BALTIMORE (at Dal. in Brazil): The loss to the Saints was surprising, but maybe it shouldn't have been. The Ravens defense is not the crushing group it used to be, and the receiving corps had been gutted by injury. Dallas' offense could also have some success, while their defense looks leaky. The Ravens should be putting up some points in this one, with the 52.5 over-under the highest of the week.
Dallas has allowed 165-plus rushing yards two weeks in a row, but quarterbacks accounted for about a third of each total. They haven't defended conventional running games well enough, however, to think Derrick Henry will have any issues. Henry was huge in Week 1, which may have Baltimore wondering why they gave him only 16 carries against New Orleans. Blame the team's wide receiver injuries for making it easier for the defense to stack the line, perhaps, but they shouldn't make that mistake this week. With Baltimore's defense not looking quite as good -- and the likelihood of the Dallas offense putting up numbers -- it's encouraging to see Henry catching 3 passes against the Saints; 4 for 38 through two games. Adding that dimension increases his chances of contributing when the team falls behind. Justice Hill, who's averaging 23 total yards and just 3.0 yards per attempt so far, adds very little to the offense. In any case, starting running backs have done enough in this matchup so far to suspect a solid game from Henry.
Lamar Jackson had a Superman type Week 1, but cooled off last week, with his top wideout sidelined: 235 passing and 34 rushing yards, with 1 TD. The expectation may have been that a more conservative outing would be enough; that won't be the case against Dallas. Offenses will likely be ahead of defenses and the Brazil setting figures to be a fast track; the Dallas defense is unlikely to be keeping Jackson in check. There should be plenty of running and passing in this one, just hope he's got his top target on the field.
Zay Flowers (hamstring) got in one limited practice last week before being ruled out. The fact he was able to get in any practice at all speaks favorably for his availability, but hamstrings are tricky, and those hoping to use Flowers should have a backup plan in mind. He went for 150 with a touchdown in barely a half of work in the opener, while Dallas has given up solid games already to a pair of opposing wide receivers, so the matchup looks great. Those who dared fill-in No. 1 Rashod Bateman last week were rewarded, with Bateman turning his first 7-catch game since 2021. No one should be expecting similar if Flowers is available, which is the expectation at this point in the week, but Bateman will move up on Friday if it seems the No. 1 will miss another game. The other three wide receivers Baltimore put on the field last week each caught 1 pass, so no reason to consider moving any deeper down the depth chart, even in a favorable matchup.
Mark Andrews has caught 4-6 passes in each game, but also turned in an ugly drop each week. Baltimore may be wondering a little why it let the rest of its depth chart depart in free agency. Still, 10 for 98 is solid production in PPR formats, and Dallas got absolutely lit up by Andrews' former teammate Isaiah Likely in Week 1. Nothing much from Washington last week, but they didn't have their starter available.
Tyler Loop had a 49-yard kick partially deflected last week, but has made his other 4 chances. Might be harder for Baltimore to settle for field goals in this matchup, but Washington did attempt 3 field goals last week. Extra points look a little more likely, but there should be some scoring. Field conditions are occasionally iffy at these international sites, an additional concern.
The Ravens Defense has 5 sacks but only 2 takeaways. Dak Prescott is playing carefully, taking only 2 sacks while throwing 1 interception. The return teams look average, maybe slightly above-average (veteran Chris Moore had a 42-yard kickoff return in Week 1).
This report is just a small snippet of the Week 3 edition of Fantasy Index Weekly, part of the In-Season Analyst & Super Fanatic Packages. The newsletter includes our player rankings and 20-plus pages of matchup previews, plus stat projections and custom rankings for the games being played this weekend.
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