The Ravens athletic tight end will most likely miss Week 1, leaving Mark Andrews with plenty of opportunity.
The Baltimore Ravens will be without half of their epic tight end duo with Isaiah Likely looking like he will sit out Week 1. The beneficiary is 3-time Pro Bowler Mark Andrews.
Likely had surgery on his foot this offseason and is still recovering. The news doesn’t come as much of a surprise as all reports leading up to this have indicated the timeline for Likely’s return to be in the early part of the season, leaving Week 1 murky.
Things will open up for wide receiver Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews. Lamar Jackson will certainly thrive in a game against the Buffalo Bills that has a Vegas total of 50.5. Rashod Bateman becomes a nice DFS play as well. Ironically, this sets up as a good redemption game for Mark Andrews who is ready to turn the page after a back breaking drop late in a playoff matchup last season with the aforementioned Bills.
Author: Jeremiah Retzlaff (@coachretzlaff1)
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (knee/leg) did ...
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers is coming off ...
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said that wide ...
Todd Monk praises Zay Flowers during OTAs, saying, “We’ve just got to get him the ball more.”
Flowers avoided knee surgery this offseason after missing the team’s playoff run with an LCL sprain he suffered in week 18 against the Browns. The soon-to-be 25-year-old is eligible for a contract extension next offseason. If he stays on the field, he could be in for a career year with increased usage and the added motivation to get paid.
Monken pointed to Flowers’ “elite route-running skills” and RAC ability when asked about the team’s plan to use him going forward. As far as offseason coach-speak goes, this headline from the Ravens’ offensive coordinator holds traction. The team used a sixth-round pick on a receiver, but did nothing else to make fantasy players think Flowers won’t be even more of a presence in the offense in his third year.
Flowers was top 20 in target share in 2024, at 25.7%, and posted a 2.34 yards per route run, good for 17th overall. He has yet to catch 80 balls in a season, however, and only had more than seven targets in a game twice last season after week 8. With Lamar Jackson’s evolution as a pocket passer, Flowers is an intriguing choice in the middle rounds of re-draft leagues and a solid dynasty asset with high upside. He’s the perfect WR2 for most teams.
Author: Blake Stachel (@bllakkay)
With Zay Flowers out, the Ravens will need some of their deeper options to step up.
Adam Schefter reports that Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has ruled out Pro Bowl wide receiver Zay Flowers for Saturday’s playoff matchup versus the Steelers. Flowers’ absence will leave the Ravens without one of their top weapons.
While this isn’t welcome news, there was an element of this being a slow drip towards Zay Flowers being declared out. Earlier in the week there were rumblings that it was a long shot for Flowers to play in the opening round.
Naturally, the Ravens offense will run primarily through Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and Mark Andrews. In a playoff game with a familiar division foe in the Pittsburgh Steelers, expect one of Rashod Bateman or Isaiah Likely to have an elevated role. Rashod Bateman provided 2.44 fantasy points per target in 2024 which was good for 4th overall paired with a 125.0 QB rating per target (No. 6). At tight end, Likely was 8th in total touchdowns with 6 and his 13 red zone targets ranked No.10. Expect the Ravens to soar to new heights with Bateman and Likely.
Jeremiah Retzlaff, coachretzlaff1
Following his early exit on December 21st against the Cleveland Browns, his injury lingers, missing practice still.
Zay Flowers, a first time Pro Bowler, has unfortunately missed consecutive practices due to a knee injury. The injury in question is the one that occurred on December 21st against the Cleveland Browns where Baltimore won clinching the AFC North division. John Harbaugh told reporters that he is “day-to-day”, but it is not considered season ending. Unless Flowers gets in a practice or two before their Wildcard matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, January 11th, he will likely miss the game.
That will be a blow for Lamar Jackson and that offense not having Flowers on the field. With the addition of Derrick Henry and another year under the belt for Zay Flowers, there are high expectations for this Baltimore team to make it to the Super Bowl. We will update with any further information on Flower’s injury prior to Saturday’s matchup.
With “insufficient evidence”, Zay Flowers avoids disciplinary action from the NFL.
Zay Flowers, the former first round pick in 2023, has avoided disciplinary action from the NFL from an alleged incident that occurred in January. The Baltimore Police suspended the investigation the following month. “Following a review, the NFL concluded there was insufficient evidence to support a finding that Zay Flowers engaged in an activity that violated the NFL’s personal conduct policy,” the league said in a statement. “There will be no action taken by the league and Flowers remains eligible to participate in all team activities.”
Great news for Zay Flowers heading into his sophomore year for the Baltimore Ravens as he looks to continue to his young NFL career. He can continue with team activities and look to improve beyond his rookie campaign where he finished with 77 receptions, 858 yards and 5 touchdowns.
