This article is part of our Team Previews series.
Baltimore Ravens 
The Ravens have endured disappointingly early exits in each of the last three NFL postseasons. With quality teams like the Chiefs, Bills and the ascending Browns to contend with, the pressure is on Baltimore to keep pace in the AFC and exorcise the franchise's recent January demons.
Offseason Moves
Key Acquisitions
- Sammy Watkins – WR (from Chiefs)
An established veteran who provides a much-needed upgrade at wideout.
- Alejandro Villanueva – OT (from Steelers)
Fills the need at right tackle after the trade of Orlando Brown.
- Rashod Bateman – WR (Rd. 1, No. 27 – Minnesota)
Team adds a polished pass-catching prospect in the first round.
- Tylan Wallace – WR (Rd. 4, No. 131 – Oklahoma State)
The decorated receiver slid due to injury and could be a steal.
Key Losses
- Orlando Brown – OT (to Chiefs)
A two-time Pro Bowler who was dealt while still on his rookie deal.
- Yannick Ngakoue – DE (to Raiders)
A splashy in-season trade target, but he failed to pay major dividends.
- Willie Snead – WR (to Raiders)
An underrated and reliable slot target who blocks well bids adieu.
- Matthew Judon - LB (to Patriots)
The team's best pass rusher from 2020 cashed in as a free agent.
A Look Under the Hood
Head Coach: John Harbaugh (Year 14)
Offensive Coordinator: Greg Roman (Year 3) - Option-based Pistol Offense
Defensive Coordinator: Don Martindale (Year 4) - 3-4 scheme
2021 Vegas Projected Wins: 11 (T-3rd)
2020 Record: 11-5
2020 Points Scored: 468 (7th)
2020 Points Allowed: 303 (2nd)
2020 Point Differential: +165 (1st)
2020 Run-Play Rate: 55.0 percent (1st)
2020 Offensive Snaps: 993 (T-25th)
2020 PFF O-Line Ranking: No. 16
Projected 2021 Depth Chart
QB: Lamar Jackson / Trace McSorley / Tyler Huntley
RB: J.K. Dobbins / Gus Edwards / Justice Hill / Ty'Son Williams
FB: Patrick Ricard
WR1: Marquise Brown / Tylan Wallace
WR2: Sammy Watkins / Miles Boykin
WR3: Rashod Bateman / Devin Duvernay / James Proche
TE: Mark Andrews / Nick Boyle
O-Line: LT Ronnie Stanley / LG Ben Cleveland / C Bradley Bozeman / RG Kevin Zeitler / RT Alejandro Villanueva (RotoWire Rank: No. 10)
Kicker: Justin Tucker
Top Storylines
Dobbins Takes Over
J.K. Dobbins enters the season as the No. 1 option in one of the NFL's best rushing attacks after he broke out during his rookie year and relegated 2019 Pro Bowler Mark Ingram to being a healthy scratch down the stretch. Though he didn't have a game with double-digit carries until after the team's bye, Dobbins exploded for 651 yards and seven touchdowns on 109 attempts in his final nine regular-season games, a span in which the Ravens were missing left tackle Ronnie Stanley. Dobbins graded well in advanced metrics, too, ranking in the 97th percentile for broken tackle rate and 81st percentile in yards after contact.
He'll cede some carries to Lamar Jackson and Gus Edwards, but that workload split isn't a concern when Baltimore once again projects to lead the league on the ground after running 555 times in 2020. Dobbins' passing down work is safe, as well, as Edwards offers little in that facet of the game. There's a real chance Dobbins can push for more than 200 carries. Ingram had 202 in 15 games in this system back in 2019, with top-notch, per-carry efficiency thanks to the well-designed scheme along with the threat posed by Jackson as a rusher on run-pass options. Dobbins should be a top-10 running back – in both standard and PPR formats – thanks to his blend of talent, role and team context.
Revamped Receiving Corps
Baltimore's receiving corps was among the worst in the NFL in 2020, and the team prioritized adding more talent to the position group through free agency and the draft. Though the top players on the market went elsewhere, Baltimore managed to bring in 28-year-old Sammy Watkins on a one-year prove-it deal to complement speedster Marquise Brown. If Watkins can stay healthy, he's a significant upgrade over Miles Boykin.
The Ravens also brought in a pair of rookie receivers after taking two in last year's draft, so there's a bevy of youngsters competing for roles. Rashod Bateman gets the top billing as a 2021 first-rounder, and his ability to play outside or in the slot will help him carve out utility early. Tylan Wallace fell in the draft due to a history of knee woes, but he racked up 3,434 yards and 26 touchdowns at Oklahoma State and can be a downfield threat. Devin Duvernay shouldn't be forgotten, either, as he caught 77 percent of his targets at 7.7 YPT last season and now has a path to snaps with Willie Snead no longer around.
