Ravens @ Eagles
This game went from a blowout to a shootout in a matter of moments, as Philadelphia nearly came back from a 30-14 deficit with 3:48 to play in the game. A failed two-point conversion sealed their fate, but it was still a valiant effort that just came up short. Travis Fulgham showed that last week wasn’t a fluke, and Carson Wentz showed some fight, but despite their best efforts they still couldn’t outlast Baltimore. A 30-28 loss sends the Eagles to a 1-4-1 record at the bottom of the NFC East, while the Ravens are leading the AFC North at 5-1.
Baltimore Ravens
Quarterback
Lamar Jackson: 16/27, 186 yards, 1 TD, 3 sacks | 9 carries, 108 yards, 1 TD
Lamar Jackson has not had the most exciting past month. Three average quarterback outputs in a row (just over 500 yards combined between the three games) and you have some people at the very least wondering if they should push the eject button to save themselves from 2020 fantasy losses. Jackson returned with a solid game today, returning some hope that the “high-end fantasy quarterback picks don’t pay off” is just a myth. Lamar rushed for over 100 yards in this one, and one of those rushes ended with him hitting paydirt, so the value is there if he’s able to keep his motor running. He even found one of his roughly eight tight ends early on in the game in Nick Boyle, giving a little Michael Jordan pump fake before finding him for a touchdown. Lamar Jackson is a top-three quarterback, and this game showcased that while some games will not be as high-end value as others, the capability to be able to break off most top ten running backs value on the ground and give you a couple of passing touchdowns and two hundred air yards is almost a cheat code. Just watch him on the ground. It’s a thing of beauty:
LAMAR JACKSON ✌🏻💨
pic.twitter.com/N6tV6nLI0v— PFF (@PFF) October 18, 2020
Running Backs
Mark Ingram: 5 carries, 20 yards
J.K. Dobbins: 9 carries, 28 yards | 4 targets, 2 receptions, 1 yard
Gus Edwards: 14 carries, 26 yards, 1 TD
This whole offseason, we wondered for months how the drafting of J.K. Dobbins would impact the value of running backs in Baltimore, with him sharing snap counts with Mark Ingram. Dobbins will have a much higher value for the next few years, as Ingram is likely a year or two from retirement, so the wonder was if Dobbins would immediately split carries with Ingram. After watching this game, I’m starting to realize if we maybe just overvalued the true amount of rushing value you can guarantee from two massively talented running backs…when you’re also eating up large piles of yards from your dynamic rushing quarterback. Maybe it’s too late to reverse this mistake, but Dobbins has the highest ceiling of the two backs, a ceiling we’ll only see if Ingram ends up missing significant time with the ankle injury he sustained in this one.
Meanwhile, Gus Edwards actually led this team in carries today and scored a touchdown along the way. This backfield has been and likely will continue to be confusing even during an Ingram absence moving forward.
GUS BUS TO THE END ZONE
Tune in on CBS | @GodsGiftGus13 pic.twitter.com/oqXfS6I1B4
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 18, 2020
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Marquise Brown: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 57 yards
Mark Andrews: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 21 yards
Nick Boyle: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 33 yards, 1 TD
Devin Duvernay: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 31 yards | 1 carry, 5 yards
Miles Boykin: 2 targets, 1 reception, 11 yards
Willie Snead: 2 targets, 1 reception, 32 yards
Patrick Ricard: 1 target, 0 receptions
How many receivers do the Ravens have? Jeez. Just a year removed from taking Miles Boykin, we now have Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Devin Duvernay also scratching for some playing time, while contending with a quarterback who’s able to just break ankles on his way down the field with his rocket thruster speed,. This offense is so dynamic and inconsistent in its’ game-planning it’s incredibly tough to set expectations with this receiving crew. Your best bet going forward is to likely use Brown as a low-end flex and hope he can unlock a deep receiving touchdown or two, and continue to project Mark Andrews out as a top-five tight end who likely will have some lost games depending on the scheming against their offense. Just gotta sit around and watch the water Boyle.
