We are deep in Draft Season and Belly Up Fantasy Sports is previewing each NFL team’s fantasy prospects. We’re giving you all the intel you need to dominate your draft and win your league. Next up, grab a crab cake and prepare to visit the dark side. With apologies to Edgar Allan Poe, we preview the 2022 Baltimore Ravens.

Note: All 2021 fantasy point totals and rankings are PPR unless otherwise noted.

2022 Baltimore Ravens Preview: Quarterback

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
O’er every inch of coaching game film of the Steelers game before—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of a Dawg rabidly yapping, yapping at my hotel room door—
“‘Tis the Cleveland Browns,” I muttered, “yapping at my hotel door—
Only Cleveland and we’re 8-4.”

Ah, distinctly, I remember it was in the bleak December;
The Ravens’ paramount team member carted from the stadium floor.
Vainly did I curse the past;—for each young running back we’d stashed
Had been lost before preseason passed. The team was hexed, the fans all swore—
For now, their quarterback Lamar had fallen on Erie’s accursed shore—
And the Browns prevailed, 22-24.

Quarterback Bottom Line

Though the six-game losing streak to end 2021 had technically started the week before with a loss to Pittsburgh, the Ravens’ 2021 season effectively ended when Lamar Jackson suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter against the Browns in Cleveland in Week 14. Up to that point, the Ravens’ MVP quarterback had been scoring like a top-five fantasy option at the position, as per usual. Alas, Jackson wouldn’t take the field again, sinking both the Ravens’ and his fantasy managers’ hopes. But that’s all in the past, now. While negotiations on a contract extension haven’t borne fruit just yet, Jackson is still QB1 in Baltimore and figures to be for some time.

Jackson has looked healthy this preseason and, by many accounts, is thriving. A revamped offensive line and a reported 15-20 pounds of muscle added in the offseason should help Jackson continue to be the solid runner we’ve come to know. Super Lamario returns to his top-five fantasy quarterback status with the clean bill of health. He should return great value in all scoring formats, as his rushing ability keeps his floor high. While he struggled a bit with 13 interceptions in 12 games last year, that is probably attributable at least partly to sub-par line play. That same offensive line allowed Jackson to be sacked 38 times in his 12 games last year- a career-high. Draft Jackson with confidence this season in all formats. His backup Tyler Huntley acquitted himself well in Jackson’s absence but is only rosterable in deeper Dynasty formats barring another injury to Lamar.

2022 Baltimore Ravens Fantasy Preview: Running Back

It might be a slight understatement to say the Ravens’ backfield was a house of horrors last season. In the last two weeks of the preseason, Baltimore lost all three of their projected top running backs for the season due to injury. J.K. Dobbins went down in the final preseason contest with a torn ACL. Justice Hill tore his Achilles on September 6th. And just three days later, Gus Edwards would match Dobbins with an ACL tear of his own. Suddenly, the Ravens went from perhaps the NFL’s deepest and best rushing attack to one in the hands of luminaries such as Devonta Freeman and Latavius Murray.

Freeman would go on to “lead” the Ravens’ running backs (we use “lead” here loosely) in just about every offensive category and finished as RB30. Murray scored one more touchdown, but the sluggish former fantasy flash might’ve performed better on a Hoveround or Rascal than he did on his aging legs. Ty’Son Williams looked like he may be a guy for the first half of the game in Week 1, putting himself on the radar as a popular waiver pickup. He then quite literally disappeared from fantasy relevancy and remains invisible to this day.

Running Back Bottom Line

If Dobbins is ready for Week 1, I like his prospects as an RB2 with an RB1 ceiling. In line to start after an impressive rookie season before his injury, Dobbins showed promise as a dual-threat back. He won’t average 6 yards per carry again, but if a healthy Dobbins can take control of the RB touches, 300+ fantasy points are possible. Hill is healthy, but his value is minimal in all formats at the moment. He would rise to FLEX consideration if Dobbins misses time again. Edwards has been placed on the PUP list and will miss at least the first four weeks. He’s a good add if you have the roster space in redraft or Dynasty, especially if your league offers IR slots. When Edwards is healthy, he’s the most talented Baltimore back not named Dobbins and would carry RB2 upside as a starter if Dobbins misses time.

Williams and Freeman are both gone. In their stead, Mike Davis now takes up the mantle of “Aging RB Who Won’t Be in Baltimore Long.” It’s a… distinguished list, including Ravens legends Mark Ingram, Le’Veon Bell, and Danny Woodhead. Davis rubbed elbows with fantasy usefulness in Carolina as Christian McCaffrey’s backup but paved the way for Cordarrelle Patterson’s career renaissance in Atlanta last season and is probably best left on the wire unless Baltimore is plagued by injuries again. 2022 sixth-round pick Tyler Badie warrants a Dynasty stash-and-see but figures to be unusable in DFS and redraft for the time being.

2022 Baltimore Ravens Fantasy Preview: Wide Receiver

Marquise Brown was ninth in the league in wide receiver targets in 2021 and finished as WR22 overall. The Ravens had shown a willingness to pick up his fifth-year option, and Brown was Lamar Jackson‘s best friend on the team. Brown figured to be the top Ravens’ wideout for at least several more years. Life was good in Baltimore. And then- (Cue sinister music.)

