With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.Meet the...
Team with the most rushing attempts in the NFL last season. With a rookie quarterback and a newly installed ball-control offense, the Ravens ran the ball 592 times in 2008. The team's 11 wins and two playoff victories give proof that the system works. Confidence in second-year quarterback Joe Flacco will be greater in 2009, so you can expect this offense to continue to run the ball at every defense they meet; just maybe not 58% of the time.
The name of the game in Baltimore will still be defense, however, even without defensive coordinator Rex Ryan and linebacker Bart Scott, who both left town to join the New York Jets. New defensive coordinator Greg Mattison should have this unit among the top five defenses in football with an extremely tough and disciplined approach and key additions like Domonique Foxworth in the secondary.
The Breakout
The jury is still out on who will be the main back in the running scheme for Baltimore, but Ray Rice benefited from Willis McGahee being limited in OTA's after having an arthroscopic procedure on his knee in May. You never like to see a surgical procedure on a football player this close to the regular season; especially a player with a history of injuries and loss of playing time. Rice just may win this job outright in training camp. If he does, his 4.2 yards per carry average combined with his threat as a receiver could make him more valuable then his draft position. With full-time work, Rice could combine for 1,500 yard of total offense.
The Bust(s)
The Ravens signed L.J. Smith to help pad receiving stats from an anemic tight end core. Todd Heap only caught 35 passes in '08 and scored only three times. The Ravens think Heap is more of a blocking tight end then Smith and plan to use Smith to spark the offense in passing situations. With a team that runs the ball a lot, and a the fact that Smith and Heap will share time, neither will be able to truly help your fantasy team.
The Depth Chart
QB1 - Joe Flacco
QB2 - Troy Smith
RB1a - Ray Rice
RB1b - Willis McGahee
FB1 - LeRon McClain
WR1 - Mark Clayton
WR2 - Derrick Mason
WR3 - Demetrius Williams
WR4 - Yamon Figurs
TE1 - Todd Heap
TE2 - L.J. Smith
K - Steven Hauschka / Graham Gano
The Skinny
- If you look at Mark Clayton's game log from week nine on last season, he had two 100-plus yard games and four games where he had a 40 yard or more reception. His new second half threat of deep routes combined with Flacco being unleashed in the passing game in '09 could mean big things for Clayton.
- LeRon McClain will be moving back to a more traditional fullback role in 2009. That means you can kiss those 200-plus carries goodbye, which will severely limit his fantasy value.
- Dude has seven 1,000 yard seasons in the last eight years and has caught 80 or more passes in six of the last seven years. Derrick Mason is quietly legit and should continue to produce at these levels in 2009. If you think his age will slow him down, just remember that he dislocated his shoulder in week ten last year and played through the pain for the rest of the season. Buy late and/or cheap... but definitely buy Mason.
- Joe Flacco saw great success as a rookie, which is something that doesn't happen a lot. While he continues to mature and grow with this offense, it's easy to imagine a 2009 season where he'll amass 3,000 yards passing and 20 touchdowns. Just remember that he's still a number two quarterback option.
- Matt Stover has been the only kicker the Baltimore Ravens franchise has ever known. But, Stover is gone and the Ravens groomed Steven Hauschka last season to take his place by allowing him to kick off and take a few long field goals. Before you go drafting Hauschka thinking he'll inherit Stover's 119 point average over the last six seasons, you need to know that the job isn't his yet. He's in a kicker competition this off-season with rookie Graham Gano.