Lamar buys times and finds Nick Boyle. #FantasyFootball | #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/Fei936n2eS
— QB List (@TheQBlist) October 18, 2020
Philadelphia Eagles
Quarterback
Carson Wentz: 21/40, 213 yards, 2 TDs, fumble | 5 carries, 49 yards
Jalen Hurts: 2 carries, 23 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 3 yards
I sometimes can’t believe that we’re just two years removed from Carson Wentz being considered the next to be anointed, top 5 quarterback. He just never looks fully settled in the pocket. Every game just seems downright chaotic. People are talking about the end of Zach Ertz as we know it, but how much of this is just a byproduct of a somewhat wart-covered offensive line? The NDSU product has gone from a top-two overall pick to someone who has me wondering if he’ll ever fully achieve what he could have been out of college. He’s averaging a 60 percent completion rate on the year and has hardly any offense to speak of. His ability to take the ball deep is almost entirely gone, and they can’t find a single week when Alshon Jeffrey can find himself healthy enough to play.
In this one, Wentz was mediocre at best throughout the majority of the game, but he helped the team claw back into it at the end with his arm, and even his legs.
Carson Wentz with a huge run!#Eagles pic.twitter.com/Pzfy1oGnkY
— Thomas R. Petersen (@thomasrp93) October 18, 2020
The man has heart, toughness and some fight in him that isn’t always appreciated. If only he could just eliminate the dumb mistakes…
Oh my, Carson Wentz threw the ball right to #Ravens rookie Patrick Queen..pic.twitter.com/NI9U262gIm
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 18, 2020
Running Backs
Miles Sanders: 9 rushes, 118 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, -6 yards
Boston Scott: 2 carries, 4 yards | 4 targets, 2 receptions, 5 yards
Miles Sanders was explosive on the ground, averaging 13 yards and change per carry on Sunday. It’s a damn shame he only had nine rushes to speak of, as the offense spent the entire game behind in the score, and therefore needed to take to the air far more often than on the ground. Sanders left this game early with a knee injury, and he’s heading in for an MRI Monday for a proper diagnosis. Fantasy players are crossing their fingers and hoping for the best, but it may be Boston Scott szn in Week 7.
Here’s the play where Miles Sanders injured his knee yesterday. Will have an MRI today but there’s potential for a meniscus injury here
— Matthew Betz (@TheFantasyPT) October 19, 2020
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Travis Fulgham: 10 targets, 6 receptions, 75 yards, 1 TD
Greg Ward: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 19 yards
Zach Ertz: 10 targets, 4 receptions, 33 yards
John Hightower: 4 targets, 1 reception, 50 yards
Jason Croom: 1 target, 1 reception, 3 yards, 1 TD
J.J. Arcega-Whiteside: 1 target, 0 receptions
The Eagles went from a year-removed Super Bowl winner to a team that doesn’t have much of an offensive core to speak of, both through injury and through free agency. The current target share leader is somewhere between Travis Fulgham (the sentient Roomba) and Zach Ertz. Granted, this goes to show that Wentz doesn’t have much to work with, but this doesn’t remove him entirely from blame. Second in the league in interceptions, Wentz is not making it easy for his offense to thrive, and therefore we haven’t learned much from this year besides the fact that Travis Fulgham may just be a sneaky pickup for the second half of our league’s seasons, as we desperately seek out COVID-free players. Fulgham once again shined against the Ravens, thanks in part to Marlon Humphrey shadowing Zach Ertz for the majority of the game, before Zach Ertz left early due to injury. Until Wentz truly finds the fountain of youth, some new appendages, or the ability to not throw the ball away, Ertz is likely not going to retain top 5 tight end value until he leaves on free agency. Maybe Fulgham can finish the season as a top 30 WR, though.
It is important to note that Ertz left the game in the 2nd half with what appeared to be an ankle injury. He did not return, and is already scheduled for an MRI on Monday. For an offense already missing so many weapons, this is terrible news and if he misses any time then it’s the Jason Croom show until the return of Dallas Goedert.
Former #Vols tight end Jason Croom, who spent much of September on the Eagles’ practice squad, hauled in a touchdown from Carson Wentz this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/Qq4AqJ6SCH
— Ben McKee (@benmckee14) October 18, 2020
— Matt Bevins (@MattQBList on Twitter, TheLongSpring on Reddit)