Baltimore

Ravens

Appearing on ESPN Saturday morning, Fowler said the Ravens are “hopeful” that Jackson can play against the Bengals. He added that the team isn’t “overly optimistic” because, according to a source, Jackson is “50/50" to play in Week 7. If Jackson can’t go, Tyler Huntley will get the start and fantasy managers will need a backup plan this week. At this point, it’s unlikely we receive more clarity on the situation before inactives are released Sunday morning.

He practiced in full twice on Thursday and Friday. With Ja’Kobi Lane eating into his targets and the Bengals ever-vulnerable through the air by tight ends, Bateman is probably only a deep-league play in Week 7.

Here’s what happened: Ravens head coach Jesse Minter spoke and said the team is still “working through” whether Jackson would play on Sunday, and then the team took the unusual step of having both Jackson and Tyler Huntley talk to the media. Jackson also said he doesn’t need to be 100% to play and clarified that he had a high-ankle sprain. Jackson officially draw a questionable tag after a limited Friday session. Reading between the lines, the fact that Huntley spoke probably sets us up nicely for a rug pull, but Jackson-reliant fantasy managers will probably be waiting until inactives on Sunday before they know for sure.

This makes three straight practices for Jackson, who continues to trend in the right direction ahead of Week 7’s game against the Bengals. Jackson was listed as a limited participant in each of the first two practices to start the week and should have a good chance of suiting up, even if he’s only listed as a limited participant. We will provide an update on his official status when the team announces it, but this is yet another encouraging sign for the two-time MVP.

Bateman has been playing through this shoulder injury for a while, though he was forced to leave early last week. Bateman should now be expected to play, but he is only a boom-bust FLEX option with Ja’Kobi Lane now back in the lineup.

After a weird limited session on Wednesday where he wasn’t out in front of the media, Jackson practiced today in full view of reporters, who noted that he was not favoring his ankle at all. Jackson’s injury has always felt tenuous, but even if Wednesday was sort of an aberration, he has to at least be considered to be moving towards playing. Friday’s status will tell the rest of the story. He was officially limited again today. We expect him to at least be questionable after practicing the first two days of the week.

The Ravens acquired Jurgens from the Eagles two weeks ago, but he hasn’t made his Baltimore debut yet while he works through the league’s concussion protocol. A full practice today puts him on track to suit up in Week 7. His return will move rookie Vega Ioane back to right guard.

Bateman left the Ravens’ Week 6 game against the Browns and did not return, though head coach Jesse Minter told reporters on Monday that he was going to be fine. Expect the team to manage his reps in practice this week with an eye on getting him ready for Sunday. Bateman has made a handful of splash plays this year, but his production is low-volume and high-variance. He will be a low-end FLEX option for Week 7.

Jackson was not spotted during the portion of practice open to the media but apparently participated in some capacity later in the session. It’s a step in the right direction, but Jackson likely still has several hurdles to clear before returning to action. Despite Minter’s comments, we expect Jackson to miss another week. Tyler Huntley will draw the start versus Cincinnati if Jackson is ruled out.

Jackson will go down as a DNP when the Ravens drop their first official injury report of the week. He hasn’t practiced since suffering an ankle injury in Week 4. Head coach Jesse Minter insisted earlier this week that Jackson was making progress, but we doubt it’s enough to get him back on the field for Week 7. Tyler Huntley appears to be the favorite to start against the Bengals.