Week 2 at Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Flacco looked on point and in sync with his new offensive weapons last week, throwing for 236 yards and three touchdowns in a complete decimation of the Bills. Flacco threw for two touchdowns in the first half and led the Ravens on three additional scoring drives, showing the potential to be a streaming option down the line.
This week, Flacco will face a Bengals defense that gave up 319 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Andrew Luck last week. Their defense looks vulnerable on the back end. Flacco has some low-end streaming value in 2QB leagues, but his history is too volatile to trust in most formats. He should be left on waivers for now.
Week 1 vs. Buffalo Bills
Joe Flacco is coming off a terrible season. Even though he has a nice new group of pass-catchers to play with heading into the season, his historically bad fantasy production makes him difficult to trust this week. Despite what should be a pretty good matchup against a Bills defense that had only 27 sacks last season and lost their leading tackler in Preston Brown, Flacco is too risky to count on and probably belongs on waivers in most league formats. There should be better options available for Week 1.
Fantasy Upside
Joe Flacco has played all 16 games in all but one of his 10 seasons, including in each of the last two years, making him one of the most durable quarterbacks. He is only a year removed from a career-high 4,317 passing yards, and he may have the best supporting cast of his career with the additions of Michael Crabtree, Willie Snead, and John Brown in free agency. The drafting of Hayden Hurst in the first round might solidify a tight end position that’s been in flux the past couple of years.
Fantasy Downside
Flacco has never really been a consistent fantasy producer and it’s hard to believe he’ll suddenly become a solid starter at age 33. Additionally, while he’s the unquestioned starter going into the season, largely due to a $24.75 million cap number, the Ravens drafted Lamar Jackson in the first round. If the offense sputters and the Ravens find themselves out of contention early, the fans will be clamoring for a change. Flacco also lost his starting center in the offseason.
2018 Bottom Line
Flacco does have some upside with the new weapons available, but his history of inconsistent fantasy production gives him limited value in most fantasy leagues. He will likely be a matchup-based streaming option throughout the season or a borderline-QB2 in large leagues that use multiple quarterbacks. In most leagues, he shouldn’t be drafted.
Week 17 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Flacco has been a different quarterback over the past four games. After throwing 9 touchdowns and 11 interceptions over his first 11 games this season, Flacco has thrown 7 touchdowns and only 1 interception over the last four.
He’ll face a reeling Bengals team that took care of Detroit on Sunday, but is riddled with injuries and has been declining sharply over the second half of the season. Flacco is risky, as he hasn’t been a reliable fantasy option at any point throughout his career, but he has some upside as a streaming option this week in a game the Ravens will be motivated to win.
Week 16 vs. Indianapolis Colts
Joe Flacco had 288 yards and a touchdown against the Browns, and he added another score on the ground. Flacco’s last three games haven’t been spectacular, but he’s on his best fantasy streak of the season and the Ravens are still fighting for a playoff spot. Flacco should be motivated to close out the season strong.
This week, Flacco faces a vulnerable Colts defense that has given up the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season. It’s hard to trust Flacco when he’s been so bad overall this season, but with recent successes and a great matchup, he has QB2 upside or streaming value in deep leagues.
Week 15 at Cleveland Browns
Joe Flacco threw for 269 yards, 2 touchdowns, and a pick in a close loss to the Steelers last week. Sadly, this was the second-best fantasy day of the season for Flacco. While he now has two straight weeks with multiple touchdown passes, and he faces a vulnerable Browns pass defense that is tied for last in the league in touchdown passes allowed, he’s still hard to trust given his horrible fantasy season. He has some low-end QB2 value due to the matchup, but he should be left on waivers in most leagues.
Week 14 at Pittsburgh Steelers
Joe Flacco had a legitimately good game against the Lions last week, throwing for 269 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a lopsided victory for the Ravens. Flacco has been awful all season, though, throwing only 11 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. This week, against a tough Steelers defense, it’s hard to trust Flacco to do any better than he has for most of the season, and fantasy owners should leave him on waivers in most leagues.
Week 13 vs. Detroit Lions
Joe Flacco had 141 yards passing last week against the Texans. While he added 42 yards rushing, it was still another poor fantasy outing for Flacco, who is averaging only 170.5 passing yards per game this season and has thrown only 9 touchdowns compared to 11 interceptions. The Lions have been very average against the pass this year, but have managed to pick off 11 passes so far. Regardless of opponent, Flacco shouldn’t be relied upon in any league formats. Leave him on waivers.
Week 12 vs. Houston Texans
Joe Flacco came away with a big shutout victory over the Packers last week, but he only threw for 183 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Flacco is averaging only 173.4 yards per game this year, and he has 9 touchdowns compared to 11 interceptions. He has some upside against a vulnerable Texans defense that gave up 3 touchdown passes to Blaine Gabbert last week, but it’s hard to trust him given the season he’s having. Unless you’re desperate, Flacco should remain on waiver, despite a great matchup.
Week 11 at Green Bay Packers
Joe Flacco had 261 yards, 2 touchdowns, and a pair of interceptions against the Titans before the bye last week. Despite the interceptions, it was sadly one of Flacco’s best games of the season. He’s been awful this year, He ranked 27th in the league in passing yards, and is tied for third with 10 interceptions. While he has some upside against a vulnerable Packers pass defense this week that made Mitch Trubisky look competent last week, it’s hard to trust Flacco in anything other than deep, two-quarterback leagues.
