Wildcard Round vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Lamar Jackson finished the season off with a thrilling victory over the Browns that won the Ravens the AFC North division title and a playoff matchup against the Chargers. Jackson threw for 179 yards in the season finale, but added 90 yards and two touchdowns on 20 rushing attempts. Jackson has averaged 17 carries per game as a starter, and even though the Ravens will continue to develop him as a passer, he’ll have a high fantasy floor every week due to his ability to add points on the ground.
Jackson put up 204 yards and a touchdown, along with 39 yards rushing against the Chargers two weeks ago. Those aren’t great numbers, but expect the Ravens to continue a similar formula of trying to win the game by keeping the ball on the ground and playing excellent defense. Jackson is a nice, low-cost option for the wildcard round in most fantasy formats, but the quality of quarterback options available might push him out of consideration in many leagues. He’s a middle-tier fantasy quarterback this week, given the competition.
Week 17 vs. Cleveland Browns
Lamar Jackson threw for 204 yards and ran for 39 against the Chargers last week in a defensive battle. He also threw a beautiful touch pass to Mark Andrews that turned into the Ravens’ only offensive touchdown. Jackson hasn’t lit the world on fire in the passing game, but he’s averaging 16.5 carries per game on the ground, giving him a high floor every week.
To finish the season, Jackson faces a Browns defense that has been very average against the quarterback position this season. Cleveland has allowed 21 passing and three rushing touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks, and Jackson should be able to find room to run in the final game of the season. The Ravens are playing to secure the division title, and Jackson should be active as a low-end QB1, a streaming, or a quality QB2 option.
Week 16 at Los Angeles Chargers
Through five starts, Lamar Jackson is averaging 85.4 rushing yards per game. That would be 1,366 yards over the course of an entire season! Jackson still isn’t doing much throwing the ball – 131 yards and a touchdown against the Buccaneers last week – but his ability to supplement his passing numbers with consistent running production makes him a borderline fantasy starter every week.
This week, he’ll face a Chargers defense that has been pretty good this season and is really rounding into form with Joey Bosa back in the lineup. They’ve allowed the seventh-least fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season. Jackson should still be considered a viable streaming option however, as he’ll continue to be a primary ball-carrier for the Ravens, giving him a high floor.
Week 15 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Lamar Jackson had 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Chiefs last week and he added 71 yards on 13 carries. Jackson has at least 70 yards on the ground in all four of his starts, giving him a high floor in most league formats.
This week, Jackson has a great matchup against the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. While they’ve only given up one rushing touchdown to the position this season, the 29 touchdown passes they’ve allowed should give Jackson a chance to continue his development. He’s a nice streaming option this week in all leagues.
Week 14 at Kansas City Chiefs
In three starts, Lamar Jackson has thrown only one touchdown pass and three interceptions, averaging only 151 passing yards per game. However, he’s been essentially a primary running back for the Ravens, averaging 18 carries, 88.3 yards and 0.67 touchdowns per game on the ground. If Jackson continues this, he’s a high-floor streaming option.
This week, Jackson faces a Chiefs defense that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season, but has only allowed 95 yards and a touchdown rushing to the position. Expect Jackson to be the exception and still put up good running numbers. He’s a borderline QB1 and excellent QB2 or Superflex starter this week with his high floor running the ball.
Week 13 at Atlanta Falcons
Lamar Jackson has failed to eclipse 200 yards passing in either of his first two NFL starts, but he’s gained a total of 190 yards on the ground on 37 combined carries. Jackson ran for a touchdown and threw for another last week to win his second game in a row over the lowly Oakland Raiders. His ability to make plays on the ground has allowed him to be a high-floor fantasy option, despite minimal passing numbers.
This week, Jackson has a great matchup against the Falcons. Only the Bengals have allowed more fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season, and the Saints dropped 31 points against them last week. Jackson’s ability to run the ball combined with a nice matchup makes him a borderline starter this week and a nice streaming option.
Week 12 vs. Oakland Raiders
Lamar Jackson only threw for 150 yards and a pick in his first NFL start, but he also ran the ball 27 times for 117 yards! Should Jackson continue to get starts behind an injured Joe Flacco, expect a similar ground-emphasized attack from the Baltimore offense, giving Jackson a high floor in most leagues. However, this kind of rushing production might be too much to ask consistently, or else Jackson will have a very short career.
Monitor the status of Joe Flacco before using Jackson, but if he does start, he has a lot of upside against a Raiders defense that has been below average against the quarterback position this year. Jackson’s willingness and ability to make plays with his legs will give him a high floor in most fantasy formats, and assuming he gets the start, he’s worth considering in all formats as a fringe QB1 option.
Week 11 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Lamar Jackson has mostly been used in gadget plays, and mostly been a runner this season working behind Joe Flacco. With Flacco nursing a hip injury, Jackson may get his first career start this week. Even in a good matchup, it’s hard to expect a lot out of a rookie quarterback getting the reins for the first time. Fantasy owners with space on the bench should grab Jackson as a speculative addition, but putting him in lineups is premature at this point.
Fantasy Upside
Lamar Jackson was a dynamic playmaker in college. Not only did he throw 69 touchdown passes during his three years at Lousville, he also ran for 50 more. Jackson averaged 6.3 yards rushing the ball and has tremendous arm strength to go alongside excellent intangibles as a leader on the field. If Jackson gets a chance to start, he has the dual-threat capabilities to make an immediate fantasy impact.
Fantasy Downside
Joe Flacco is entrenched as the starter for at least another season, making it hard to imagine Jackson getting a lot of snaps. His playmaking might put him on the field for gadget plays as a rookie, but those are rarely consistent enough to trust for fantasy owners. Jackson also projects as a raw talent throwing the ball, who needs to learn to make deeper reads before he’s ready to carry a team at the NFL level.
2018 Bottom Line
Jackson is an intriguing dynasty option and has some late-round value in deep leagues and best-ball formats due to his playmaking potential. However, as long as Flacco is still the starter, Jackson should be avoided in most leagues.
