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2008 Team Preview by RotoExperts.com Staff Writer Mark Strausberg.
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OVERVIEW
After leading their division at 13-3 and earning a playoff berth in 2006, the Ravens plummeted last year, losing 11 games, including a nine game losing streak and offering the lone win to the 1-15 Dolphins. Once again, the defense, which was ranked 6th in yardage against, did the heavy lifting. The offense often did its part to keep the other team in the game. Steve McNair had more than thrice as many fumbles as TDs, and it wasn’t until he was conveniently injured that Kyle Boller took the helm. However, that didn't last as Troy Smith later stepped in to take advantage of the opportunity as well. The passing game remained fairly grounded and if it weren't for Willis McGahee (7 rushing TDs, 1207 yards), the Ravens offense would have been even more anemic. While Brian “The Genius” Billick could not be held responsible for the multiple injuries, like those to Pro-Bowler Todd Heap, the team limped down the stretch and The Genius got his walking papers. Resist the temptation to call this team “rebuilding”. That said, there are reasons for optimism in 2008. Highly lauded new coach John Harbaugh is a special teams and defensive specialist, leaving much of the offensive responsibility on new offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. With offensive success in his past, Cameron and the Ravens should have some surprising fantasy value. |
PROJECTED DEPTH CHART
Players listed in order of fantasy relevance. Recommended round to draft in standard 10 to 12-team leagues with 16 rounds in parentheses. Quarterback: Kyle Boller, Troy Smith, Joe Flacco (but don’t be surprised to see a different order by the season opener) Running Back: Willis McGahee (2), Ray Rice, PJ Daniels, Cory Ross Wide Receiver: Derrick Mason (11), Mark Clayton (12), Demetrius Williams (14), Yamon Figurs Tight End: Todd Heap (8), Daniel Wilcox, Lee Vickers Kicker: Matt Stover (16), Ben Dato NOTABLE PLAYER MOVES Additions: LB Brendon Ayanbadejo, CB Fabian Washington (trade), CB Frank Walker
Subtractions: RB Musa Smith, RB Mike Anderson, OL Jonathan Ogden (retirement), QB Steve McNair (retirement), WR Devard Darling 2008 ROOKIES TO WATCH Round One: Joe Flacco, QB, Delaware
Round Two: Ray Rice, RB, Rutgers
Round Seven: Justin Harper, WR, Virginia Tech TOP POSITION BATTLE QB: Kyle Boller vs. Troy Smith vs. Joe Flacco 2008 SCHEDULE Top matchups in bold. Sept. 7: Cincinnati
Sept. 14: at Houston
Sept. 21: Cleveland
Sept. 28: at Pittsburgh
Oct. 5: Tennessee
Oct. 12: at Indianapolis
Oct. 19: at Miami
Oct 26: Oakland
Nov. 2: at Cleveland
Nov. 9: BYE
Nov. 16: at New York Giants
Nov. 23: Philadelphia
Nov. 27: at Cincinnnati
FANTASY PLAYOFF MATCHUPS
Dec. 7: Washington
Dec. 14: Pittsburgh
Dec. 21: at Dallas
Dec 28: Jacksonville  | ENGEL EYE ON: THE BALTIMORE RAVENS | If you pick Willis McGahee early, you have to put some depth behind him very soon after, because he will face a lot of adversity this season. There are the obvious issues at quarterback, and the offensive line is no longer impressive. McGahee will have fewer scoring drives to finish off this year and will face a lot of defensive attention. McGahee is tough and willing, and even though he should still have some good outings, he may get banged up. If that happens, Willis could be less reliable than you might expect, especially if you take him late in the first round. |
2008 FANTASY POSITIONAL OUTLOOKS Quarterback:
If you came here hoping to find out who the Baltimore QB will be this year, sorry to disappoint you. Until we get through a preseason game or two, I refuse to prognosticate on who wins this QB battle. This is probably one of the most wide open battles in modern NFL history (Okay, so maybe that’s a little hyperbolic, but I challenge you to name one other competition that was more wide open and had three potential candidates). Kyle Boller has improved each season. He is 20-20 as a starter (45 TDs and 44 INTs) and has the physical tools, but he still lacks the pocket presence to become an elite QB...um, make that even a very good QB. Heisman winner (and often forgotten) Troy Smith led the Ravens in QB rating during limited action in 2008, but he has neither the arm nor the size of a prototypical NFL quarterback. Joe Flacco is a quick study and has the tools to succeed, but he is still a little raw. Even if Flacco wins the job as many expect (including EA Sports Madden 2008), without the presence of a veteran QB to mentor him, I don’t foresee Flacco putting up numbers that make him worth drafting in redraft leagues. On the other hand, Cam Cameron does have a pretty good track record of developing QBs. He turned both Drew Brees and Phillip Rivers into Pro Bowlers. As a QB coach with the Redskins, Cameron also helped Gus Frerotte make his only Pro Bowl. If anyone can make a Raven QB worth drafting, it is Cam Cameron. Running Back:
Two is the magic number you need to know about Willis McGahee. That’s the number of weeks that McGahee played without scoring a TD or delivering at least 100 total yards. That makes McGahee a pretty darn reliable option, which is critical, especially in head-to-head. Fantasy stud LadanianTomlinson also had just two active weeks without a TD or 100 yards rushing/receiving combined. McGahee has averaged 1145 yards and 6 TDs over the past three years, which is about what you should expect from McGahee in 2008, with potential upside in his TD total. Quarterbacks are not the only ones that tend to have decent seasons under Cam Cameron--running backs do as well. The Ravens’ offense will run through McGahee this season, and Cameron has said that he likes to get his RBs the ball in a variety of ways. While McGahee’s 43 receptions last season marked a career high (by a large margin), it wouldn’t be out of line to expect even more in 2008. After all, it was Cameron’s offense that sparked LT to 100 receptions in 2003 and an average of 68 catches per season during Cameron’s tenure with the Chargers. Behind McGahee, there’s not much. Of course, that is another thing to like about McGahee--he doesn’t have to peer over his shoulder. PJ Daniels and Cory Ross are very untested. Ray Rice holds some intrigue in keeper leagues. I wouldn’t even bother handcuffing McGahee to any of them. Wide Receiver:
