The Baltimore Ravens will be looking to bounce back from a surprising loss, as they take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night in a divisional clash.
The Ravens were up 14 points on the Cleveland Browns with nine minutes left in the game but were outscored 16-0 and let go of a very important win.
One reason why the Ravens were able to get up big early in the game was a 40-yard touchdown pass from QB Lamar Jackson to WR Odell Beckham Jr. Could the Ravens’ big-time free agent acquisition be ready to go on a nice run, and should fantasy football managers take a look at the veteran pass catcher?
Should Odell Beckham Jr. Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 11?
If you are a fan of Beckham, there are some reasons to be excited about his play. Even though that 40-yard catch for the touchdown was his only catch of the day, it was the second consecutive week that Beckham had found the endzone.
He had five catches for 56 yards and one touchdown in the win against the Seattle Seahawks. The fact that Beckham is starting to make plays in the offense is a plus, but is it worth signing him off the waiver wire?
No, not yet, and honestly probably not at all this year. One thing you have to look at is that the Ravens aren’t scoring a ton of points in the passing game. Jackson has thrown for 2,177 yards, but he only has 10 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Jackson’s 10 touchdowns are tied for 19th in the league, in line with Mac Jones of the New England Patriots and Derek Carr of the New Orleans Saints. Think about that for a second — two guys that no one would say are close to Jackson’s level as a quarterback.
Minnesota Vikings QB Joshua Dobbs, who was traded from the Arizona Cardinals midseason, has started four fewer games and has 11 passing touchdowns.
When Jackson is throwing the ball through the air, TE Mark Andrews is still by far his go-to player. Of the 10 touchdowns that Jackson has thrown, Andrews has caught six of them. He can make plays downfield, but Andrews is at his best in the red zone.
The majority of the Ravens’ touchdowns come on the ground, as they lead the league with 19 rushing touchdowns. While they have a new offensive coordinator this year in Todd Monken, the Ravens are still at their best running the ball.
Right now, there just isn’t a way to count on Beckham being valuable in fantasy unless he is guaranteed to score a touchdown. While Andrews is the go-to red-zone target, Beckham isn’t even the second option. Rookie Zay Flowers is showing why he was the No. 14 pick in this last draft.
Flowers leads the team with 50 catches and 545 yards but has scored only one touchdown. That is another issue for the Ravens’ receivers, as they just likely aren’t going to score a touchdown. The short turnaround isn’t great either, as the Ravens face the Bengals in a huge AFC North game. These Thursday night games seem to be low-scoring affairs, and this doesn’t feel like the week that the Ravens air it out a bunch.
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