There’s a certain panic that sets into a fantasy football manager’s mind when a star is suddenly on the injury report midweek. We have you covered on the latest injury report news from around the NFL. We’re diving into Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews’ injury analysis to see if he’s worth starting on your fantasy roster.
Mark Andrews Injury Update
Update: Mark Andrews also missed practice on Thursday.
There aren’t many fantasy stars as impactful as Andrews, making his sudden inclusion on the Ravens’ injury report Wednesday highly concerning. The tight end position has scored poorly outside of Andrews and Travis Kelce, making these two the biggest advantages a fantasy manager can have on their roster. Losing Andrews for even one week could be devastating for rosters.
The injury seemed to pop up out of nowhere. Both Andrews and Lamar Jackson were either out or limited in practice Wednesday. With their massive showdown against the Browns serving as an opportunity for the team to end their 1-2 skid and put a dagger through Cleveland’s playoff hopes, it’s critical for both players to be healthy and productive.
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While both were concerning updates for the Ravens, head coach John Harbaugh reportedly didn’t seem overly worried about each player’s status heading into the weekend. In fact, Harbaugh had said Andrews had sat for a rest day even though he was later included on the injury report.
This could be a matter of semantics, and the Ravens are simply protecting themselves from NFL kickback for any player missing practice or suffering further injury. Fantasy managers are hopeful this is the case. J.K. Dobbins and Rashod Bateman were also included on the injury report. The offense is so desperate for help they signed 35-year-old DeSean Jackson to produce more playmaking.
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Andrews is coming off his finest game of the season, totaling seven receptions for 106 yards and his third touchdown of 2022. His matchup with Cleveland could bring a repeat performance even though the Browns have several talented defenders who should challenge Andrews at the catch point. In eight games against the Browns, Andrews averages five receptions for 64 yards and nearly one touchdown.
Cleveland has had a ton of defensive issues this season that will surely lead to some personnel and coaching changes in the offseason barring a quick turnaround. But they’ve been solid against tight ends, allowing an average of only 3.3 receptions (fourth-fewest) for 51 yards (17th) each week, and one touchdown total on the season.
If Andrews is active, you have to start him in your lineup because he’s simply too consistent and explosive, and the Ravens need him. His knee injury doesn’t seem to be too concerning to the franchise, and this is more a matter of protecting stars over forcing them into a practice that won’t benefit them. Even if Andrews were to miss Thursday’s and Friday’s practices, I’d still start him if he’s ruled active on Sunday.
There aren’t many stars I’d say that for, but Andrews is certainly an elite fantasy producer. This year’s TE2 could erupt for another monstrous game like his previous matchup against Cleveland last December, where he caught all 11 targets for 115 yards and a touchdown.