Schefter: Zay Flowers is a true pre-game decision

Flowers ran only 14 routes, but you wouldn’t know it by his production line. For a player dealing with a hamstring injury, he looked explosive every time he was on the field and turned three of his six touches into 20-plus-yard gains. Flowers hauled in a 22-yard pass in the first quarter to help set up a rush touchdown for Derrick Henry three plays later, and with time expiring in the fourth quarter, his 27-yard reception proved to be just enough to move Tyler Loop into position for the game-winning field goal with one second left on the clock. He’s only played in two games, but Flowers has been Lamar’s go-to target when on the field. His 48 percent targets per route run is one of the more absurd numbers you’ll find for any receiver. While that will eventually go down, there’s no denying he’s a must start whenever he’s active. Flowers will be in the mix as a high-end WR2 next week against the Titans.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Flowers is only expected to be on the field for “about 20-30 plays.” Given this piece of news, fantasy managers looking to play Flowers shouldn’t view him as anything more than a WR3/WR4 in what could be a low-volume day for the Ravens’ WR1. While Flowers is active, the Ravens have declared WR Elijah Sarratt, FS K’Von Wallace, LB Carl Jones, LT Ronnie Stanley, DT Aeneas Peebles, and QB Joe Fagnano inactive for Week 3.

Flowers missed Week 2’s loss to the Saints with a hamstring injury after catching five passes for 150 yards and a touchdown in the Week 1 victory over the Colts. Rashod Bateman stepped up as the Ravens’ leading receiver with Flowers out in Week 2. That would likely be the case again if Flowers is held out. As Fowler reports, Flowers would likely be on a snap count if he’s active against the Cowboys in Week 3, which would seem to muddy things for both his and Bateman’s fantasy prospects against the Cowboys. Baltimore takes on Dallas Sunday afternoon at Maracaná Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Ravens head coach Jesse Minter was vaguely optimistic about Flowers’ status when asked; Flowers returned in a limited session as the Ravens did a walkthrough. This will be one to monitor on Sunday, but Flowers is probably still on the pessimistic side of questionable at the moment.

Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer maintained the beat’s skepticism of Flowers’ availability for Week 3’s game in Rio by saying it “still seems unlikely” he’ll play. At the very least, Flowers’ appearance is probably a good sign for his chance for Week 4. We’ll grab a fresh update once the Ravens drop statuses; it seems likely Flowers will not be better than questionable.

Beat reporters observed Flowers working out on his own before practice, but the Ravens’ No. 1 wide receiver headed back inside the building before his teammates took the field. ESPN’s Jamison Hensley wrote, “it’s looking like Baltimore will be without Flowers for a second consecutive game.” The team downplayed Flowers’ Week 1 hamstring aggravation, but he is currently on the wrong side of questionable. The Ravens depart for Brazil this evening and arrive on Friday morning. If Flowers travels, he may have a chance to play, though he will carry re-injury risk.

Barring a surprise, Flowers will be a DNP when the team posts its first injury report of the week. Flowers missed Week 1 with the hamstring injury. Head coach Jesse Minter said earlier this week that he has “a good shot” at playing in Week 3, but a DNP today casts some doubt on his optimism. Rashod Bateman would be in line for another solid workload if Flowers remains out. Bateman caught seven passes for 88 yards and one score on Sunday.

Flowers is one of multiple injured players who Minter said could play in Week 3. Flowers missed Week 2’s game against the Saints after reaggravating his hamstring injury in Week 1 against the Colts, but he was able to practice in a limited capacity to close out the week. We’ll see how he fares this week when the Ravens release their first injury report, but it sounds like the star receiver is trending in the right direction. In addition to Flowers, Minter also said DT Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) and LB Teddye Buchanan (knee) could also return agains the Cowboys.

Flowers was officially ruled out on Saturday by the team, so there’s nothing too surprising to see here. Veteran receiver Rashod Bateman is expected to see an increased role with Flowers sidelined, while Devontez Walker is also active after being a healthy scratch in Week 1 against the Colts. If possible, it would be best to avoid all Ravens receivers in fantasy this week.

The team pulled the plug on Flowers’ potential to play in Week 2 after the veteran receiver departed the team’s Week 1 win with a hamstring injury. No word yet on how long the injury is expected to sideline Flowers, who appears to have a good shot at suiting up when the team faces off against the Cowboys on the road in Week 3. Tight end Mark Andrews could see a slight uptick in volume in the interim.