Week 6 Recap
The Ravens started slow, eventually showed up on offense, got it down to a one score game and inevitably fell short… rinse and repeat.
Hey! At least our fantasy picks look good!
Well, most of them.
Flacco had his 4th 17+ point showing (standard league scoring) in his last 5 games, Kamar Aiken once again found the endzone, and our sleepers Kaepernick (340yds, 2 TD’s) and Torrey Smith (96yds, 1 TD) both came through. Carlos Hyde proved to be ineffective as we predicted, netting 55 yards and never finding the endzone.
The only true miss we had was with Steve Smith Sr. I had predicted the Ravens use him as a decoy more than anything, but 137 yards and a touchdown later, I’d say I was flat out wrong.
The trend is becoming very clear here with the Ravens, and from a fantasy perspective- start all opposing quarterbacks and receivers, start Flacco and Smitty, and sit the defense. This week should be a slam dunk!
Setting the Scene
The flailing Ravens head to Arizona, set to face a stout Cardinals team that is coming home angry after an embarrassing loss to the Steelers in Week 6, which doesn’t bode well for the Ravens (as if any other game this season has).
Key Fantasy Matchup
The glaring disparity this week will be the Cardinals passing offense (6th) against the Ravens pass defense (27th).With the way Carson Palmer slings that ball around to Fitz & Co., it won’t matter whether it’s Jimmy Smith or Shareece Wright in coverage. It very well could be a blood bath. Or I suppose a bird bath?
Start ‘Em
Sure the Cardinals have the 9th ranked pass defense, but the two things going in Joe’s favor this week are 1) continued growth with his wideouts, and 2) likely to be playing catch up, which means a heavy dose of the passing game. I think 300 yards, 2 TD’s & 2 INT’s is a safe call this week, which would leave you with 16 points in standard leagues.
Steve Smith Sr.
Last week Smitty showed us he’s not playing tentative at all, and it looks like Joe is gravitating back to throwing at Smith Sr. in heavy doses once again. Expect big things from the small guy as usual.
Carson Palmer
If the Ravens secondary can make Derek Carr, Josh McCown & Colin Kaepernick all look like Pro Bowl caliber players, imagine what Carson Palmer is going to do with his 6th ranked passing attack? Yikes…
Fitz comes into this game with 43 receptions for 583 yards and 6 TD’s on the season, with only 1 game with fewer than 85 yards, and never fewer than 5 receptions in a game. Like I said with Palmer, yikes…
Sit ‘Em
Let’s face it- the Ravens will be playing catch up for the better part of this game. And what happens when a team plays from behind? They get pass happy and the running game becomes a moot point. Forsett will still get some touches, but not enough to justify a spot on your starting lineup.
Last week. the national media hyped up Carlos Hyde coming into the Ravens/49ers game. The fantasy gurus said to start him, as they believed he’d see a heavy workload and breakdown the Ravens front 7. Except he didn’t. It wasn’t due to lack of effort- he had 22 carries- but the D line is the one single strong unit on this defense for Baltimore. I expect similar results for Chris Johnson this week.
Baltimore Defense
This should go without saying but please, bench this defense until  further notice. Better yet, cut them and don’t even think about touching them until next season. And even then, see how free agency and the draft goes before pulling that trigger.
Sleepers
Arizona Defense
Most people will start this defense- I certainly do every single week. This call is more about a sleeper in terms of total production. While they typically can get you 8-10 points, they are very likely to put up more this week. If Joe continues his backfoot lobs (a habit he still can’t shake) don’t be shocked to see a few more picks, and potentially one for 6.
Over the past few weeks, Jeremy Ross has seen his receptions and targets increase, while Kamar Aiken has seen his head in the opposite direction. Could this be a sign that Ross could move into the #2 role? Unlikely, but it does tell us that he’s establishing a solid relationship with his QB and getting open, unlike Aiken the rest of the non-Smith Sr. wideouts. Ross should find the endzone this week.
Happy tinkering!
