The Ravens defeated the Colts 41-23 in Week 1, but the team suffered notable injuries in the process. Rookie receiver Ja’Kobi Lane broke his wrist and was placed on IR, and Zay Flowers suffered a hamstring injury after a brilliant first half.
The wideout missed his second consecutive practice on Thursday, which doesn’t bode well for Flowers’ chances of playing this Sunday against the Saints.
Flowers playing would be a surprise. With him potentially joining Lane on the sidelines, which receivers will step up for the Ravens? Could it be fourth-round rookie Elijah Sarratt ($3,700)? Or maybe veteran Rashod Bateman ($4,400)?
Ravens WR Outlook for Week 2 vs. Saints
Sarratt wasn’t active for Week 1, but with the Ravens likely to be without Lane and Flowers, Sarratt should make his NFL debut against the Saints. The receiver was selected in the fourth round by Baltimore after winning the national title with Indiana last season. Sarratt caught 65 passes for 830 yards and a whopping 15 touchdowns for the Hoosiers, which was the most of any college player last season.
Sarratt stands at 6-foot-2 and clearly has a knack for finding the end zone. But the rookie seeing enough snaps to be fantasy-relevant in his NFL debut feels unlikely, even with Flowers and Lane missing, after Sarratt was a healthy scratch last week.
Bateman, on the other hand, is an established veteran we know will be on the field. With Flowers and Lane exiting with injuries, Bateman led the Ravens in routes in Week 1 (27). Granted, Bateman didn’t catch his lone target.
That said, Lane and Flowers both saw a decent amount of work in the first half, running 16 and 11 routes, respectively. With them absent for the second half, Lamar Jackson ($7,300) attempted only seven passes, given Baltimore was comfortably ahead.
In a full game without Flowers and Lane, Bateman will naturally see a solid amount of targets given this team’s lack of options. Bateman garnered a target on 11% of his routes last season, and this was while playing alongside Flowers in every game. A target rate near 15% is realistic, and the Saints’ defense just got lit up for 31 points by the Lions in Week 1.
The Ravens carry a high 27.5-point implied team total on DraftKings Sportsbook despite all their injuries, and I’d target Bateman in this situation. The veteran could surprise with an outing around 15 FPTS, and he is worth rolling the dice on in GPPs this weekend, assuming Flowers is inactive as expected.
