After a season away from the game because of the knee injury he suffered in Super Bowl LVI, Odell Beckham is back. He landed with the Baltimore Ravens in the offseason, and he’s got the chance to start the year as their top wide receiver. Fantasy football managers may have a hard time remembering just how dominant Beckham was a few years ago and wonder if he can be that effective again. Or, they may be concerned about the Ravens’ being such a run-heavy team, to rely on him in their lineups.
We’re cautiously optimistic about Beckham to start the season. He’s healthy and ready to play, a savvy veteran who can lead the way in a Ravens offense that’s supposedly going to be a more balanced operation this season. Plus, he’s got a great Week 1 matchup against the Houston Texans.
Fantasy Football analysis: Ravens WR Odell Beckham
Beckham sat out last season because of his torn ACL. But reports from training camp this year offered assurances that he was looking strong and showing flashes of his former self. The question now is how he’ll fit into a Ravens receiver corps that’s pretty deep. It looks like Rashod Bateman will be able to play, and rookie Zay Flowers has been ripping it up so far. How that will shake out with target distribution remains to be seen, though Flowers is generally ranked considerably higher than the other two by most fantasy observers.
Start or sit in Week 1 PPR leagues?
Sit. To start the season, Beckham is looking like a good WR3 with some WR2 upside. The key here is really Bateman, and just how much of a factor he is early on in the Ravens’ offense, not to mention just how much the Ravens’ offense is going to be throwing the ball compared to previous seasons. They might not need to throw the ball much at all against the Texans this week.
In smaller PPR leagues, you might look for other options, but in 12-team leagues or larger, Beckham isn’t a bad play.
Start or sit in Week 1 standard leagues?
Sit. In standard formats, he’s a good WR3 or flex option in larger leagues. But, just like we said above, you can probably find better receivers to fill that third spot in smaller leagues.
Player(s) you would start ahead of Odell Beckham
I’d take a closer look at starting Allen Lazard or JuJu Smith-Schuster if either player is available in your league over Beckham. The former is Aaron Rodgers’ old standby on a new team in a potential shootout with the Buffalo Bills. The latter could see a high target volume in a game against the Eagles where the Patriots will need to keep the ball moving.