After playing just 14 snaps in Week 18’s win over the Browns, Zay Flowers has been ruled out for Baltimore’s Wild Card matchup with Pittsburgh. It doesn’t come as too much of a shock, as Flowers was unable to practice on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
It’s a massive blow to the Ravens’ aerial attack, as Flowers was by far the team-leader in targets (116), receptions (74) and receiving yards (1,059). Still, his absence does create a void that will make for some interesting fantasy options. In particular, Lamar Jackson should be hyper-focused on Rashod Bateman and Mark Andrews.
Is Mark Andrews or Rashod Bateman the better DFS play?
Determining which asset has more value for Wild Card Weekend is complex, but let me start by saying each is viable regardless of format. Bateman has been the definition of a “boom-or-bust” archetype this season, yet with Flowers limited last Saturday, the wideout matched his season-high with eight targets. For someone who ranks fifth among all qualified WRs in FPTS per touch (3.88), suddenly having set-in-stone volume is a huge deal.
The same can be said about Andrews. Literally — the same can be said. The veteran set a new season-high with eight targets in Week 18 versus Cleveland. Andrews has also been incredibly, almost unsustainably efficient this season, leading the NFL with 11 red zone touchdown receptions on 15 red zone targets. Heck, Andrews has scored a touchdown in each of Baltimore’s past six games, which includes a Week 16 matchup with the Steelers.
In Showdown specifically, if you can only roster one, I’d lean towards Andrews. His usage in high-leverage areas of the field gives him a higher floor than Bateman and, not for nothing, his salary is $1,600 cheaper. Price tag also impacts the viability of Isaiah Likely and Tylan Wallace, with the latter sitting at just $2,000 in Saturday’s contest. Wallace did lead all Baltimore wideouts with a 72.9% snap share against the Browns, though that only translated into a single target. In other words, his DFS floor is cavernous. Be careful on your exposure.
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
