Dynasty Capsule: Baltimore Ravens

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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 again 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 on and complete the AFC North with a look at the Baltimore Ravens.

Quarterbacks

Joe Flacco

flaccoThe 2013 season was quite disappointing for the biggest contract winner of the 2012 postseason.  Flacco threw over 80 times more than he did in 2012 to only to account for 100 more passing yards.  He also tossed three fewer touchdowns and 12 more interceptions.  The Ravens choice to invest in their signal caller along with the trade of Anquan Boldin to the 49ers and loss of Dennis Pitta to injury for most of the season hurt the effectiveness of the entire offense.

Flacco gets another new offensive coordinator in Gary Kubiak, the former Texans head coach.  Kubiak had a run-first, mostly pass to the tight ends-centric offense under most of his reign, so I don’t believe fantasy owners should expect Joe Cool to suddenly become a viable dynasty QB1.  Acquire him and expect middle of the road QB2 numbers.  Perhaps the Ravens will invest in a wide out within the first three rounds of the draft to give Flacco more options in the passing game.

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 still a dynasty stash in leagues with over 14 teams and 45+ roster spots.

Running  Backs 

Ray Rice

This is now back-to-back disappointing seasons from the former Rutgers running back who finished with under 1,600 combined yards (981 total yards) for the first time in his NFL career since his rookie season. While he did get injured in the second game of the season and only missed one game, the seventh year running back was never quite the same the rest of the year. In fact, Rice only had three games with over 100 combined yards.  Sure, some of it was the inferior offensive line and the losses of Boldin and Pitta, but it looks like the back’s huge college and NFL workloads have caught up with his body. I could not count on him to be more than a RB2 at best with the amount of touches he has on his small frame.

Bernard Pierce

Unlike the squat Rice, Pierce is a taller leaner back who is better at avoiding contact.  While his touches increased by 57 in 2013, his production did not as he finished with 39 fewer combined yards.  Perhaps with the way Kubiak used his running backs in Texas, both Pierce and Rice will have good value as their running styles are so different.  He has a lot to improve, so I would not consider him to be any more than a good dynasty RB4 at this time.

Cierre Wood

The second year Notre Dame back signed with the Ravens after spending most of his rookie season with the Texans.  He had some substance abuse issues and did not take advantage of the injuries in the Houston backfield.  Wood is built similarly to Rice and has decent hands, but should only be considered in deeper 14 teams or higher and 40+ roster leagues.

Wide Receivers

Torrey Smith

The third year wide receiver saw an uptick in his targets (27) and this helped improve his receptions from 49 to 65 and yardage from 855 to 1,128.  However, his touchdowns dipped from eight to four.  Smith was the main focus of the defense as the running game underperformed and the Ravens did not have another legitimate receiving threat with Pitta’s injury. He has long speed and is very quick getting in and out of his breaks.  He certainly proved his doubters wrong by becoming a more complete receiver who can get open with a number one corner back on him.  Smith could edge his catches closer to 75 while finishing with the same amount of yardage and perhaps get his touchdowns closer to the eight to nine range which would make him a good dynasty WR2.

Jacoby Jones

Despite missing four games, Jones increased his production slightly in the passing game.  It was a bit surprising considering the dearth of healthy playmakers the Ravens had in 2013.  Jones is simply a better returner than a receiver.  In return yardage leagues, he should be considered a WR3, but with typical PPR/yardage scoring he is a WR4 at best.

Tandon Doss

When he and Smith got drafted two seasons ago, 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.  He saw significant time from weeks four through eleven, but soon faded away.  He should be drafted for depth only in deeper leagues.

Aaron Mellette

This second year receiver spent his rookie season from week two to the end of the year on injured reserve due to a knee injury.  Mellette played at a small school (Elon), but has good size, is very athletic and was a flier in the seventh round last season who could still pay off. If you’re in deeper dynasty leagues, keep him on your radar.

Tight Ends

Dennis Pitta

This fifth year tight end missed most of the 2013 season (the first 13 weeks) due to a hip injury and the entire Baltimore offense suffered for it.  He was slow to come back from his injury, but did average five catches and 42 yards from weeks fourteen through seventeen.  Pitta is a free agent this year.  His quarterback has been quite adamant about getting him back into the fold.  There is talk that since he lined up on the outside 79% of his snaps in 2013, Pitta wants to be considered a wide receiver and not a tight end – this would drastically reduce his value in leagues that give bonuses for tight end production (1.5 PPR TE leagues for example).  If Pitta remains a tight end with the Ravens, he is a top seven producer at his position.  If he were to get designated as a wideout, he would be more of a dynasty WR3 at best.

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.  Even though Pitta missed most of the season, Dickson barely improved on his 2012 numbers finishing with 25 receptions, 273 yards and two touchdowns.  The Ravens were so desperate for playmakers that they brought in old man Dallas Clark.  Clark finished with more catches (31), yards (343) and touchdowns (three).  Both Dickson and Clark are roster stop gaps at best.

For further questions or comments, please contact me on twitter @AndrewMiley