2024 Fantasy Football Draft Prep: Baltimore Ravens player outlooks, schedule, depth chart and more to know

Lamar Jackson made it a point to sit in the pocket and rely on his arm as opposed to his legs last season. It was this strategy devised by offensive coordinator Todd Monken that led Lamar Jackson to his second MVP title and the Ravens to the AFC Championship Game. With changes along the offensive line, watch to see if Jackson will be as comfortable in the pocket as he was a season ago.  

Below the CBS Sports Fantasy staff will take a look into the Ravens' entire team outlook including changes to the top of the depth chart that matter for Fantasy, a burning question for Fantasy Football managers that needs to be answered, a review of their draft class, strength of schedule, and individual player outlooks for all of the notable Ravens players who may end up on your Fantasy rosters.

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Ravens 2024 lineup changes

Burning question: Will Rashod Bateman finally reach his potential?

The Baltimore Ravens clearly believe in Bateman's skill set as they extended his contract through the 2026 season. The Ravens have wide receiver Zay Flowers, who will be looking to build upon his 858 yards and five touchdowns from his rookie season, but they'll clearly need another weapon on the flanks that is capable of consistently beating man coverage. Whether Jackson has been injured or Bateman has missed time with injury, they have never had enough time together to build any real chemistry. Judging by the Ravens operating in good faith by offering Bateman an extension this offseason, it appears as though Baltimore brass believes 2024 will be his year.  

2024 NFL Draft class

Ravens 2024 schedule

Ravens 2024 player outlooks

By Jamey Eisenberg and CBS Fantasy staff

QB Lamar Jackson

Jackson, who won his second MVP award in 2023, comes into this season as a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues. He's worth drafting in Round 3 in one-quarterback leagues, and he's a top-five overall selection in Superflex and two-quarterback formats. Last year, Jackson set career highs in completions (307), pass attempts (457) and passing yards (3,678), and he also added 24 passing touchdowns with just seven interceptions. Thankfully, he didn't tail off as a rusher with 821 yards and five touchdowns on 148 carries. There aren't many quarterbacks who can perform like Jackson, and now Baltimore's run game should improve with the addition of Derrick Henry. That shouldn't be considered a negative for Jackson, and hopefully, the healthy return of Mark Andrews and the continued growth of second-year receiver Zay Flowers enhances Jackson's performance as a passer. Jackson should be drafted among the top four quarterbacks this season with Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen.  

RB Derrick Henry

Henry turned the page on his Titans career by joining a Ravens offense that made Gus Edwards a Fantasy stalwart. Henry will immediately have double-digit touchdown upside with the Ravens and could ultimately end up challenging Christian McCaffrey for the league lead in TDs. He won't improve his receptions with Lamar Jackson, but Henry has aged well. Despite now playing on the wrong side of 30, his advanced metrics have held up. Henry is a late-second or early-third-round draft pick and his touchdown upside should keep him in the RB1 range all season.  

RB Justice Hill

Hill is expected to open the season as the No. 2 running back in Baltimore behind Derrick Henry, and Hill could be worth a late-round flier in deeper leagues. Just keep in mind that at some point Keaton Mitchell (knee) could eventually take over the backup job for the Ravens when he's recovered from last year's torn ACL. However, if Henry stays healthy all season, he likely will make the No. 2 job in Baltimore irrelevant. That being said, an injury to Henry could make Hill a lottery ticket, especially if Mitchell remains sidelined. In 2023, Hill averaged 6.8 PPR points per game playing behind Gus Edwards for the majority of the season, and Hill had just three games with at least 12.5 PPR points or more. He could lead all Ravens running backs in receptions this year, but that might only be around 30 catches in this offense.

RB Keaton Mitchell

Mitchell could eventually emerge as the No. 2 running back in Baltimore this season behind Derrick Henry, but it might take some time. Mitchell is coming off a torn ACL in December, and coach John Harbaugh said Mitchell isn't expected to be ready until "sometime during the season." Unless Mitchell surprises us in training camp, he shouldn't be drafted until one of your last picks in the majority of leagues. And once he's healthy, Mitchell might have to compete with Justice Hill for the backup role. If Henry stays healthy all season, the No. 2 role for the Ravens will be irrelevant. However, a Henry injury could allow for Mitchell to have plenty of Fantasy value. He emerged for the Ravens in Week 9 in 2023 with 20.4 PPR points, and he scored at least 10.8 PPR points in four of six games before getting hurt. He's explosive, but we might not see the best of Mitchell again until 2025. He's a good stash candidate if your league has IR spots.

RB Rasheen Ali

The Ravens selected Ali in the fifth round of the NFL Draft from Marshall, and he could have a role in Baltimore's backfield this year. At best, Ali could emerge as the backup to Derrick Henry, but Ali is not worth drafting in most redraft leagues. In rookie-only drafts, Ali is worth a late-round pick. He could eventually become the Ravens' running back of the future, but he will open the season behind Henry, Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell. And Ali also has to prove he's healthy after he ruptured his biceps at the Senior Bowl, although he is expected to be fully recovered by training camp.

WR Zay Flowers

Flowers enters his second season in the NFL as the No. 1 receiver for the Ravens and a high-end No. 3 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues. He's worth drafting as early as Round 5. As a rookie, Flowers averaged 12.8 PPR points per game, but the best stretch of his production came with Mark Andrews (ankle) sidelined toward the end of the season. Flowers scored at least 19.6 PPR points in four of his final five games of the regular season, including catching four of his five touchdowns over that span. Andrews is back at 100 percent, but Flowers should continue to improve in his sophomore campaign, especially with Odell Beckham Jr. now with the Dolphins. Rashod Bateman should also have a prominent role, and the Ravens could be more run-heavy with the addition of Derrick Henry. But Lamar Jackson should continue to develop a rapport with Flowers, and he should keep improving as he gets more experience. Flowers has top-20 upside in all formats entering 2024.  

