Last season, Torrey Smith caught 49 passes from Joe Flacco for 855 yards and eight touchdowns.
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Fantasy football draft season is fast approaching. Prep to win your league with SI.com's ongoing preview, including team-by-team breakdowns that examine each club's key fantasy storyline and much more.
Key fantasy storyline
The Ravens have shiny new Super Bowl rings and Joe Flacco has a shiny new contract, but what will they do for an encore? After a tough offseason of defections, there are some big holes to fill, and much of that will fall on Flacco's shoulder. And other than No. 1 receiver Torrey Smith, Flacco has no one else of significance in his receiving corps. Good luck.
The lack of depth sure makes Ray Rice, Smith and Dennis Pitta intriguing fantasy prospects relative to their draft position. Smith is primed for a breakout season as a third-year receiver. Rice will likely fall to the second half of the first round of fantasy drafts. Pitta has shoved himself into the conversation of the devoid elite tier of fantasy tight ends.
The latter point might be the most significant. With Rob Gronkowski (back, arm) a question mark coming off his surgeries, Aaron Hernandez no longer an NFL player and Tony Gonzalez barely hanging on to his career at age 37, Pitta warrants a spot up near Jimmy Graham at arguably the shakiest position in fantasy. The targets certainly will be there for Pitta, particularly if long-time return specialist Jacoby Jones doesn't prove to be worthy of a starting spot on a fantasy roster opposite Smith.
The Ravens will still center their offense on the running game with Rice and surging backup Bernard Pierce, but Flacco will still get his 3,500-plus yards and 20-plus touchdowns. Someone is going to have to reel them in. Smith and Pitta stand to rise to be among the most frequently-targeted players at their positions this season.
Schedule analysis
| Baltimore Ravens' 2013 schedule |
| Including a look at how the Ravens' upcoming foes fared in fantasy last season |
| Week | Opponent | 2012 Rank against QB | Against RB | Against WR | Against TE |
|---|
| 1 | @ Denver | 9 | 2 | 5 | 30 | | 2 | vs. Cleveland | 22 | 21 | 28 | 4 | | 3 | vs. Houston | 18 | 1 | 22 | 29 | | 4 | @ Buffalo | 24 | 31 | 14 | 15 | | 5 | @ Miami | 15 | 10 | 13 | 17 | | 6 | vs. Green Bay | 14 | 17 | 17 | 7 | | 7 | @ Pittsburgh | 1 | 4 | 7 | 3 | | 8 | BYE | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | | 9 | @ Cleveland | 22 | 21 | 28 | 4 | | 10 | vs. Cincinnati | 8 | 14 | 3 | 18 | | 11 | @ Chicago | 4 | 5 | 10 | 12 | | 12 | vs. N.Y. Jets | 5 | 25 | 1 | 21 | | 13 | vs. Pittsburgh | 1 | 4 | 7 | 3 | | 14 | vs. Minnesota | 28 | 9 | 24 | 20 | | 15 | @ Detroit | 17 | 7 | 23 | 23 | | 16 | vs. New England | 30 | 8 | 25 | 28 | | 17 | @ Cincinnati | 8 | 14 | 3 | 18 |
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When a team wins the championship in an league like the NFL that strives for competitive balance, that team is due to play a tough schedule the following season, so things should be tough on the Ravens. First, for those who own Rice, they play four of the five best teams against running backs defensively, and half of their schedule is against teams in last year's top 10 of fantasy rankings against running backs. Then, after what should be a productive start to the season for Flacco, the Ravens play a brutal stretch against stiff defenses in weeks 10-13: Bengals, Bears, Jets and Steelers, oh my.
If you don't deal Flacco after a Week 6 shootout against Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay, definitely deal him before that Week 10 stretch begins. He isn't going to be a true starting fantasy option during crunch time of the regular season, even if his fantasy postseason looks favorable against the suspect secondaries of the Vikings, Lions and Patriots.
Depth chart
QB: Joe Flacco, Tyrod Taylor
RB: Ray Rice, Bernard Pierce, Anthony Allen, Damien Berry
WR: Torrey Smith, Jacoby Jones, Tandon Doss, Tommy Streeter, Deonte Thompson, David Reed
TE: Dennis Pitta, Ed Dickson
K: Justin Tucker
Defensive analysis
| Baltimore Ravens' 2012 defensive rankings |
| Ranking type | Total D | Rushing D | Passing D | Points allowed |
|---|
| NFL rank | 17 | 20 | 17 | 12 | | Ranking type | Against QB | Against RB | Against WR | Against TE | | Fantasy rank | 6 | 18 | 16 | 1 |
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On the surface, many will assume the Ravens will decline since losing future Hall of Famers LB Ray Lewis (retirement) and S Ed Reed (signed with Houston) in addition to S Bernard Pollard and LBs Dannell Ellerbe and Paul Kruger. However, Ravens are now younger, quicker and more athletic on defense, thanks to additions like OLB Elvis Dumervil, DL Chris Canty, S Matt Elam (draft) and S Michael Huff.
Also, Terrell Suggs is another year removed from Achilles' surgery, so he should be healthier and more potent on the edge, particularly with Dumervil drawing attention on the opposite side. You can question the two inside 'backers of their 3-4, but they remain strong and deep on the corner with Lardarius Webb, Corey Graham and Jimmy Smith. This stands to be a top-10 defensive unit again -- it was just 17th last year with those guys they "lost." There are a lot of IDP options here to like, particularly Suggs, Dumervil, Huff and the run-stuffing DT Haloti Ngata.
Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/fantasy/news/20130719/fantasy-football-baltimore-ravens-preview/
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