Zay Flowers goes for 118 yards, scores vs. Titans

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 played on a pitch count last week but still amassed 84 yards on five grabs. He was listed as questionable ahead of the game and Baltimore took his status down to inactives 90 minutes before kickoff. A limited practice to open the week means we should have less drama surrounding his availability for Week 4. Even if he doesn’t get up to a full complement of snaps on Sunday, Flowers will be, at worst, a WR2.

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.

Schefter did add, “The team doesn’t sound as if it is counting on him playing.” The Ravens are taking on Dallas in Brazil, so the team wants to get him on the field for warmups to see how he responds to the reportedly spotty and uneven turf. There’s still a chance he plays, but it has already been reported that he will be on a snap count if active. At this point, fantasy managers should treat Flowers as if he’s out. Rashod Bateman took over the No. 1 receiver duties last week and went for 88 yards plus a touchdown. He will be in the WR3 mix once again if Flowers is inactive.

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.