Zay

Flowers

Flowers managed to reel in catches of 22 yards and 25 yards but was otherwise confined to short area work against a stout Los Angeles secondary. The team got bruising running back Derrick Henry going in the second quarter, which confined quarterback Lamar Jackson to just 22 pass attempts, eight of which were directed at the team’s top option through the air. Flowers could be needed for heavier volume when the Ravens take on the 9-2 Eagles in Week 13.

Flowers was missed on a few throws but also let a wide-open pass that would have gone for a long gain bounce off his chest. He bailed himself out of the drop when he hauled in a 16-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but this was a forgettable outing for Flowers, who has failed to eclipse 40 receiving yards in each of his last two games. Flowers’ six targets still led all Ravens receivers, but the Steelers provided little room for the Ravens’ passing game to operate in the defeat. Flowers will look to correct course in Week 12 against the Chargers and should project as a solid WR2 for fantasy.

It was a poor time for one of Flowers’ occasional statistical faceplants, as the Ravens predictably went nuts against the Bengals’ nonexistent defense. Cincinnati just managed to contain Zay as Lamar Jackson worked his connection with players like Nelson Agholor and Tylan Wallace. Annoying, but just life with Flowers, who has been prone to high highs and low lows this season. He is probably going to be needed for far more chain-moving type grabs in Week 11 when the Ravens travel to Pittsburgh. Keep him fired up as a high-end WR2.

Flowers broke loose on a 53-yard catch-and-run in the final seconds of the first half to give the Ravens a two-score lead. Flowers broke a tackle and blew by multiple Denver defenders on the play. The touchdown seemingly broke Denver’s will and killed any momentum they had heading into halftime. The Ravens would not allow another point to Denver’s offense and scored 17 of their own in the second half. Flowers has topped 100 yards in four of his past five games and is staring down a potential shootout with the Bengals on Thursday. The second-year wideout is making a strong push for a WR1 ranking heading into Week 10.

Sure didn’t seem like a huge cost for the Ravens, though it does shake up their receiver room and make it hard to trust for fantasy purposes. Zay Flowers is hurt the most by the acquisition, as he was (by target volume) the uncontested No. 1 wideout. He likely slides down to the WR3/FLEX borderline due to the uncertainty. Rashod Bateman becomes a touchdown-or-bust proposition. For Carolina, Xavier Legette pushes into the FLEX conversation on target volume despite being on a bad passing offense. Jalen Coker also is rosterable in deeper leagues. It’s worth holding onto Diontae Johnson for the moment, but he may be droppable in most leagues if he’s not a big part of the Ravens offense after a week or two.

The ankle injury that forced Flowers to miss two practices earlier in the week was a non-issue on Sunday, as Flowers emerged to lead the Ravens in targets, receptions, and receiving yards in the back-and-forth affair. Flowers’ day could have been much bigger if it weren’t for Lamar Jackson missing him on what would have been a wide-open 31-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, but fantasy managers won’t be disappointed with this effort. Flowers has eclipsed 100-yards in three of his last five games, and will be a fantasy WR2 in next week’s game against the Broncos.

He only managed one practice this week — a limited one on Friday. Ravens beat writers reported on Friday that Flowers seemed to be in good spirits and ran to the sideline in his only practice of the week. Flowers is a solid WR2 in a game that could feature strong days for both offenses.

Flowers got banged up in the Ravens’ Week 7 win over the Bucs but played through the ankle issue despite going down early in the game. The Ravens gave him Wednesday and Thursday off and he returned for a light session to close the week. Baltimore listed him as questionable on their final injury report. Even a hobbled Flowers is still the Ravens’ best receiving option, keeping him in the WR2 ranks for his Week 8 matchup with Cleveland.

Flowers was unable to practice on both Wednesday and Thursday before returning to practice in a limited capacity Friday. Flowers has already established himself as the type of player who can suit up and be effective on game day without absorbing the offensive game plan live, during the week. His severe practice limitations could result in a limited snap count though and an ankle sprain might negatively impact a player who wins with agility.

Per Ravens beat writer Jamison Hensley, Flower ran onto the practice field and “was even dancing off to the side before the start of practice.” The Ravens’ WR1 missed each of the team’s first two practices to start the week, but it sounds like he’ll have a chance to suit up in Week 8 against the Browns. We’ll have official word on his status when the team releases its final injury report later in the day.