Before the draft day, they were able to secure the deal and Lamar got his bag. Other than this, they added OBJ, and Agholor, and drafted Zay Flowers. This looks like the fastest WR core in the league. Mark Andrews is always reliable and Lamar is dynamic. The Ravens will probably be the most-watched team because of the immediate results of the offseason. On paper, they look competitive and a Super Bowl contender. The main concern will be the health of Lamar from his injury last season and OBJ. Take one of them out and their ceiling drops significantly. Stats-wise, if all are healthy for the majority of the season, Lamar could have his second MVP. If not, they’ll be battling for the last Wild Card spot.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Which Player On Offense Will Take The Leap?

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a late run where they won seven out of their last nine games after the bye. In this run, we saw the growth of their young offensive core, especially Kenny Pickett who had game-winning drives. Currently, they have a lot of good young pieces, but none are sure-fire Pro Bowlers. They were always considered a favorite when they had the Killer B’s of Ben, Bell, and Brown. Now, someone will need to step up in order for the Steelers to reclaim their throne in the AFC North. Being able to make the postseason will be a big help to the growth of these young players.

Cleveland Browns: Was Deshaun Watson Worth The Trade?

Deshaun Watson finally made it back to an NFL field after all the drama over the past few years. With the restrictions on his suspension, he didn’t have much time to gel with his teammates on the field. So we’ll give him a pass for last season. Now this season will be interesting as he gets a full training camp and there will be no excuses for lack of time with teammates. The Browns are a talented team and have some elite pieces on both sides of the ball. Deshaun doesn’t have to do everything, unlike his days with the Texans. If he can lead the Browns to the playoffs, Cleveland will be fine with him. The noise will be very loud if they miss it.

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PRESEASON EXPECTATIONS

Mark Andrews had come off the best season of his career with an amazing 300.10 FP last fantasy season and was the top tight end in fantasy football. He had 107 catches for 1361 yards and nine TDs. After three straight top-six finishes in fantasy, fantasy owners were expecting the same with Andrews. If he could repeat what he did in 2021 is the question.

DRAFT EXPECTATIONS

The Baltimore TE was drafted very early as he was a late second or early third-round pick in fantasy drafts. In a position lacking depth, getting one of the elite tight ends in football is a blessing for fantasy owners. He was the second tight end picked after Travis Kelce.

OVERALL SEASON PRODUCTION

Mark Andrews had another steady season for the Ravens as he had a top-five season in fantasy football. The Ravens’ TE caught 73 passes for 847 yards and five TDs. He had a string start to the year with multiple 20+ FP performances. However, with Lamar Jackson‘s injury, Baltimore passed the ball less and it affected Andrews’ performance. With Lamar still waiting for his contract, let us see how this will affect Mark in the long run.

CRITICAL MOMENTS DURING THE SEASON

Week 2 vs Miami Dolphins

Baltimore took on Miami in a week two matchup and it proved to be the game of the week. Mark Andrews did his part with nine catches and 104 yards. This was highlighted by a one-yard TD catch with four minutes left in the second quarter. The game seemed to be over but Miami decided to go on a 35-10 second-half run to steal the win. Andrews did shine with 25.70 FP.

Week 3 vs New England Patriots

Mark Andrews saved his best performance a week after when the Ravens took on the Patriots. The Baltimore tight end caught eight passes for 89 yards and two TDs. Andrews caught a 16-yard TD late in the second quarter and a five-yard TD in the first quarter for his only two-TD game of the season. This gave him 28.90 FP and his reputation as an elite TE was even stronger.

Week 6 vs New York Giants

Before the chaos started to happen, Andrews had his last elite game in Week 6 against the Giants. Mark Andrews connected for seven catches and 106 yards. He caught a 12-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter, but they were unable to keep the lead as the Giants stole the game. Four 20+ FP games in six weeks established that Andrews and Lamar are an elite combination.

The post 2022-2023 Fantasy Football Review: Mark Andrews appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

PLAYERS TO START

QB: Trevor Lawrence JAX (Projected: 18.08 FP)

No other QB has been as dominant right now as is Trevor Lawrence. Trevor Lawrence has led Jacksonville to two straight big comeback victories against playoff teams. In terms of FP, he has averaged 30+ FP in those games as well. He comes in and faces a tough New York Jets defense. However, he has been playing his butt off and he will continue to prove he is the future of the NFL with another great performance.

