2025 was a season to forget for Jackson and the Ravens. Injuries
and erratic play saw the former two-time MVP's stats take a precipitous
tumble. He played very poorly toward the end of the year as the
Baltimore season hung in the balance. But hey, at least there
was no playoff meltdown!
2026 is a brand-new start for Jackson and the Ravens. The coaching
staff was gutted, and Declan Doyle enters as the new OC. Fresh from
the Sean Payton/Ben Johnson coaching tree, look for Doyle to get
back to what the Ravens have always done best, use the run to set
up the pass. Jackson has been one of the best play-action passers
in the NFL, as they have fueled his best, most efficient seasons.
This system has proven itself time and time again, so expect a big
bounceback for Jackson as he works toward exorcising his playoff
demons and securing the bag on his next contract. Entering a new
phase of his career, look for a return to the top-5.
The Grim Reaper has to be getting impatient as he waits for the
end of Henry's career. The 32-year-old back continued to defy
modern football, as he piled up yet another monster season. His
1,595 rushing yards were the 3rd most of his career, and his 16
touchdowns on the ground were second in the NFL. There were certainly
times early in 2025 where it looked like Henry would finally fall
off the cliff. Fumbling issues, and a tough stretch of games had
the buzzards circling, but an absolute monster final four games
(570 yards, six touchdowns) shooed them away. Understandably some
of the advanced metrics have dipped, but he's a lock for 12 touchdowns,
and owns the backfield carries. Apparently, he's been used extensively
catching the ball this offseason, so any improvement in that area
could offset any losses on the ground. The new O.C. comes from
systems that highly utilized running backs out of the backfield,
and it would give the offense a more unpredictable angle when
Henry is on the field. Bottom line, Henry is a Hall of Famer,
and well worth the risk as a top-10 option.
More useful to the Ravens than fantasy owners, Hill missed a
good chunk of 2025. A neck injury eventually ended his season,
but it's all-systems-go for this backfield in 2026. They return
the top of their depth chart with Hill filling in as the change-of-pace,
and passing down back. Hill is a shifty, elusive runner with the
ball in his hands, but doesn't have the size or ability to handle
a full workload should Henry falter. With that, he's mostly a
potential handcuff for Henry owners, but with a system that's
more open to using RBs as receivers, Hill could push to surpass
his career high of 42 receptions if things break his way.
A lack of scoring is going to keep him from reaching the upper
fantasy echelons of the position, but 2025 showed the potential
of Flowers when given opportunity. He set career highs with 118
targets, 86 receptions, and just over 1,200 yards. Better yet,
he dominated target share, and was frequently the first read.
Expect little drop off, as the new offensive system brought in
from Declan Doyle is a perfect match for Flowers's game. A heavy
dose of play-action should allow Flowers to roam all levels of
the field, with plenty of catch and run possibilities. Flowers
has officially arrived, and with a fresh offensive outlook, and
healthy return of Lamar Jackson, plan on Flowers being a WR2 that
has upside WR1 potential with a slight uptick in touchdowns.
Bateman's contract extension last offseason remains one of the
most head scratching decisions of the Raven front office. After
two relatively healthy seasons, Bateman missed four games last
season, but even worse, he barely impacted the stat sheet. His
19 receptions in 13 games resulted in a minuscule 3.4 points-per-game.
The good news is, it can't get much worse. Bateman is the distant
second fiddle to Flowers, but there is no proven talent behind
him. Baltimore added a few mid-round receivers to the mix, but
that shouldn't affect Bateman much. He'll be on the field in most
two-receiver sets, and maybe the new coaching staff can figure
out how to get the most out of him. Not a draftable asset, but
still worth a look as a priority free agent if he starts hot out
of the gate, or Flowers goes down.
Andrews has seen his numbers slowly tumble each year after his
nuclear 2021 campaign. His yardage numbers have disappeared, as
he's become a touchdown dependent option. Unfortunately, he notched
only five of them last season, and dropped from the ranks of starting
fantasy tight ends. With a name bigger than his britches, Andrews
has likely been over drafted the last few seasons, but there is
reason for optimism. Isaiah Likely is off to New York, and the
Declan Doyle offensive system has produced some monster fantasy
seasons from the position (Loveland, LaPorta). Andrews has a ton
of mileage on his 30-year-old body, but he's going to be the defacto
No.2 receiver on this team. No longer elite, there still is value
to be had here as a potential back end TE1.
