Early in the Baltimore Ravens’ victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football, Zay Flowers tweaked his ankle and left the game. He wound up returning but was clearly hampered by the injury. Should fantasy football managers be worried about Flowers’ Week 8 status?
What Happened to Zay Flowers?
After being taken down on what very much looked like an illegal hip drop tackle that continues to not be flagged, Flowers went to the sidelines in considerable pain. The camera panned to him talking to trainers on the bench, and he clearly mouthed the words, “It [insert word here] hurts.”
There were three words in there. You can use your imagination to figure out what the middle one was.
Zay Flowers –
Concern for Right high ankle sprain.
Looked like he was on the sideline wanting to play through it, but these often become painful as the game goes on/adrenaline wears off and makes cutting difficult.
His skillset will be impacted
pic.twitter.com/gDzRPlR6ht— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) October 22, 2024
Although Flowers played through it, he caught one pass in the first quarter and took an end around to open the second quarter for 19 yards…that’s it. He did not so much as see a single target the rest of the game.
Flowers was on the field, though. He played 71% of the snaps, but it’s hard to imagine he was anything close to 100%, given his usage.
It’s often the case that a player may be able to fight through an injury right after it happens but then ends up having to miss time. Hopefully, that’s not what we’re dealing with here, yet we’re not off to a good start.
Flowers opened the week not practicing. It’s not a concern…yet. But if he can’t return to at least a limited session on Thursday, it will be time to worry.
Flowers’ Fantasy Outlook This Week
If Flowers is able to play this week, it’s a good matchup against a Cleveland Browns defense that is allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers.
There is concern the Ravens might go run heavy in a game they should control. However, hopefully Jameis Winston taking over as the Browns’ starting quarterback sparks Cleveland’s offense, forcing Baltimore to throw a bit more.
Flowers is currently 13th in the NFL with a 25.9% target share. He’s the clear WR1 on the Ravens and an every-week WR3, averaging 12.3 fantasy points per game.
Hopefully, Flowers’ injury is minor, and he’s able to suit up this Sunday. If he’s not, Rashod Bateman would step into the WR1 role. And perhaps we would also see an increase in Mark Andrews’ 60% route participation rate.