Week 17 vs. Miami Dolphins
Odell Beckham Jr. caught two of his three targets last week for 13 yards. OBJ has had some good games this season, but the Dolphins have a strong secondary and his targets and production have been too inconsistent to trust in most fantasy leagues. He can remain on waivers this week.
Week 16 at San Francisco 49ers
Odell Beckham Jr. had a disappointing game against the Jaguars on Sunday night, catching one of just three targets for 14 yards. He had double-digit fantasy points in four of his previous five games, so it was a gut punch for fantasy managers in what should’ve been a great matchup. The 49ers are more vulnerable to wide receivers - 17th in aFPA - than to other positions, but this Baltimore passing attack is too volatile to trust in the fantasy playoffs. Look elsewhere.
Week 15 at Jacksonville Jaguars
Odell Beckham Jr. had a nice game against the Rams last week, catching four balls for 97 yards and a touchdown. He also was targeted a season-high 10 times in the game, tied with Zay Flowers for the most in the game. OBJ is going to continue to be an inconsistent fantasy option, but it’s encouraging to see him flirt with 100 receiving yards for the second time in three games. He also has three touchdowns over his last five outings.
This week, Beckham faces a Jaguars defense that ranks 29th in aFPA to opposing wide receivers. It’s a great matchup coming off a nice outing, so fantasy managers can consider Beckham a viable streaming option as a WR3 this week in most leagues.
Week 14 vs. Los Angeles Rams
Odell Beckham Jr. followed up his first 100-yard game as a Raven with a pedestrian 34 yards on three receptions against a vulnerable Chargers defense before the bye last week. The Ravens were able to run the ball and use a tenacious and opportunistic defense to come away with a victory, as is often the case with Baltimore. OBJ has some upside due to his high snap counts, but the team just doesn’t seem to be able to sustain multiple fantasy wide receivers, making him a risky option. Leave him on waivers, or consider him a deep-league desperation option at best this week against the Rams.
Week 12 at Los Angeles Chargers
Odell Beckham Jr. caught four of his seven targets last week against the Bengals, finishing with 116 yards. He quietly has solid production in his last three outings, with two touchdowns and 212 yards over that span. OBJ has an excellent matchup this week, but he’s been so inconsistent in his production and targets for much of the season, it’s hard to bank on him in fantasy lineups. Consider him a “swing for the stars” option this week in a great matchup.
Week 3 vs. Indianapolis Colts
Odell Beckham Jr. is dealing with an ankle injury, so keep an eye on his status heading into this weekend’s tilt against the Colts. OBJ has just five catches and 66 yards through two games so far this season, and he’s been taking a backseat to rookie Zay Flowers in the target department. With his injury status in question and his depth chart status pretty well defined, he’s droppable in most leagues. Sit him.
Update: OBJ is out, so be sure to get him out of lineups.
Week 2 at Cincinnati Bengals
Odell Beckham Jr. led Ravens wide receivers in snaps, but caught only two passes and saw just three targets in his first game in Baltimore. He wound up with 37 yards on the day and was outshined by rookie first-round pick Zay Flowers, who amassed 10 targets in the Ravens’ victory. Fantasy managers should steer clear of OBJ until he shows he can produce at a high level, and until the Baltimore offense shows it can sustain more than one fantasy wide receiver. For now, it looks like Flowers is the one to roster.
Week 1 vs. Houston Texans
We haven’t seen Odell Beckham Jr. in action since 2021, when he tore his ACL in the Super Bowl against the Bengals. He had a modest season that year, catching 44 balls for 537 yards and five touchdowns, but he really came alive in the playoffs with 288 yards and a pair of touchdowns in four games, including nine catches and 113 against the 49ers in the NFC Championship game. There’s reason to believe OBJ can get back to being a productive fantasy option with Todd Monken replacing Greg Roman as the offensive coordinator in Baltimore, but it’s risky to bank on him in Week 1. Last season, the Texans were pretty bad and got beat up on the ground, limiting the fantasy production wide receivers and quarterbacks put up against them. Time will tell how much Houston has improved this year, but we advise taking a wait-and-see approach to OBJ to kick off the season.
Fantasy Upside
Odell Beckham Jr. didn’t play last year after tearing his ACL in the Rams’ Super Bowl victory over the Bengals. He was coming off a pretty good half-season in Los Angeles, catching five touchdowns in eight games after struggling through the first half of the year in Cleveland. He joins a Ravens offense with a newly paid former MVP at quarterback and a new offensive coordinator in Todd Monken, known for a downfield passing attack. There’s upside here for Beckham, who should win a starting job and is expected to be ready for Week 1.
Fantasy Downside
Beckham hasn’t played since that Super Bowl, and he’ll turn 31 in November. Beckham also floundered in Cleveland for two and a half years before his short stint with the Rams, so it’s fair to wonder what he has left in the tank. He’s only played a full season twice in his career (although he played 15 games in 2015) and is now seven years removed from his last double-digit touchdown campaign (2016 with the Giants).
2023 Bottom Line
Beckham doesn’t cost much in draft capital, so it doesn’t hurt to add him to the back end of your fantasy roster. The new offensive game plan could create more opportunities for this group of Baltimore receivers than we’ve seen Lamar Jackson provide in the past. That said, he’s a long time removed from his previous dominance, and fantasy managers shouldn’t go out of their way to roster the veteran.
Week 17 at Baltimore Ravens
Jefferson has a chance to rebound Week 17 after a quiet Week 16. Only the Ravens are worse than the Vikings against opposing wideouts (32nd in WR aFPA) and the Rams have to win to stay in contention for the #2 seed in the NFC. Jefferson is a WR3 with WR2 upside because the Ravens give up points in bunches.
