The Baltimore Ravens’ fantasy football bets for 2023 are seemingly very volatile. However, there are certainly some safe options that fantasy managers can opt for on a week-to-week basis.
Read More: 3 Riskiest Baltimore Ravens Fantasy Football Options for 2023
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3 Safest Ravens Fantasy Football Bets in 2023
1. Mark Andrews
Mark Andrews is one of Baltimore’s safest fantasy assets for the 2023 season. Over the last few seasons, Andrews has cemented himself as a premier tight end, making his 2023 fantasy football outlook highly positive.
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Andrews has been one of the most productive tight ends in football since 2019. Since his sophomore year, the All-Pro tight end has finished within the top six tight ends in both standard and PPR formats. In 2021, he finished as the overall TE1.
2023 looks to be a good year for Andrews. He has impressed in camp and is primed to play a key role in Todd Monken’s offense. Monken fed his tight ends generously at Georgia and the expectation is that, with an elite talent like Andrews, Baltimore’s new offensive coordinator will embrace this part of his offense.
The footballing projections are there for Andrews. But what really makes him a safe bet is really his consistency and availability. Since his rookie year in 2018, Andrews has not played less than 14 games in a season. This means that Andrews will likely serve fantasy teams well, giving managers a boost during the playoff stretch.
Andrews is an excellent, safe selection for managers looking for an elite week-to-week tight end. He does, however, come at a hefty price. As the consensus TE2, managers will need to weigh up Andrews’ weekly consistency against the upside of some of the top receivers and running backs in the league.
2. Baltimore Ravens Defense and Special Teams Unit
The Baltimore Ravens Defense and Special Teams Unit clocks in at second. While this may appear controversial, there is method to the madness.
Ravens Defense has been a safe, high performer over the last few years. Aside from a blip in 2021 when they finished 27th (thanks to numerous injuries), the unit has finished 5th (2019), 1st (2019) and 7th (2022).
Furthermore, the Ravens defense is trending in the right direction. Eric DeCosta has quietly built one of the league’s premier defenses in Baltimore, centered around star talent like Roquan Smith, Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Williams.
It is also easy to forget that the Ravens are one of the best return units in the league. Devin Duvernay is an All-Pro returner, meaning there is always touchdown potential.
Drafting a Defense and Special Teams Unit in fantasy football often comes down to streaming defenses with good matchups. Baltimore have plenty of favourable matchups in 2023, and have proved they can score fine even against top offenses. Opening their season against the Houston Texans’ rookie quarterback, Baltimore’s defense should be able to get off to a hot start.
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Baltimore also have good fixtures against the Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams. Alongside this, division rivals Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers are not known for heavyweight offense, meaning the Ravens defense could find some production against these teams.
The Ravens Defense and Special Teams Unit is currently favoured as around DST4-6. This is a bargain for all fantasy managers as it is likely the case that the unit will be available in the final (or penultimate) round of the draft. Given how the defense is trending, and how well it has performed recently, grabbing the Ravens defense is undoubtedly a safe fantasy football bet for 2023.
3. Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson rounds off this shortlist. If the 2019 MVP had not got injured in 2021 and 2022, he would undoubtedly be the top name on this list. However, his inability to play a full season makes him more of a volatile fantasy football asset than many would like to admit.
However, when not injured, Jackson averaged out as the QB5 in 2022. That is to say that, when healthy, Jackson will deliver fantasy managers with elite performances.
That is especially the true given the positive narrative heading into 2023. Fresh off signing a new contract (despite the huge fiasco), Jackson looks to have settled into Monken’s offense excellently. He is as comfortable as ever and aims to throw for ‘6,000 yards’.
The only knock on Jackson is the health concern. However, he is a safe bet to give managers strong performances when on the field.
Jackson’s ADP is currently at around 32 (QB4), according to FantasyPros. With a new offensive scheme and better offensive playmakers, Jackson’s high value is certainly warranted. Given the cost of drafting Jackson, fantasy managers should look to stream quarterback options from the waiver wire in weeks when Jackson is unavailable.
Video: #Ravens QB Lamar Jackson to new WR Odell Beckham in team scrimmage.
Touchdown 🔥pic.twitter.com/SujdzmKRob
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 29, 2023
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