There are a lot of moving parts with so many new faces added to the mix of the lowest passing volume offense in the league, making this a tricky unit to figure out for fantasy. Still, there are enough upgrades to where there should be a bounceback in the team's passing game.
Offensive Line in Transition
The Orlando Brown saga headlined a tumultuous few months related to the Ravens' offensive line. Brown, who filled in on the left side for the injured Ronnie Stanley last year, now will be protecting Patrick Mahomes' blindside in Kansas City. Baltimore thus has gone from having one of the best tackle pairings in football to having Stanley coming off a serious ankle issue coupled with an aging Alejandro Villanueva. That could be an issue. Elsewhere along the line, the Ravens brought in Kevin Zeitler to lock down right guard after the spot was a revolving door in 2020 following Marshal Yanda's retirement. The team also addressed depth in the draft by nabbing Georgia's Ben Cleveland in the third round.
While there's an infusion of talent and youth in this group, there are still question marks. The interior of the line projects to be a strength, but the tackles will be scrutinized. Strong play in the trenches is key for any successful offense, but the unique nature of Baltimore's system puts an even greater emphasis on it. It's a unit that's tasked with complex assignments, given all the run-pass options. Plus, protecting a mobile quarterback who moves outside the pocket can be a challenge. Stanley's return and Villanueva's adjustment to playing a different side of the line in a new system will be major storylines.
Barometer
⬆️ Rising: WR Marquise Brown
The 2019 first-rounder didn't have the breakout many expected last season. Still, the speedy Brown is talented and the primary receiver in the team's passing offense. He should improve with better depth around him this year.
⬇️ Falling: WR Miles Boykin
After getting extensive run in his first two seasons with little to show for it in the box score, Boykin has plenty of competition due to additions in free agency and the draft. He's at risk of barely seeing the field in 2021.
😴 Sleeper: RB Gus Edwards
Edwards has been a consistently productive player when given the opportunity. He enters the coming campaign behind only J.K. Dobbins in a run-heavy scheme and profiles as a flex option in standard formats.
🌟 Pivotal Player: Lamar Jackson
Nearing the end of his rookie deal, Jackson will look to make a case to be the next quarterback to land a big payday. His regular-season performance has been dominant, but Jackson fell flat again this past January. With an improved group of pass catchers around him, he'll need to maximize the offense to get better playoff results.
Medical Tent
The 2019 All-Pro left tackle is working his way back from a gruesome, season-ending ankle injury in November. The team has since jettisoned Orlando Brown to Kansas City, so there isn't a great failsafe behind Stanley on the blindside if he's not ready by Week 1. The 27-year-old enters camp on the preseason PUP list, but the expectation is that he'll be ready for the start of the coming campaign.
Watkins' final season in Kansas City was sapped by injury, especially late in the season when a calf issue kept him out of two playoff games and limited him to 18 snaps in the Super Bowl. Now in Baltimore, he has a chance to start fresh. Injuries have overshadowed the wideout's obvious talent for much of his career, and though he enters camp with a clean bill of health, durability will be on the minds of all fantasy managers considering drafting the 2014 first-rounder. If Baltimore's offense has Watkins at its disposal, he could give the Ravens the true No. 1 on the outside that they've been missing in recent years.
TE Nick Boyle
Though Boyle isn't a major factor in the passing game, he plays an important role in the Baltimore offense, and his injury last season hurt what the team could do schematically. Boyle suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Patriots in Week 10 and will start training camp on the preseason PUP list. The Ravens' aggressive approach to adding receivers this offseason could signal that they intend to use fewer two-tight end sets this season, which would mean less of an emphasis on using Boyle. Regardless, his physicality and blocking ability makes him an asset in a run-heavy system, and he'll thus have an important role when healthy even if the Ravens up their usage of three wide receivers.
Job Battle
Marquise Brown is established, and Sammy Watkins was a priority free-agent signing, so those two spots appear to be filled. With Willie Snead gone, the role of third receiver is up for grabs, and there's no shortage of competition.
The Ravens spent a first-round pick on Rashod Bateman and then doubled back in the fourth round by selecting Tylan Wallace. They join a group of young receivers that also includes Miles Boykin, Devin Duvernay and James Proche. Boykin is the most experienced among them and has logged a heavy amount of snaps, but he thus far has little to show for it, stat-wise. Duvernay has the natural skill set to fill the slot gig vacated by Snead, but Watkins and Brown can function there as well. Meanwhile, Proche profiles as the longshot of the group.
Bateman figures to be the favorite given his talent, versatility and draft capital, but Duvernay should remain on fantasy radars, and Boykin can't be completely discounted thanks to a combo of athleticism and blocking ability that's well-suited for Baltimore's offense.
