Baltimore Ravens leading wide receiver Zay Flowers’ status for today’s Christmas Day game at the Houston Texans is up in the air.
The Ravens game against the Texans is a big AFC showdown with playoff positioning on the line. With Baltimore playing its second game in five days, let’s examine whether Flowers will be available on this afternoon.
What Happened To Zay Flowers?
Flowers injured his right shoulder in the Ravens’ 34-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The injury occurred on his final catch of the day, as he took a big hit in the Week 16 victory.
His 49-yard catch put him over 1,000 yards for the season, but it came at a cost. After the game, Flowers was seen in the locker room wearing a sling on his injured shoulder.
Flowers did not participate in practice on Sunday or Monday, and he is currently considered questionable for the Christmas Day showdown.
Despite not being able to practice, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said he was “pretty optimistic” about Flowers’ availability when he spoke to the media on Sunday.
The fact that the NFL scheduled the Ravens to play two games in five days makes this tougher for Flowers. Even if he plays, there’s no guarantee that he’ll be at 100%. Keep an eye on the Ravens’ injury report to make sure Flowers isn’t a late scratch.
Flowers’ Impact on the Ravens’ Offense
Flowers is not only the Ravens’ leading wide receiver this year with 1,016 yards, but he is far and away the No. 1 target for Lamar Jackson. He has 106 targets this year and 71 receptions, plus four touchdowns.
Losing Flowers could be a big deal against Houston’s defense, which ranks fourth in the NFL in yards allowed per game (307.3) and ranks second in interceptions (19).
If the Ravens are without their star wide receiver or if he isn’t at full strength, it could lead to issues for the Ravens’ passing attack.
If Flowers can’t playor is limited, the team’s No. 1 wide receiver would be Rashod Bateman, who only has 39 receptions (fourth on the team). However, he does have 668 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Bateman was dealing with a foot injury recently, but he was able to play through it on Saturday as Baltimore defeated Pittsburgh.
Tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely are also key parts of this passing game and will be counted on to pick up the slack if Flowers is unavailable.
Unfortunately, the Ravens might also be without receiving back Justice Hill, who is questionable with a concussion.
Flowers’ Fantasy Outlook
The fantasy football playoffs are in full swing and Flowers’ status could determine some matchups this week. With the Ravens game being early in the week, it does give owners plenty of options to pivot to if Flowers does not play.
Flowers is coming off of his fifth 100-yard performance of the season and while the production hasn’t leaped forward the way most of us expected, he has strung together five straight double-digit performances (four without the benefit of a touchdown) and that counts for something.
The problem is pretty clear: he’s not going to score with any sort of regularity with how this offense is structured. How crazy is it that the Ravens have scored 88 points over the past three weeks, and their WR1 doesn’t have a single red-zone target in the process?
It is what it is.
Starting him is a bet on talent, and Lamar Jackson has looked his way often when he’s on the field. With the Texans allowing the sixth most yards per catch after the reception this season, Flowers could be poised for a second straight 15+ point PPR performance.
The main concern is that Flowers plays and isn’t himself (or leaves the game early). It’s worth noting that when Flowers suffered an ankle injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football in Week 7, he was able to return on short rest the following week and record seven catches for 115 yards versus the Cleveland Browns.