WR: Diontae Johnson PIT (Projected: 10.23 FP)

Diontae Johnson is the best WR right now who has zero TDs this season. He has had a great season so far and constantly produces double digit games. Last week, he caught 10 passes for 98 yards and rushed for two yards. With a game against the Raiders in Week 16, he is primed for another solid performance and hopefully his first TD.

PLAYERS TO SIT

RB: Joe Mixon CIN (Projected 14.35 FP)

Joe Mixon struggled in Week 15 against Tampa Bay when he was just held to 21 rushing yards. He did do well in the pass game to bring him to 10.40 FP. For Week 16, he faces a New England defense that does well against the run. It might be better to find another option instead of Joe Mixon for the Week 16 games.

TE: Mark Andrews BAL (Projected: 14.27 FP)

Mark Andrews disappointed again when he faced the Cleveland Browns in Week 15. He only caught three of seven passes for just 31 yards. He hasn’t scored in double-digits since Week 12 where he scored 10 FP exactly. It’s getting difficult to trust Andrews especially since Baltimore has focused on the run more ever since Lamar Jackson got hurt.

DEF/ST: Buffalo Bills BUF (Projected: 9.25 FP)

Buffalo will come into Week 16 against the Chicago Bears on the road. They face Justin Fields who has been dynamic and unstoppable when he’s running. The Eagles struggled against him and are one of the elite defenses in football. Last week, the Bills defense struggled against Miami by scoring just two fantasy points. The projection is really high for the Bills and I think they may have a difficult time approaching that score.

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By: Tim Rodriguez

NFL teams never make it easy when it’s time to extend their star quarterbacks. The Dallas Cowboys spent far too long dragging their heels with Dak Prescott. Fortunately, they were able to get it done, but it hung over the franchise for quite a while. Washington spent years franchise tagging Kirk Cousins, and they haven’t been able to find a quarterback anywhere near his level since he walked in free agency. We have another situation brewing in the AFC North.

The Baltimore Ravens have been able to extend Lamar Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP, for over a year, but still have no deal in place. Why? Wish I had an answer. While many media members have floated the idea that Jackson should be allowed to test the market by Baltimore, the Ravens should be doing everything necessary to keep him on the roster.

What are the Ravens without Lamar Jackson?

Average. They drafted him for a reason. He was the quarterback that was supposed to take them to a new level that post-2012 Joe Flacco couldn’t. And he did. A 14-2 campaign in 2019 had the Ravens poised to sit atop the AFC for years to come. Sure, they got run off the field in the playoffs, but that should not take away from their dominant performance. In 2020, despite a midseason COVID outbreak, the Ravens stormed to the postseason and avenged their 2019 divisional round loss. A Jackson injury eliminated any hopes of winning the next week. 

This season, the Ravens were ravaged by injuries and COVID, including a season-ending ankle injury to their young star quarterback. Tyler Huntley filled in for Jackson and played amicably, proving that he deserves a chance to compete for a starting job”¦somewhere else. Unfortunately, his above average play has led many to believe that he could start for Baltimore, leaving Jackson and his contract status expendable. 

Lock him up

There’s no reason to let Lamar Jackson walk in free agency. He is, without question, one of the most explosive players in the NFL. He is also accomplishing some tremendous feats given what he has been given. It’s no secret the Ravens have struggled to put together a consistent group of weapons, with tight end Mark Andrews emerging as the most reliable pass catcher on the team. All-world tackle Ronnie Stanley, who is taking up a large portion of the salary cap, has been on the receiving end of two devastating season-ending injuries in 2020 and 2021. Orlando Brown was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs last off-season, leaving the offensive tackle room in disarray. There were times in 2021 where Jackson was under siege. Through all that, he made it work. Baltimore was in prime playoff positioning when he went down. 

Why the hesitation?

Jackson is always going to be held to a different standard than everyone else. You can come to your own conclusions why. His play style simply rubs people the wrong way. Whether the narrative be “he isn’t accurate enough” or “he can’t win the big games” or even “he can’t play from behind”, Jackson has a huge target on his back. Clearly, the lack of playoff success, as well as his increased likelihood to get injured given how he plays, the Ravens have some concerns as well. Other players on the team, like Stanley, have been taken care of, but Jackson has to remain humble and quiet. If Kirk Cousins can have a cap hit of nearly $50 million, Lamar Jackson, a former *checks notes* MVP, can get essentially whatever he pleases. 

Lamar Jackson sweepstakes?

