Zay Flowers (hamstring) gets in a limited practice

Flowers was not present during the portion of practice open to the media earlier today, though it was assumed that this was a maintenance issue relating to his multi-week hamstring strain. It turns out Flowers is dealing with a new injury. It is unclear when the injury occurred. If it was an in-game issue last week, then beginning Week 5 with a limited practice is a great sign for his availability. Stay tuned.

Initially, it looked like Flowers might not practice today. He was not present during the portion of practice open to the media, but apparently joined his teammates later on. He will likely be catching passes from backup QB Tyler Huntley against the Falcons this weekend, but he remains WR2-viable at worst.

The sprain Jackson sustained in Week 4 against the Titans, according to Rapoport, is neither low nor high. Rapoport said Monday that Jackson has an “outside” shot at suiting up in Week 5 against the Falcons and could miss multiple games with the unique ankle situation. Tyler Huntley will once again sub in for Jackson until he’s ready to return. Baltimore will likely be far more run heavy with Huntley under center, limiting targets for Zay Flowers and the rest of the Ravens pass catchers.

It was yet another big game for Flowers, who has now totaled 352 yards and two touchdowns on 18 receptions this season. Flowers got behind the Titans’ secondary in the second quarter to score on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson, and he hauled in a 52-yard pass down the right sideline on the next drive to help set up a three-yard touchdown pass to Mark Andrews. Flowers has been dominant, to say the least, and is among the most heavily targeted receivers in the league on a per-route basis. He will be firmly on the WR1 radar next week when the Ravens take on the Falcons.

Flowers is officially active and can be treated as a fringe WR1 for fantasy purposes this week against the Titans. Flowers totaled five catches for 84 yards on six targets in limited action last week, and should see a few more routes than the 14 he ran last week. In addition to Flowers, the Ravens will also have left tackle Ronnie Stanley back after he missed last week’s game with a toe injury. The Ravens declared QB Joe Fagnano, WR Chris Moore, EDGE Trey Hendrickson, and DL Aeneas Peeblas inactive for Week 4.

Fowler added that Flowers is not expected to be on a “hard pitch count.” The Ravens will presumably keep tabs on his injured hamstring, but as long as he feels good, Flowers will get his normal allotment of snaps. Despite exiting Week 1 early and being on a snap count last week, Flowers is averaging six catches for 117 yards across two appearances this year. He will make the WR1 cut next week if he puts up similar numbers today.

They added an “NIR/rest” to Flowers’ listing on the injury report on Friday and he had a limited session after going full on Thursday. We’re not going to believe this is serious news without one of the league’s sourced men or women saying it is. Flowers profiles as a WR1 against the lowly Titans.

It’s his first full practice since the leadup to Week 1 and paints a rosy picture for Flowers stepping in as a fantasy WR1 with no limitations on his snap count against the Titans. Flowers may clear the injury report entirely on Friday.

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.