Fantasy Football 2019: Impact of Baltimore Ravens coaching changes

The Baltimore Ravens hired Greg Roman as their new offensive coordinator. What is the fantasy football impact on Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense?

We go inside the Baltimore Ravens’ nest in the third article of a series that began with the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins. Our goal: examine 15 teams most significantly impacted by coaching staff changes this offseason from a fantasy football perspective.

We bypass two teams, the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans, since changes to their staffs are unlikely to bring major fantasy football ramifications. Instead, we fly right into the Ravens’ coop to analyze what Greg Roman brings to the table from a fantasy football perspective.

13. Baltimore Ravens

New Offensive Coordinator: Greg Roman

Anyone who’s cheered on a Marty Mornheinwig offense over the last six seasons has to be celebrating at the Ravens’ move to Greg Roman, simply because he’s not Mornheinwig.

Fortunately for young quarterback Lamar Jackson, Roman is a better fit in Baltimore than his predecessor. Roman has experience working with dual-threat quarterbacks (Colin Kaepernick, Tyrod Taylor) and his offenses have featured efficient rushing attacks and a proven propensity to protect the pigskin.

When it comes to giveaways — or lack thereof — Roman’s offenses finished top 10 in the league in five of his six seasons as offensive coordinator, top three or better in four of those six seasons as well. It’s hard to think of anyone the Ravens could’ve tapped who is better suited to develop Jackson into the budding superstar he can clearly become.

The tight end position is essential in Roman’s offensive schemes, another reason he’s the right guy for the Ravens, a team that features up-and-coming second-year tight end Mark Andrews, a popular sleeper among fantasy football industry analysts.

Not to mention forgotten 2018 first-round pick Hayden Hurst, who’s extremely talented in his own right, is also in the fold. Hurst bounces back from a season-limiting foot injury, and will demand more attention in his second season.

The two tight ends are competing for time on the field under Roman, according to Ravens.com:

"It’s not a battle for a roster spot, but there’s competition between Hurst and Andrews for snaps. Roman will use both a lot and at the same time, but who gets a bigger slice of the pie? Andrews grabbed the [reins] when Hurst was injured last year. Now the first-round pick has a chance to wrestle them away."

They had me at “use both a lot and at the same time.” If that doesn’t encourage you to take a chance on a piece of this widely shunned Ravens offense, perhaps steady, free-agent addition Mark Ingram at running back will interest you. The two-time Pro Bowler and member of NFL Network’s Top 100 players list for 2019 is an instant upgrade over last year’s tandem of Alex Collins and Gus Edwards.

Ingram doesn’t play in a high-octane offense like Aaron Jones or Marlon Mack and he isn’t the sexiest option as a 330-year old running back. Nevertheless, he should see plenty of volume and should deliver value as an RB2 from his current fourth-round ADP, per Fantasy Football Calculator.

Those combing the late rounds for upside running backs and additional sleepers should target rookie Justice Hill. He has turned a lot of heads already this offseason, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him out-snap Edwards as the season unfolds.

Perhaps the unit on the entire Ravens roster with the most to prove is the wide receiving corps. Starter Willie Snead definitely isn’t enticing many fantasy owners. In fact, the only receiver garnering attention in drafts is electric rookie Marquise “Hollywood” Brown.

Currently going off the board in the late rounds, he’s being eased back into action following offseason foot surgery but is expected to be ready for Week 1. One under-the-radar wideout to watch should be another rookie, Miles Boykin, who has wowed many in camp so far.

Despite this less than inspiring wide receiver group, put Lamar Jackson on your radar for on his rushing prowess alone. In a recent interview, former Ravens coach and NFL Network analyst Brian Billick brought up Cam Newton’s career-best 139 rushing attempts in 2017. Head coach John Harbaugh addressed it plainly:

"“I’d bet the over on that one. I’d bet the over for sure,” Harbaugh said without hesitation. “It’s going to be interesting. I don’t think we know the exact numbers or the math.”"

In the article containing that interview, Kevin Patra reminds us:

"Jackson besting Newton’s career-high wouldn’t be a surprise. The Ravens quarterback already beat that last season, rushing 147 times as a rookie. Jackson averaged 17 rushes per game in his seven regular-season starts. Extrapolate that out and it’s 272 for a 16-game slate — for comparison, only Ezekiel Elliott earned more than that last season among running backs."

Wow.

In my projections, Jackson is very conservatively ranked as QB15 overall, a mere 1.13 weekly points behind the QB12. This assumes modest passing figures at best (3,140 yds/17 TDs/12 INTs) in a six-point passing touchdown system that favors him less than other QBs. Throw in 172 carries for 890 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, and you can see why Jackson should be owned in all leagues.

Jackson is currently going off the board in Round 12 in 12-team, 1-QB leagues and he offers exceptional value in 2-QB and SuperFlex formats as a late sixth/early seventh-rounder. Given the extremely high floor his rushing game brings, Jackson is a solid bet to outperform his ADP in just about any format, especially with Greg Roman at the helm.