What We Saw: Week 5

Brett Ford
What We Saw 2 Months Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Buccaneers @ Falcons
Jets @ Vikings
Panthers @ Bears
Browns @ Commanders
Dolphins @ Patriots
Colts @ Jaguars
Ravens @ Bengals
Bills @ Texans
Raiders @ Broncos
Cardinals @ 49ers
Packers @ Rams
Giants @ Seahawks
Cowboys @ Steelers

Ravens @ Bengals

Final Score: Ravens 41, Bengals 38 (OT)

Writer: Brett Ford (@FadeThatMan on Twitter)

 

Are you not entertained?! The Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens put on a show on Sunday afternoon in the Queen City, combining for 10 touchdowns and a bazillion fantasy points. Joe Burrow was outstanding, shredding the Baltimore defense for five touchdowns with precise passes to his favorite two targets – Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Lamar Jackson matched him blow for blow, tossing four touchdowns of his own including two to Isaiah Likely; oh, and Derrick Henry is inevitable. The action was too much for 60 minutes, with the Ravens overcoming a 10-point second half deficit to tie the game and force overtime. In overtime, Jackson lost a fumbled snap, Evan McPherson missed a game-winning field goal (on a botched hold) and Justin Tucker put it away with a game-winning chip shot. All in all, there was a ton of fantasy goodness. Let’s dig in.

 

Four Up

  • Joe Burrow – This might be the best quarterback performance in a loss all season. Burrow was outstanding and his defense is Swiss cheese – which is great for fantasy.
  • Ja’Marr Chase – Chase did it all for the Bengals on Sunday. Air yards, YAC, sharp routes and soft hands: you don’t need me to remind you he’s a stud.
  • Tee Higgins – Welcome back, Tee! A massive red zone threat and a great intermediate yardage target.
  • Charlie Kolar – Do we have ANOTHER fantasy-relevant tight end in Baltimore or have we just further muddled the waters?

Three Down

  • Mark Andrews – He was catching passes for the first time in a few weeks, but looked like the third tight end on the roster.
  • Justice Hill – A negative game script for the Ravens, but Hill still didn’t produce the way we have grown accustomed to.
  • Zack Moss – Bottled up on the ground, but he got involved in the passing game. That is, until he rolled his ankle.

 

Baltimore Ravens

 

Quarterback

 

Lamar Jackson: 26/42, 348 Yards, 4 TD | 12 Carries, 55 Yards, Fumble (Lost)

At any point of any game, Lamar Jackson has the potential to do something that makes jaws drop and anybody watching the game to stop everything and just admire his incredible athleticism and ability.

Jackson was incredible, leading the Ravens to a massive comeback victory over their division rival on the road. The only mild concern is that he dropped two snaps that hit him in the hands, both in clutch moments. Obviously, he recovered from the one in the fourth quarter, but the fumbled snap in overtime resulted in a near-costly turnover. Other than that, Lamar is an amazing asset – in real life and in fantasy.

 

Running Back

 

Derrick Henry: 15 Carries, 92 Yards, TD | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 4 Yards

Henry struggled for much of the game, scoring from inside the five-yard line in the early going as the only bright spot of regulation. Henry was averaging under 3.0 yards per carry through his first 14 carries, but popped off a game-changing 51-yard outside rush in the overtime period to set the Ravens up for the winning field goal. The Ravens have faced arguably three negative game scripts in three games so far this season and Henry has been fazed out of the game in each one. It’s crazy that 92 yards and a touchdown is considered a mediocre week, but that’s how great King Henry has been.

 

Justice Hill: 5 Carries, 17 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 8 Yards

The Ravens trailed for nearly the entire second half, and yet Hill saw just six touches. He did out snap Henry for the third time this season (41-39), but his usage took a hit in this one compared to his involvement in Baltimore’s previous negative game scripts earlier in the year.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Zay Flowers:  12 Targets, 7 Receptions, 111 Yards

Flowers continues to be the undisputed top pass catcher in this Baltimore offense. With season high marks in targets, receptions and yards, the only thing Flowers didn’t do was find the end zone. He’s an outstanding fantasy option and a must-start receiver – especially in PPR formats.

 

Mark Andrews: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 55 Yards

The corpse of Mark Andrews has risen, just in time for spooky season. Fantasy managers are probably still disappointed, but signs of life are a step in the right direction for the once-great tight end.

