Fantasy Football Focus: Baltimore Ravens

Things are changing offensively in Baltimore.

New offensive coordinator Cam Cameron will be making sure of that. He will have his hands full this season considering their quarterback situation and difficult schedule.

They only have four games against teams that were under .500 last year. Two are against the Bengals, and the other two are against the Raiders and Dolphins respectively. Even with the rough road ahead, the Ravens have some promising fantasy value on their roster.

QB

Kyle Boller/Joe Flacco/Troy Smith

As much as the Raven's front office loves their newest signal caller (Flacco), Boller or Smith will be the starter at the beginning of the season. Boller has the tools to be a NFL starter, but never really adjusted to the speed of the NFL. If it finally clicks for Boller, then look out. Odds are against it though.

Smith has his own problems that won't be easily overcome either. His height (or lack there of) and inability to throw the deep ball consistently have held him back. I keep being told that he is a natural leader though. Important as that is, call me skeptical.

Flacco has more than enough arm strength, but who is there to catch it? Without a solid deep threat, Flacco's arm strength is going to waste. He will end up being the starter by the end of the year, but six of their last seven games come against good defenses. Maybe next year. Don't look here on draft day.

RB

Willis McGahee/Ray Rice

Let me now introduce the focus of the Raven's offense. Standing at six foot tall, 232 pounds. The 26 year-old hard-nosed power product of Miami, Willis McGahee.

He has only missed rushing for 1000+ yards in a season once in his career. There is no reason to believe he won't break 1000 yards again this season.

McGahee is also their best threat inside of the twenty and catches the ball out of the backfield as well as anyone. He is a top-ten back in the league fantasy wise this year, and will probably be available in the second round. He is solid value for your pick in the second round.

Someone has to give McGahee a break every now and then. It won't be a "running back by committee" in Baltimore by any means, but they will run a lot and McGahee is only human. No real fantasy value with Rice unless McGahee gets hurt, which will probably happen for a game or two.

WR/TE

Derrick Mason/Mark Clayton/Todd Heap

I'm sure that you don't need me to tell you this, but Todd Heap is the best receiver (well, tight end) on the team, and probably the only one worth being on your team. There is some injury concerns with him, but he is their only legit red-zone threat through the air and is athletic as they come. He will be available late in the draft, so remember him if you are stuck between a top tight end and someone else in the earlier rounds.

Mason is still their top wide receiver, but that isn't saying much. He is purely a possession receiver now and will get his catches, but he won't be gaining a lot of yards with those catches. I wouldn't make him more than your fourth receiver.

Clayton should be so much better than he is. He isn't tall, but he is fast and can make some highlight worthy catches. Too bad he is coming off of a horrible year, and has never really produced in the NFL. If he can become the deep threat Flacco needs, then his value will raise substantially. Until then, you probably won't hear his name called at your draft.

K

Matt Stover

The number 40 is big for Stover. Not only is it his age, it is his kicking limit. Regularly he is very accurate. However, once he gets beyond 40 yards his accuracy drops. If the quarterback situation gets fixed, his value will go up. Too bad that won't be happening anytime soon, you shouldn't be drafting him anytime soon either.

DEF/ST

Remember the days when Baltimore's defense was the cream of the crop? I do, but those days are long gone. They do have a great defensive line, but their corners are getting old and can't seem to stay healthy. It will be up to Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, and Lee Suggs to take this team to the next level. Too bad Suggs won't be playing any of the preseason because of his contract issues.

The teams they will be playing against love to throw the ball, which is less than good news for Baltimore. They excel in stopping the run, but that doesn't help the fact that they gave up the most 40+ yard pass plays last year. They do blitz a lot though, which could help stop the run.

Yamon Figurs was excellent on special teams last year by turning three returns into touchdowns. He could end up being what keeps them from becoming a fantasy afterthought this year.

Top Five Baltimore Ravens Fantasy Players

1. Willis McGahee

2. Todd Heap

3. Derrick Mason

4. Ravens D/ST

5. Ray Rice

Bye week: 10