Week 4 Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Ravens Ripe with Studs and Duds

So you're a Baltimore Ravens fan and you want to show your loyalty through your fantasy football team, but you're scared they're not going to pick up any points against the New York Jets.

What should you do?

It ain't all bad in Charm City, that's for sure. Just be careful as to which Ravens you bring home to roost, because some will be studs while others are almost certain to be duds.

Stud: Ray Rice, RB

Ray Rice is nearly always a good bet to bring home the bacon on Sundays. The little guy from Rutgers is in the midst of yet another monster season, having already amassed more than 400 yards from scrimmage in three games.

He'll continue down that track against a Jets defense that, surprisingly enough, has allowed the second-most rushing yards of any in the NFL this season and is tied for the most rushing touchdowns allowed with five.

Rice also happens to be a pretty darn good receiver, too. Those skills will come in handy when (not if) Joe Flacco is forced to check down and resort to dink-and-dunks with Baltimore's receivers blanketed by Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie.

I wouldn't expect Rice to come up with 178 and two touchdowns against Gang Green like Darren McFadden did last week, but he should be able to match, if not surpass, Maurice Jones-Drew's 107 yards of total offense against New York in Week 2.

Dud: Joe Flacco, QB

As poorly as the Jets have defended the run thus far, they've yet to lose their way defending the pass. No unit has given up fewer points to opposing fantasy quarterbacks than the Jets, and no signal-caller has been as unsettlingly inconsistent from week to week as Flacco, whose two monster games in Weeks 1 and 3 form the bread of a s*** sandwich with a Week 2 stinker against Tennessee tucked in the middle.  

And if you're wondering, the next layer figures to be less than pleasant, particularly if Revis and Cromartie have anything to say about it. Cromartie may be a bit bruised up from the loss at Oakland, but he still constitutes one-half of the best corner combo in the NFL.

Those two, along with the Gang Green's pass rush, won't so easily oblige Flacco for another career-best passing day as the Rams did in Week 3. What's more, Flacco didn't exactly light up the Jets last time these two teams met, throwing for 248 yards and a pick in a 10-9 nail-biter.

As such, look for Flacco to hand the ball off plenty and to stick to short passes to his 'backs and tight ends while sacrificing his fantasy value.

Stud: Ed Dickson, TE

Speaking of Ravens tight ends, no one stands to benefit more than Ed Dickson. Granted, Dickson isn't exactly an overwhelming fantasy stud, per se, and he's no Todd Heap, but he's proven to be productive in the Pro Bowler's stead nonetheless. Through three weeks, Dickson has amassed a respectable 135 yards and one touchdown.

This week, he'll be operating against a Jets linebacking corps that has yet to live up to the expectations of years past. Will Dickson come up with 110 yards against New York like Jason Witten did in Week 1? Probably not, but he should be able to match, if not exceed, Kevin Boss' 36 yards last week and Zach Miller's 28 yards from Week 2.

As I mentioned earlier, Flacco won't be quite so inclined to challenge the Jets corners with deep balls to his wide receivers and will instead be looking for comfortable check-down plays, as he has throughout his young career.

Now that Dickson's grown accustomed to being the Ravens' No. 1 tight end, he'll benefit handsomely from Flacco's reduced field with another solid fantasy performance.

Dud: Torrey Smith, WR

I must admit, I'm a big Torrey Smith fan. I'm glad the Ravens didn't give up on him after a poor showing in the preseason and that he rewarded their faith in him with a huge quarter against the Rams.

But not even my admiration for the speedy wide receiver from Maryland can blind me from the fact that he'd be lucky to even sniff 152 yards and three touchdowns against the Jets. Granted, Revis Island will already be occupied by/with Anquan Boldin, though that still leaves Cromartie to shadow Smith's every step.

Frankly, Smith's first-quarter breakout was just a bit too fluky for my liking. Don't get me wrong, he'll be a good player for the Ravens; he's exactly the sort of burner they've long needed to stretch out their passing game and give Flacco a chance to show off his cannon of an arm. He just isn't likely to find that sort of space against Cromartie, who's at least a full head and shoulders better than Rams second-stringer Justin King, whom Smith torched for his touchdowns in Week 3.

And, considering Flacco's failing accuracy (he's completed just 54.1 percent of his passes this season), what are the odds that he'll connect with Smith on three deep balls, with or without blanket coverage?

Slim to none, which also goes for Smith's fantasy value this week.

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