 

Isiah Likely: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 13 Yards, 2 TDs

Likely is a bonafide red zone maven and has demonstrated a special connection with Lamar Jackson that has carried over from last season. It’s uncanny the amount of times that Lamar finds Likely on broken plays. Likely’s second touchdown of the day was the unscripted scramble you saw above. His first was a play action lob to the back corner of the end zone. If only we could get consistent usage for the dynamic tight end.

Charlie Kolar: 1 Carry, 2 Yards | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 64 Yards, TD

Don’t lie – you thought it was Andrews when you saw Kolar pull in a touchdown catch, didn’t you? Kolar was on the field for just 21 snaps (less than half as many as Andrews), but got just as many opportunities as the veteran. He pulled in a nice over-the-shoulder catch for a big gain down the seam and had one of the best quotes of the season after the game: “They got so focused on [Andrews] and [Likely] that they forgot about the fat white guy running down the seam.”

 

Rashod Bateman: 8 Targets, 4 Receptions, 58 Yards, TD

Bateman is quietly having a really good season so far as he grows into a slightly larger role for this Baltimore squad. He has a ton of talent, but struggled with consistency in his first few years. Now he seems to have figured some things out, with at least three catches in three out of four games and a touchdown in two of his last three games.

 

Nelson Agholor: 4 Targets, 1 Reception, 4 Yards

 

Cincinnati Bengals

 

Quarterback

 

Joe Burrow: 30/39, 392 Yards, 5 TDs, INT | 2 Carries, 1 Yard

Joe Burrow did everything he could to put his team in a position to win the game. It’s a shame that his incredible game was marred by one poor decision late in the contest. Burrow dissected the Baltimore defense for most of the game, cutting through the secondary like a hot knife through butter. His best throw of the game was a bomb to Chase late in the first half to give the Bengals a lead going into halftime (below). This Bengals team is going to continue to produce all kinds of fantasy goodness with a high-powered offense and a Charmin-soft defense. The setup works nicely in Burrow’s favor moving forward.

 

 

Running Back

 

Zack Moss: 9 Carries, 24 Yards | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 28 Yards

The ground game was never going to do well against a stout Ravens front seven, but Moss’ involvement in the passing game was encouraging for fantasy managers. Unfortunately, Moss went down with an apparent ankle injury. He did eventually return to the game, but it might be a lingering issue once he rests and it swells up.

 

Chase Brown:  12 Carries, 46 Yards | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 8 Yards, TD

So the big bruising running back Zack Moss was more involved in the passing game while the dynamic, speedy Chase Brown had more carries on fewer snaps? Make it make sense! Brown was on the field for just 22 snaps, but got a touch on 15 of them. Seems like the Bengals want the ball in his hands.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Ja’Marr Chase: 12 Targets, 10 Receptions, 193 Yards, 2 TDs

S. T. U. D. Stud. The Ravens are a classic pass-funnel defense, so it makes sense that Chase balled out. He got pretty much whatever he wanted, running great routes –turning the safety the wrong way on his long touchdown pass featured above–and creating in space. Chase continues to be an elite receiver and is set up for success paired with the Bengals abysmal defense.

 

Tee Higgins:  14 Targets, 9 Receptions, 83 Yards, 2 TDs

Higgins looked fully healthy for the first time this season, playing in 48 of 67 offensive snaps and earning targets on 13 of his 37 routes run. He pulled in a season-best nine receptions, including a pair of scores on similar red zone routes. He’s going to continue to  get opportunities in an offense that will need to put up points to win ball games.

 

Andrei Iosivas:  2 Targets, 1 Reception, 39 Yards

Iosivas was on the field a ton, playing more snaps than Higgins, but he was an afterthought for Burrow as his quarterback targeted Chase and Higgins on 66% of his throws.

 

Mike Gesicki: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 31 Yards

Erick All, Jr.: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 10 Yards

All led the Bengals’ tight ends with 35 snaps while Gesicki (29 snaps) led the way with 24 routes run. It’s tough to determine who will end up being the more desirable fantasy commodity this season, and it’s completely viable that Gesicki and All simply eat away at each other’s value as All continues to grow into the role.

Series Navigation
Introduction
Buccaneers @ Falcons
Jets @ Vikings
Panthers @ Bears
Browns @ Commanders
Dolphins @ Patriots
Colts @ Jaguars
Ravens @ Bengals
Bills @ Texans
Raiders @ Broncos
Cardinals @ 49ers
Packers @ Rams
Giants @ Seahawks
Cowboys @ Steelers

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