Dynasty Capsule: Baltimore Ravens

As part of the premium content package, we’re again unveiling dynasty capsules for every team in the NFL leading up to free agency and the NFL Draft. This year, we’re also going to do a follow-up on all the teams after all the free agency and NFL Draft movement to assess the impact of any players teams have gained or lost. Since these capsules are always done as a simple snapshot in time, we figured that was the best way to tackle the off-season and provide ultimate value for our subscribers. All in all, we’ll have close to 500 player profiles found in these capsules over the off-season.

We continue our path through the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens.

Quarterbacks

Joe Flacco

The Super Bowl MVP had one of the best post-seasons by throwing for 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions.  The question that fantasy owners want to know, is that sustainable?  I’m not so sure about that.  Many will conclude that because I am a Steelers fan, that objectivity is not possible.  In his five seasons, Flacco threw for a high of 25 touchdowns in 2010 and over 3,800 passing yards just once, this past season – 13 other quarterbacks threw for more yards in 2012 and all three AFC North opponents are good versus the pass.

Unlike the previous offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, near end of season replacement Jim Caldwell is willing to take advantage of his quarterback’s strengths. The Ravens are becoming a more pass-based offense, so the quarterback’s numbers should improve to over 4,200 passing yards and around 30 passing touchdowns, but these are hardly elite statistics.  Flacco’s strong arm does open up all facets of the passing game as he has deep, intermediate, and short targets to exploit when his protection holds up.  The key for fantasy owners to keep in mind that the quarterback is improving, but do not expect a top five fantasy performance.  He is a low-end QB1, but should be considered as a part of a QBBC.

Tyrod Taylor

The backup quarterback is a better athlete than Flacco as he rushed for 1,940 yards and 23 touchdowns in his four years at Virginia Tech.  The offense would change dramatically with him at the helm with his limited NFL experience.  Taylor is a dynasty stash in leagues with over 14 teams and 45+ roster spots.

Running  Backs

Ray Rice

After being selected as one of the top tiered running backs, Rice had a bit of a disappointing season.  Every statistic: rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns all declined from the previous year.  Some of that was the Ravens threw a lot more, and Rice struggles at times with pass blocking.  Unlike years past when he had the fresher legs, a younger running back, Bernard Pierce, came in and took significant carries with a much different running style.

This is not the beginning of the end for Rice, but his days of 320+ touches a season are behind him now.  This will diminish his fantasy statistics in the short-term, but it will extend his relevant playing career.  It’s important to remember how much of a workload (947 touches) he took at Rutgers.   Rice should stay in the top seven rushers, but I doubt he will ever be the best fantasy player in his position again.

Bernard Pierce

Unlike the squat Rice, Pierce is a taller leaner back who is better at avoiding contact.  While his stats in the regular season don’t jump out at you: 532 rushing yards, 47 receiving yards and a single touchdown, he steadily improved and increased his touches including in the playoffs. He added 202 rushing yards in the playoffs and was the more impressive of the two rushers during the Ravens run to the Super Bowl.  His upside with a time share has increased to RB4 status in dynasty leagues.  Due to the amount of touches Rice has, Pierce is a must own for anyone looking for lightening in a bottle.

Bobby Rainey

Rainey is an explosive runner who bounced on and off the Ravens practice squad due to injury.  He got a ton of carries in Western Kentucky, but has a lot of raw athleticism that could translate to the pro game.  The running back is a flier type option that should only be rostered in deep leagues.

Wide Receivers

Torrey Smith

The second year wide receiver saw a bit of an uptick in his targets (15), but only showed a slight improvement in his stats from year one to year two.  However, I remain very optimistic about his future in the league.  Smith did have his share of bad to mediocre games (like his two meetings with the Steelers where he caught four passes for 40 yards on 15 targets).  Smith has long speed and is very quick getting in and out of his breaks.  With the Ravens new focus on the deep routes, the former Terrapin receiver could break double-digit touchdowns and reach the thousand yard receiving mark in the next five-to-seven years barring injury.

What impressed me the most was his ability to fight through adversity when his brother tragically passed away and Smith raised his game to a new level.  I was already a fan, but that showed tremendous leadership and poise which inspired his teammates.  Look for Smith to become a strong WR2 this season with the increased focus on the passing offense.

Anquan Boldin

The role that Boldin plays for the Ravens was extremely important to their Super Bowl run.  He is the mudder (aka the guy who can be counted on to do the dirty work) in the passing game or seal the edge on a running play.  At 6’1″ 220 lbs, this former quarterback understands how to read defenses and help keep his team working as a unit.  While his speed and agility are waning, Boldin’s years of NFL experience make up for any decline.  He presents value as a dynasty WR4-5 in a PPR, because he can be selected later than a younger version of the same production.

Jacoby Jones

He was almost the MVP of the Super Bowl, so keep an eye on him despite the silliness he showed on NFLN and ESPN.  The former Lane College graduate has good speed and quickness, but fights the ball at times.  He is most effective in plays designed to get him in space, like quick screens and returns.  Jones is best suited as a wide receiver three in a pass heavy offense, but I would not want him any higher than a WR6 on my dynasty team other than a league that includes return yardage.

Tandon Doss

When he and Torrey Smith wre drafted last year, Doss was originally thought to be the more talented receiver.  There is a bit of Boldin to his game as he can catch and be an asset blocking in the running game.  The third year wide receiver is worth a shot in deeper leagues, but he may never develop into more than a fourth NFL receiver.

Tight Ends

Dennis Pitta

This fourth year tight end had a breakout season in 2012.  He significantly improved his role in the offense from being a co-starter at tight end to become the outright TE1 for the Ravens.  From 2011 to 2012, Pitta increased his catches from 40 to 61, his yardage from 405 to 669, and his touchdowns from three to seven.  I saw better route running and understanding of defensive schemes.  With the shift in offensive schemes, Pitta is a true TE1 and has enough speed to break a game wide open as he showed late in the year against Denver.

Ed Dickson

He is the more physically talented of the two tight ends, but he plays a bit too stiff.  Dickson is not a consistent player and seems to have issues with concentration on the field.  His targets dropped dramatically (from 89 in 2011 to 33 in 2012); however, he only missed three games due to injury so it was more than that.  Dickson is more suited for a power based offense, so I am not sure if he will ever be more than a TE3 for your dynasty team.