-Brown requested a trade! The Ravens took him up on the offer and traded him to Arizona for a pick that eventually became new starting center Tyler Linderbaum. Suddenly, a mediocre position group collapsed into one of the league’s poorest. Yet, the team decided to stand pat in the offseason. They chose to pass on a draft universally acknowledged as strong at wide receiver. Until Demarcus Robinson signed on August 23, they likewise chose not to sign any free agents of note. It looks like the Ravens are content to run with the crew they have, for better or worse.

Wide Receiver Bottom Line

There’s not much to talk about or to like about the 2022 Baltimore Ravens’ wide receivers as things stand. The excitement isn’t necessarily palpable when your top offseason addition is last year’s overall WR104 and shows up just days before the final preseason tilt. Robinson doesn’t offer much fantasy appeal for now. He’s never caught more than 45 balls in a season. He scored over 100 fantasy points on the year only twice in six seasons. Leave him off your roster and look elsewhere for sleeper potential. Likewise, the smallish duo of Devin Duvernay and James Proche II have been underwhelming in their two years in the league. Right now, they’re listed at second and third on the depth chart for the Ravens. That probably puts them more like fourth and fifth in line target-wise.

The lone bright spot is Rashod Bateman. WR70 last season, Bateman missed several games with a groin injury suffered in training camp. It took some time for him to get going, but the future looked promising once he did. He played much closer to a WR4 level at his scoring rate. Bateman scored 12.6 points or more in three of his last five games, despite only scoring one touchdown. The Brown trade vacated almost 150 targets. With that kind of volume, Bateman looks to be capable of out-producing Brown. Bateman caught almost 69 percent of his targets last season, whereas Brown caught just 62.8 percent. Bateman averaged slightly more yards per target and reception than Brown. Positive touchdown regression at volume for Bateman puts him firmly in the WR2 mix. Going as a top 20 wideout in the fourth or fifth rounds feels about right here. Go get him.

2022 Baltimore Ravens Fantasy Preview: Tight End

Mark Andrews finished his rookie season as TE18 overall. Since then, he’s put together three consecutive top-10 campaigns, culminating in his ascension to TE1 last season. Andrews saw a ridiculous amount of targets (154) last season and caught more balls (107) than his previous high for targets in a season (98). He ran away from Travis Kelce in the top fantasy-scoring tight-end competition. Andrews was one of only nine non-quarterbacks to score over 300 fantasy points last season. It was fun to watch unless you were an opposing safety or linebacker.

Tight End Bottom Line

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Ravens traded Marquise Brown this off-season. Brown was the only player on the Ravens who came close to matching Andrews’s target share. Even if Bateman steps up and takes Brown’s touches (and he should), Andrews still commands most of the attention in the passing game. He’s just that good. Behind only Kyle Pitts at the position, he’s coming off the board toward the end of the second round as TE2. He’s about as set-and-forget as you can find at tight end, and there aren’t many like that in the league. You’re paying a steep price for him in all formats, but you’re getting peace of mind at one of fantasy’s most frustrating positions. At only 26 years old, he’ll carry value in Dynasty/keeper leagues for years to come. And he’s arguably a first-round pick in tight-end premium formats.

Nick Boyle is technically listed second on the depth chart but will continue to make his career as a blocker. Don’t be sad for him; the man’s made a good living out of playing the Speed Tackle position. One of the real fun things to track this season will be the development of third-stringer Isaiah Likely. A fourth-round pick this April Likely has dazzled the league in the preseason. His college stats were among the best in this draft’s tight end class, and he looks to have the talent to play at the NFL level. Andrews and Bateman will see more targets, but Baltimore will get Likely on the field if he shows he’s a better receiving option than the Ravens have elsewhere. He’s more of a Dynasty stash for now but could carry tremendous value if Andrews misses time.

2022 Baltimore Ravens Fantasy Preview: Peripherals

Baltimore was an uncharacteristically poor fantasy option at defense and special teams last season. The Ravens finished in the bottom quarter of the league for fantasy purposes. They brought in safety Marcus Williams and defensive tackle Michael Pierce in free agency. The draft saw them take another safety in Kyle Hamilton. We’ll see if these additions can elevate this defense to a usable one for fantasy purposes. But games against the AFC East, NFC South, and Denver, in addition to two games against Cincinnati, don’t leave many intriguing options for streaming. Steer clear until they prove otherwise.

Justin Tucker is, simply put, the best kicker in the league right now. He has a big leg. He doesn’t miss. And he doesn’t need a microphone to be heard in the last pew in the cathedral. But kickers belong in the last round of a draft. Even ones as good as Tucker are only fractional points different than lesser talents when it comes to fantasy. Don’t be that guy taking Tucker (or any kicker) in the 11th round. You’re not getting a steal when you do that; you’re passing over dollar bills to grab pennies. Tucker was K7 last season and made 94.6 percent of his field goal attempts. Matt Prater only connected on 81.1 percent of his field goals; he was K5 on the year, two points better than Tucker. Draft. Your. Kicker. Last.

Dominate Draft Season!

Remember to check Belly Up Fantasy Sports for more fantasy analysis and entertaining insight. Rankings, team previews, strategies, and even betting advice will help you cash in this fantasy season! As always, more great NFL coverage is available on the main Belly Up site, as well as fun, informative content on the Belly Up Podcast Network, Belly Up TV, and B.U.R.N.S. Radio. Got something to say? Leave a comment below, follow me on Twitter @SttChaseFFB, and catch me on the Belly Up Fantasy Live podcast each week.