Baltimore Ravens star wide receiver Marquise Brown is dealing with a non-COVID illness. He didn’t participate in Thursday’s practice before returning to the team for a walkthrough on Friday. Brown has only missed one game this season, failing to suit up in a Week 11 win against the Chicago Bears while dealing with a thigh injury. Will Hollywood Brown play for Baltimore this weekend, and what should fantasy football managers expect if he doesn’t?
Marquise Brown’s production
Brown has been enjoying an outstanding season for Baltimore in 2021. He recorded 70 receptions for 866 yards and 6 touchdowns on 107 targets through 12 games. He also posted a career-best 65.4% catch rate with 12.4 yards per reception thus far.
However, the former first-round pick is coming off of one of his worst games of the season. Brown hauled in only 5 receptions for 41 yards on 8 targets in a loss to the Cleveland Browns. With that said, Lamar Jackson was injured early in the game, and Tyler Huntley was forced to take over as the Ravens’ quarterback. Brown didn’t play in the only other game in which Huntley saw significant snaps this season.
Overall, Hollywood ranks as the WR17 in PPR formats. He got off to a great start early in the season, but he’s dropped off quite a bit due to inconsistencies. He’s a WR1 on a per-game basis, though, ranking as the WR12 in fantasy points per game this season.
Baltimore should be throwing quite a bit throughout the game today, and Brown will have opportunities to continue to be a WR1 this season.
Is Brown playing today?
Brown doesn’t look to truly be in danger of missing today’s game against the Green Bay Packers. He practiced in full on Wednesday and returned to Baltimore’s walkthrough on Friday. He only missed Thursday with an illness.
Brown isn’t currently on the Ravens’ injury report, and it’s been reported that the club fully expects him to suit up at this point.
Who would benefit from Brown’s absence?
If Brown were to miss this game, Baltimore would be down several key players. Jackson isn’t expected to play, and the Ravens already ruled Sammy Watkins out. The biggest beneficiary would likely be Mark Andrews, who would take over as the focal point of the offense. The veteran tight end posted 11 receptions for 115 yards and 1 touchdown on 11 targets with Huntley at quarterback last weekend.
Then, Rashod Bateman would take over as the WR1 for Baltimore. In Week 14, he posted 100+ yards for the first time as a rookie. He’d likely find a slightly bigger role without Brown in the lineup.
To a lesser extent, Devin Duvernay could see a small increase in his role. Miles Boykin is also returning from a finger injury and would likely pick up a few snaps if Brown can’t suit up.
Ultimately, this shouldn’t be an issue, as Brown is expected to play. The bigger concern revolves around Jackson, who would be a massive upgrade over Huntley, specifically for Brown’s deep-threat style of play.