The fact that T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Wes Welker, and Reggie Wayne were the top three in receptions last year is about as surprising as hearing something incoherent from “analyst” Emmitt Smith. What if I told you that Derrick Mason was the fourth? Of course non-PPR league Mason owners would have liked a little more than 5 TDs, but Mason had over 1,000 yards last year to go with his 103 receptions. However, with Steve McNair gone, do not expect those numbers to repeat--Mason averaged close to 9 receptions per game with McNair, but less than 6 receptions per game the rest of the year. So, who will step up for the Ravens? Mark Clayton regressed in his third year but dealt with nagging injuries all season long. If he improves on his 2006 numbers by just 20%, that would be nearly 1200 yards with 6 TDs. That’s pretty good production from your WR3 or WR4. Meanwhile, Demetrius Williams will probably remain a free agent after your draft, and that will be a mistake. Williams, nicknamed “Spiderman” for his ability to snag balls out of the air, is entering the “magical” wide receiver third season. Williams averaged 14.5 yards per catch last year (for comparison purposes, that’s the same as Wayne and Roddy White and better than Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald). His catches resulted in first downs 80% of the time. Your league probably doesn’t count that stat, but it’s a good indication of talent, so expect to see Williams targeted more. In fact, Harbaugh has already said there will be more three-WR sets this year. For those of you who get points for return yardage, Yamon Figures had over 1200 combined return yards in 14 games and scored TDs on both a punt and a kickoff return. For those of you in extremely deep leagues, especially keeper leagues, keep an eye on seventh-round pick Justin Harper. Of course he has to make the team, but at 6’3" and 213 pounds, he has the size to be a good red zone target. Tight End:
Todd Heap is one of the few bright spots for the Ravens offense--when healthy of course. Heap is the Ben Sheets or Vince Carter of football. He’s an amazing player when healthy. But his hard aggressive play has led to various injuries over the years, usually of the nagging variety, the kind that make the decision about whether to start him into a quandary. He did play in 16 games in 2006 and 2005, hauling in over 750 yards and at least 6 TDs both seasons. Kicker:
Matt Stover remains one of the most reliable kickers in the NFL. However, he’s made just one 50-yarder in 3 seasons, so if you’re looking for a big leg, look elsewhere. But if you’re looking for consistency overall, thy name is Stover. He has not missed an extra point in nearly 12 years. He’s made at least 27 FGs each of the last five years. You know how many other kickers can make that claim? Not a single one.  | Where does one purchase purple camo pants? Photo Credit: Baltimike |
Defense/Special Teams:
Baltimore had only three touchdowns off turnovers last year and were a pedestrian nineteenth in the league in sacks. Failure to put pressure on the QB was pretty detrimental to the injury-depleted secondary last year, making the Baltimore defense susceptible to the big play. Or was it that an injury-depleted secondary didn’t give the pass rush enough time? Either way, the return of healthy players, plus the addition of Fabian Washington and Frank Walker, should provide some much needed depth for the secondary. More importantly, any discussion of the Baltimore defense has to center around MLB Ray Lewis. Ray-Ray’s tackle totals are often inflated, and he may not be the same force that he was in 2001 and 2003. However, Lewis has bounced back before and is still the powerful locomotive that pulls the train. For you IDPers, inflated tackle totals are a good thing. I would also expect Bart Scott to bounce back this year. He is in a contract year and has already said publicly that he was not happy with last year’s performance. The defensive line is led by Kelly Gregg (who is always underrated), Haloti Ngata, and the now healthy Trevor Pryce. It would also be reasonable to expect a bounceback for hybrid DL/LB Terrell “T-Sizzle” Suggs, who finished 2007 with 5 sacks after posting 9.5 in 2006. Don’t be surprised to see the Ravens as one of the elite defenses again in 2008. Offensive Line:
The Ravens' offensive success will be hinged on how well they replace future Hall-of-Famer Jonathan Ogden. Second year player Jared Gaither, who is also a towering gentleman at 6’9", is expected to take Ogden's place. With only one year of pro experience, Gaither is unproven. He’ll be joined by Adam Terry, Chris Chester, Jason Brown, and Ben Grubbs, who is also in his second season in the pros. Adam Terry is the greybeard amongst this group despite being in only his fourth year. If this unit can build chemistry fast, they should be able to open up holes for McGahee and protect whatever young QB is behind them. Mark Strausberg grew up a Redskins fan, but the antics of a particular NFC East owner helped push him into being a Ravens fan. And the fact that he has 50 yard line season tickets at Ravens Stadium didn’t hurt either. Email him at
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