Make no mistake, Lamar Jackson hitting free agency would be the biggest seismic shift in NFL history when we look back on it. Quarterbacks this amazing simply don’t hit the open market at this age. Peyton Manning and Tom Brady hit the market when they were old enough to run for President of the United States. This could have Drew Brees to New Orleans levels of impact. The Saints were a downtrodden franchise and Brees, who the Chargers let walk away in 2006, helped them win a Super Bowl, win countless games and become one of the most consistent teams of the last two decades.

The post Why are the Ravens not extending Lamar Jackson? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Andrews Signs Extension

The Ravens wasted no time locking up one of their star offensive players before the season began. Mark Andrews signed an extension with the Ravens for $56 million over four years. Andrews is already one of the most dangerous tight ends in the NFL, and the Ravens have smartly locked up one of their talented offensive weapons for years to come. Andrews will remain a big target for the Ravens’ passing game over the next couple of seasons.

2021 Fantasy Projection

So, what’s in store for Andrews in 2021? I believe Andrews is in store for a huge season for the Ravens in 2021. Andrews was still good from a fantasy perspective in 2020, but he finished as the TE6 in PPR leagues. It was disappointing for fantasy managers that drafted Andrews with the expectation he would finish in the top 3. Andrews underperformed his ADP in 2020, but I expect him to get back to top-five fantasy production in 2021.

Andrews should open the year as Lamar Jackson’s number one target in the passing game. Due to all of the injuries the Ravens currently have. The Ravens did make it a priority to bring in more weapons this off-season. Sammy Watkins and impressive rookie Rashod Bateman are both banged up. Bateman will miss the first couple of weeks of the 2021 season, as the Ravens placed him on short-term IR. With Bateman set to miss the first couple of weeks of the season and Watkins already struggling with injuries, I expect Jackson to lean heavy on Andrews in the passing game this year. Andrews may see closer to 100 targets this season, similar to his 2019 season. Andrews led the Ravens in receiving in 2019, and I believe he has the chance to repeat that this year.

2021 prediction: TE4

Future Outlook

There’s no question Mark Andrews remains one of the top fantasy TE’s you can have on your roster. Andrews is among the elite group of tight ends in fantasy, and he will remain in that group for the following years to come. Andrews will be a part of the Ravens’ young core of offensive players, including Lamar Jackson, J.K. Dobbins, Marquise Brown, and Rashod Bateman. While the Ravens have shown over the past few season’s they are a run-heavy team. Andrews has been able to find fantasy success in this offense before. Andrews led all fantasy tight ends in touchdowns in 2019 and finished with the 4^th most in 2020.

Andrews is an elite fantasy TE who belongs in the second tier of fantasy TEs. With the Ravens locking up their premier tight end for the future, Andrews should remain a top fantasy tight end in dynasty for the next couple of seasons. We don’t know the status of Lamar Jackson’s future in Baltimore yet. It is expected the Ravens resign Jackson. Andrews is a part of the top six dynasty tight ends, and I expect him to remain on that list over the next few years.

Dynasty Ranking: TE6

The post Mark Andrews Dynasty Outlook appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Marcel Boudreau (@Marcel_BFF)

There has been growing importance among the fantasy football community about having one of the top 3 fantasy tight ends, and how it gives you an extreme positional advantage. Many dynasty leagues are now tight end (TE) premiums (where tight end receive more points for production), which if you are in one of these leagues, prepare for the shift. In redraft, we’re seeing Travis Kelce picked in the first round when not too long ago, picking a tight end in the first three rounds would have been frowned upon. But now, we really need to be aware of how the tight end landscape is about to get set on fire, and how it could affect dynasty rosters. 

There are more relevant fantasy tight ends whose contracts expire after the 2021-2022 season than has ever been in an off-season. Who are they, their TE finish last season in PPR scoring, and how it affects the landscape:

Mark Andrews (TE #6): Finishing as a top 6 TE in back-to-back season, Mark Andrews is entering his fourth and final season with Baltimore. It appears we will see a better passing attack from the Ravens in 2021, which could bode really well for this touchdown machine. If the Raven’s fail to extend him, and Andrews tests the free-agent market, he could find a team willing to out-pay the Ravens, which leaves a big hole in Raven’s offense for someone to fill, but also would likely dethrone the tight end in Andrew’s new destination.

