The question of is Mark Andrews playing has caused frustration for fantasy football managers over the past couple of weeks and continues to do so heading into Week 9. With Andrews having managed to suit up and start every game for the Baltimore Ravens this season, will we see that run continue this week?
What is the latest status for Andrews as we look ahead to the Monday Night Football game with the New Orleans Saints, and what are the fantasy implications for both himself and Isaiah Likely this week?
Update: Mark Andrews has been ruled out of the Baltimore Ravens Week 9 game.
Is Mark Andrews Playing Monday?
The news all week regarding Andrews’ status has not been promising, resulting in him being listed as doubtful for Monday’s game on the Ravens’ final injury report. The fact he did not practice all week makes the doubtful tag somewhat of a positive tag in the context. Players that don’t practice all week are often ruled out in the final injury report.
However, the doubtful tag is concerning enough in its own right. Rarely do players tagged as doubtful manage to suit up. If anything, this doubtful tag has only managed to confuse fantasy managers looking to make decisions about whether to include Andrews in their lineups in Week 9.
MORE: Fantasy TE Streamers and Rankings Week 9
Hopefully, on Monday morning, we should get some more clarity. While that may not be overly helpful to season-long fantasy managers, it will at least provide clarity for those looking to play daily fantasy contests on Underdog Fantasy.
If fantasy managers have another Ravens or Saints player they could use if Andrews is ruled out Monday night, is it worth taking the risk of leaving a Flex spot open for Andrews through the games on Sunday?
Should Fantasy Managers Consider Andrews or Isaiah Likely in Week 9?
Whenever Andrews is active, it’s tough not to consider starting him. However, with him likely to be heavily limited if he is active, this week is much tougher. Fantasy managers may also be looking to balance their risk by adding Likely to their roster, who could play in place of Andrews if the lead Ravens’ tight end is inactive.
Last week, Likely impressed against the Buccaneers with six receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown. However, that was a very friendly matchup against a Buccaneers team that had given up double-digit fantasy points to the position three times heading into last week.
This week, the situation is very different. The Saints have been an incredibly tough matchup for opposing tight ends. No team allows fewer fantasy points to the position than the 4.86 allowed by New Orleans on average this year. Additionally, the Saints have not allowed double-digits in fantasy points to the TE position once this season. Only once have they allowed more than 6.1 fantasy points to tight ends in a single game this season.
Normally, you would not even think of Andrews as a matchup-dependent TE, but this week is a little different. With the injury concerns, it makes sense to look away from the Ravens’ tight end situation in Week 9. There’s just too much risk and uncertainty to be sure of what might happen.
If there is a solid streaming option available in your league this week, then that might very well be preferable to dealing with either of the Ravens’ tight ends this week.