In the Lamar Jackson era, the Ravens have excelled when it comes to beating NFC teams. They’ve only lost twice to the other conference with No. 8 under center — the idea is that those NFC opponents don’t see Jackson regularly and have no idea how to defend him on game day.
That narrative was certainly in play Sunday when Baltimore visited the Giants and did whatever it wanted. Jackson had his best fantasy game of the year in Week 15, throwing for five touchdowns and tacking on 65 rushing yards in a glorious 36.10-point afternoon. The Ravens scored the 35-14 victory, even covering the massive 16-point spread.
The ball rarely hit the ground Sunday — Jackson completed 21-of-25 passes for 290 yards and wasn’t intercepted. Rashod Bateman (3-80-2) caught two of the touchdowns, and Mark Andrews (2-24-1) had the first of the day. The other scores went to non-playable fantasy options — Justice Hill and Devontez Walker.
That’s the fantasy rub with the Baltimore passing game at times — it’s a splintered target tree and the volume often isn’t there. Zay Flowers (5-63-0) is usually open but lacks the opportunity to be a target hog. It’s not uncommon for Jackson to land well under 30 attempts, either. Baltimore has the fifth-lowest pass rate in the league. The idea is to gash opponents with the running game, then rip out their hearts with occasional chunk plays in the passing game.
But with Jackson throwing five touchdowns all outside the 10-yard line, Derrick Henry was the odd man out Sunday. He didn’t score a touchdown for the third straight game and had a season-low 67 yards. This goes down as a fluke result, and Henry will surely be needed more against credible opponents Pittsburgh and Houston the next two weeks. But for Henry to reach his fantasy projection, you always need that touchdown deodorant. He wasn’t targeted Sunday, and only has 13 catches on the year.
Jackson needs a prove-it game against Pittsburgh next week, too. He’s just 2-5 against the Steelers, and struggled in a loss to them a month ago (66.1 rating, just one touchdown). But those are tomorrow’s concerns. There’s a good chance Jackson carried you to a playoff win here.
Veteran WRs go off
While an in-his-prime Jackson was one of the quarterback stars (only Josh Allen outscored Jackson on the Sunday slate), two back-nine receivers took control of the wideout board. Davante Adams exploded for a 9-198-2 clinic against Jacksonville, and Mike Evans made two end-zone visits against the Chargers.
The Jets aren’t going anywhere this year, but Adams has stepped up his play since the bye. He’s scored in three straight games, fashioning a snappy 23-373-4 line over that span. The Rams defense is a cushy draw in Week 16. Maybe Aaron Rodgers has some streaming value before this disappointing season ends.
Evans needed a strong finish to push past 1,000 receiving yards for the 11th straight year, but Sunday’s clutch game produced 159 yards and is an excellent positive step. He’s already punched a Hall of Fame ticket in my eyes. Tampa Bay has been one of the league’s best carnival teams in 2024, and Dallas might put up a scoring fight in next week’s Sunday night game. Evans is the rare fantasy pick who’s never landed in the disappointment file — and he has time to make sure this season ends on a positive note.
Note: I’ll continue to add Week 15 analysis as the unfolds.