Dallas Goedert (TE #20 in 11 games; paced to be TE #9): in a year with the horrific quarterback play, they’re did shine a glimmer of hope to what Goedert could become as the lead TE in the Philadelphia offense. Goedert quickly became Jalen Hurts’ favorite target, but that could be irrelevant if Zach Ertz remains in Philly. If the Eagles fail to trade Ertz, it may leave a sour taste in Goedert’s mouth, as it would show the team really does have full confidence in him. Not only would Ertz ruin Goedert’s dynasty managers’ expectations for the upcoming season, but it would lead to Goedert and Ertz being out of Philly after 2021, especially if Goedert wants to go to an even paying team, who will use him more. 

Mike Gesicki (TE #7): The Dolphins just spent a third-round draft pick on promising TE-talent Hunter Long and extended TE Adam Shaheen in the middle of last season, which both appear like preparation moves to be without Gesicki in 2022. Gesicki would be another extremely talented TE on the market, who has shown nothing but constant improvement and has set himself up nicely to earn a big cheque. 

Evan Engram (TE #15): What was a disappointing result on 109 targets (4^th among TEs in 2020), the Giants did show they want to continue to use the TE or was it only a product of no other quality receiving options. They paid a lot of money for Golladay, have endless faith in RB star Saquon Barkley, and just picked wide receiver Kadarius Toney in the first round. But that’s not all, they also signed veteran TE Kyle Rudolph to significant money ($6,000,000/year,) and with the investment in receivers, it’s increasingly seeming that Evan Engram will be faded from this offense. It would be very surprising to see Engram be of any consistent relevance this season, but he is worth holding onto regardless of his 2021 production. Engram is a former first round pick, a freak athlete, and has Daniel Jones to blame for his recent lack in production. It would be shocking to not see another team willing to take a chance on him and give him a fresh start.

Gerald Everett (TE 24): If you’re invested in the fantasy community, you’re aware of the recent surge for Gerald Everett as a sleeper/breakout TE in 2021. Russell Wilson has been well known for producing relevant TEs, but in recent years, the Seahawks have failed to find one that can stay healthy for 16 games. Gerald Everett put up 7 catches for 135 yards against the Seahawks a few years ago, and Pete Carrol was quick to mention how amazed he was by Everett’s play that game. Everett was snagged by the Seahawks on a one-year deal (likely Everett playing the money side of things with the low cap space) and now has the offense and the quarterback to put up massive numbers, in a scheme that has been friendly to the tight end in the past. It would be fun to see Everett be either extended by the Seahawks or re-challenge the free-agent market if he does end up producing top-10 tight end numbers.

Robert Tonyan Jr. (TE #4) and Logan Thomas (TE #3) are both coming off breakout seasons. Neither of these names was on draft radars a season ago and became league-winning waiver wire adds. Both TEs are coming off seasons where they were a top-3 receiving option for their teams. Green Bay and Washington both added receiving options and have other receivers coming back from injury. These TEs have lost some steam over the off-season, and it would not be all that surprising to see them leave their current teams in 2022. 

David Njoku (TE #47) and O.J Howard (TE #58 paced to be TE #14: 4 game splayed): Both drafted in the first round showing lots of promise with their athletic profiles, and both producing top-15 TE value in their second years in the league have also both fizzled out recently and have experienced significant injuries. In 2021, these two guys will face solid competition for snaps and targets at TE in their respective offenses. It be interesting to see how many teams are willing to give them a second chance based on their athleticism and flashes of promise.

Anthony Firkser, Maxx Williams, Rob Gronkowski, C.J Uzomah, all appear to be in “filler” roles at TE. This is not taking anything away from Gronk’s 2019 performance, as he outproduced most expectations, but these four TEs are all part of explosive or efficient offenses and it would not be surprising to see their respective teams replace them with younger, promising talents to add even more weapons to their offenses, especially with some of the talented free agents hitting the market. 

Mo Alie-Cox, Eric Ebron, Jared Cook, Jordan Akins are other TE names to think about, as in all their cases, their respective teams have spent draft capital on rookie TEs, all with the potential to succeed and take over the TE role for these teams. Ian Thomas, Zach Ertz, Jimmy Graham, Chris Herndon, Dalton Shultz, are also on the list of 2022 free agent TE and deserved a mention.

To summarize this cluster of information on how to apply it to the dynasty managing world, latch on to a high-end prospect ready to hit the open market and bank that their talent will earn them a hot landing spot. Another angle to take is to acquire one of the already established TEs, whose roles, volume, and production are not in question for the next couple of years (Kelce, Kittle, Waller, Hockenson”¦?). After acquiring one of these studs, you can sit back, relax, and watch your league go crazy about the TEs in free agency next off-season. 

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