As the Baltimore Ravens look to seriously contend in the AFC this season, they’ll do so with a revamped offense that is headlined by veteran additions as well as promising young talent. Among the latter is former Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers, who they drafted with their first-round selection in this year’s draft.
2023 Fantasy Football: Zay Flowers Profile
Recap of 2022 season
Flowers finished with 78 receptions for 1,077 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns for Boston College last season. After averaging 13.8 yards per reception for the Eagles last season, he was selected with the 22nd pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Ravens back in April.
Updated Ravens outlook
With Lamar Jackson secured as the Ravens’ franchise quarterback of the future, Baltimore returns an offense that is highlighted by J.K. Dobbins in the backfield, Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay on the outside, and they welcome newcomers in veteran wideout Odell Beckham Jr. and the young rookie in Flowers. Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews returns as the Ravens’ primary pass-catching threat in 2023.
Best-case scenario
Baltimore finished 28th in pass attempts per game last season (28.7), so the expectation is that with new weapons such as Beckham Jr. and Flowers, the Ravens will opt to throw a bit more heading into the 2023 season. Jackson’s dual-threat skillset will always take precedence, but if they could bump up to the middle of the pack in regards to pass attempts, that could open the door for Flowers to slot in as a suitable flex for fantasy managers.
Worst case scenario
Andrews is the undisputed top target and safety net for Jackson as the two have an established rapport in Baltimore. However, if Beckham Jr. suddenly mirrors the role he played for the Los Angeles Rams in their Super Bowl-winning season, it could regulate Flowers to a WR4 role for his rookie season, at least at the onset. Even so, it’s hard to imagine fantasy managers justifying playing Flowers as a flex if the targets aren’t there for him to benefit from.
Prediction
Given that Jackson isn’t necessarily known as a pass-first quarterback, I’m going to temper my expectations when it comes to Flowers’ rookie-year production. With Andrews, Beckham Jr., and others still ahead on the depth chart, I think between 500 and 700 receiving yards with, hopefully, five receiving touchdowns is a suitable Northstar for the rookie wideout.