WR Rashod Bateman

Bateman has been a bust since being a first-round pick in the NFL Draft for Baltimore in 2021, and he only averaged 4.8 PPR points per game in 2023. That said, Ravens coach John Harbaugh is counting on Bateman to "take a big step" forward in 2024, and he could be worth a late-round flier in the majority of leagues. In Bateman's favor is the departure of Odell Beckham Jr., who was second on the team in 2023 with 64 targets. But with Zay Flowers expected to improve in Year 2, along with Mark Andrews healthy and the addition of Derrick Henry, it could be tough for Bateman to get enough chances to succeed. He's not a bad player to start the season on your bench to see what happens, but don't be surprised if he's one of the first players you cut for someone off the waiver wire if Bateman fails to produce early in the year.

WR Nelson Agholor

Agholor is back with the Ravens, and he will likely be the No. 3 receiver in Baltimore behind Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman. With Mark Andrews and Derrick Henry also in the mix, it's hard to expect many opportunities for Agholor to succeed, and he's only worth a late-round flier in deeper leagues. Agholor, 31, averaged just 5.7 PPR points per game with the Ravens in 2023, and he averaged 6.9 PPR points per game or less for three years in a row. At best, Agholor might be a waiver-wire option if someone in Baltimore gets injured during the season.  

WR Devontez Walker

The Ravens selected Walker in the fourth round of the NFL Draft, and he'll compete with Tylan Wallace and Deonte Harty to be the No. 4 receiver in Baltimore this year. In redraft leagues, Walker isn't worth drafting in most formats, and he's a third-round pick at best in rookie-only drafts for Dynasty leagues. Walker spent 2023 at North Carolina and caught 41 passes for 699 yards and seven touchdowns in eight games. His first two collegiate seasons were at Kent State, and he had 58 catches for 921 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2022. Walker ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, and he should be able to threaten defenses with his speed. That said, he might struggle for targets behind Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews, Rashod Bateman and even Nelson Agholor. We expect Walker to win the No. 4 receiver job, but that doesn't mean he'll make a significant Fantasy impact unless an injury occurs during the season.

WR Tylan Wallace

Wallace will compete for a role in Baltimore's receiving corps this season, but he has minimal Fantasy value coming into the year. He's not worth drafting in most leagues. The Ravens' top three receivers are locked in with Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor, and Wallace will compete with rookie Devontez Walker and Deonte Harty, who signed as a free agent from Buffalo, for the No. 4 spot. In three seasons, Wallace has combined for just 13.7 PPR points, so it's hard to expect a big leap in production even if he's fourth on the depth chart. At best, Wallace could become a waiver-wire addition during the season if someone gets hurt.  

TE Mark Andrews

Andrews should once again be considered one of the best Fantasy tight ends in 2024, and he's worth drafting as early as Round 4 in the majority of leagues. Sam LaPorta and Travis Kelce will likely be the first two tight ends drafted in most formats, and Andrews should come off the board next or potentially behind Trey McBride. In 2023, Andrews had another stellar campaign at 13.5 PPR points per game, but he missed the final six games of the regular season with an ankle injury. He returned for the AFC Championship Game, and Andrews should be fully healthy for training camp. He should once again be the No. 1 target for Lamar Jackson, and Andrews should be in consideration to be the best Fantasy tight end this year.

TE Isaiah Likely

On any other team, Likely would be a star tight end. But unfortunately, Likely plays in Baltimore, and he's the second-best tight end on his team behind Mark Andrews. As a result, Likely is only worth a late-round flier in the majority of leagues. In 2023, with Andrews missing the final six games of the regular season with an ankle injury, Likely stepped up and scored at least 11.1 PPR points in four of five games, including three outings with at least 18 PPR points. Now, the hope for Likely this season is he did enough to earn more targets, even in a secondary role, with Baltimore employing more two tight-end sets. But even if that happens it's hard to count on Likely being a consistent Fantasy option. There's plenty of upside for Likely if given a bigger role with Andrews healthy, but most likely Likely won't do much if Andrews is 100 percent all season. Likely is someone to monitor in training camp to see how the Ravens use him.

K Justin Tucker

Tucker remains one of the best Fantasy kickers, and he's worth drafting first at his position with a late-round pick in all leagues. In 2023, Tucker made at least 30 field goals for the third year in a row and ninth time in 12 seasons. He also made at least 50 PATs for the third time in his past five seasons. Tucker has made 90.2 percent of his field goals and 98.7 percent of his PATs in his career. The Ravens will continue to give Tucker plenty of chances to score, and he should be the first kicker drafted in most formats.

Ravens DST

The Ravens defense was special in 2023 and became the first team in NFL history to lead the league in points allowed (16.5 per game), sacks (60), and takeaways (31). But a few changes are coming this season that could make a negative impact. Baltimore lost defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, linebacker Patrick Queen and safety Geno Stone. However, with standout players like defensive lineman Justin Madubuike, linebacker Roquan Smith, cornerback Marlon Humphrey and safety Kyle Hamilton still on the roster, the Ravens DST should once again be a top unit. You should draft the Ravens DST in all leagues as a No. 1 option with a late-round pick.