The Ravens got the kind of early-week news that keeps the line steady and the panic level low.
Zay Flowers, who left Baltimore’s Week 1 win over the Indianapolis Colts with a hamstring injury and did not return, is not believed to be dealing with anything serious. NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that Flowers would have gone back into the game if it had been a playoff matchup, but with Baltimore already in control, the team chose to keep him on the sideline.
That lines up with what Ravens head coach Jesse Minter said as Week 2 preparations begin. Flowers, Minter confirmed, is “day-to-day” heading into Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints.
For now, DraftKings has not moved off Baltimore as an 8.5-point favorite at home.
The injury still matters because Flowers is a major piece of the offense, and the Ravens are already dealing with another setback after rookie Ja'Kobi Lane went down in Week 1. Baltimore can’t afford to thin out Lamar Jackson’s receiving group any further.
Even with the limited workload, Flowers was electric against Indianapolis. He caught five passes for 150 yards and a touchdown on six targets, doing that damage in just 20 snaps - 29.4 percent of the game - before the hamstring issue shut him down.
Baltimore will post its first injury report of the week on Wednesday after practice, and that should offer the first real checkpoint for bettors and fantasy managers. A limited session would be a promising sign as the Ravens move through the week.
Flowers had also been dealing with a leg injury in camp and in the buildup to Sunday’s matchup with Indy, so this is clearly a situation worth watching. Baltimore is trying to stay on track as it works to improve its Super Bowl odds, which DraftKings lists at No. 2 in the league.
In Other News...
Ravens May Not Have Much Time To Solve This WR Problem
The Ravens are still navigating a thin wide receiver room in mid-September, and the lack of a veteran addition has only sharpened the sense that this is a spot worth watching. Head coach Jesse Minter has acknowledged the possibility of going outside the building, but for now the focus remains on internal options and on handling injured players carefully as the team tries to keep the offense from getting too stretched.
Even with the season already underway, Baltimore may not be able to let the issue linger much longer. Several veteran receivers are being floated as possible additions to the roster or practice squad, and the next move could say a lot about how urgently the Ravens view the problem. For a team trying to stay balanced on offense, the question is whether help arrives soon enough to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Chris Moore Just Made The Ravens Roster Decision A Lot Harder
Chris Moore gave the Ravens a lot to think about in their Week 1 game against the Colts, handling the primary kick return duties and flashing as a receiver when he got his chance. He finished with four kick returns for 121 yards and added a 53-yard catch, a showing that lined up with the kind of all-purpose value Baltimore can always use when the roster starts to tighten up.
Jesse Minter made clear he noticed the impact, and Moores 174 all-purpose yards only sharpened the question of whether his performance was enough to push him toward the 53-man roster. With another wide receiver dealing with an injury, the Ravens suddenly have a tougher call to make about whether Moores special teams spark and playmaking on offense are enough to earn him a longer stay. [Read more 🡒]
Declan Doyle May Be Unlocking A Different Version Of Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson opened the season looking comfortable in a version of the Ravens offense that asked him to do a little more than just freelance from the shotgun. In Week 1, Baltimore rolled up 506 total yards in a 41-23 win over the Colts, with Jackson completing 17 of 25 passes for 324 yards and one touchdown while adding 40 rushing yards and a score on the ground.
A big part of the shift was structural, not just explosive plays. With offensive coordinator Declan Doyle leaning on under-center looks on 67% of the snaps, the Ravens were able to pair cleaner play design with better blocking and more efficient spacing, and the result was an attack that looked more balanced than the version defenses often spent a full week preparing for. The question now is whether that opening-week formula is a one-game wrinkle or the start of a much different Baltimore identity. [Read more 🡒]