2018 Fantasy Football Profile: Joe Flacco

QB Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens
2017 Stats: 3,141 pass yds, 18 TD, 13 INT, 1 rush TD

Joe Flacco has never been a top-tier fantasy quarterback, but things reached a low point in 2017. After a back injury sidelined him for all of training camp, he averaged just 170.5 yards per game with nine touchdown passes and 11 interceptions over the first 11 games. He then found a little something, primarily a fully healthy back it seems, and had multiple passing touchdowns in four of the final five games. He averaged over 253 passing yards per game as well over that span, with just two interceptions in 198 pass attempts.

With an eye on the future, and being able to cut ties with Flacco after the 2018 season without cap consequence, the Ravens moved back into the first round of April’s draft to get 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson. The seat under the former Super Bowl MVP is now officially hot, even with head coach John Harbaugh’s fast assertion that Flacco is the starting quarterback.

If this scenario of a team making a move to draft a rookie quarterback, despite having a fairly suitable veteran in place, sounds familiar, it should.

The Kansas City Chiefs traded up to get Patrick Mahomes in 2017, and effectively committed to one more year of Alex Smith. Smith then looked like a completely different quarterback for most of last season, setting career marks by virtually every measure related to downfield passing on his way to topping 4,000 yards for the first time in his career and a career-high 26 touchdown passes. Then right on cue, with the news breaking during Super Bowl week, the Chiefs traded Smith to the Washington Redskins this offseason.

Also right on cue, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com passed along indications from Ravens’ coaches and players about Flacco being “more motivated” this offseason on the heels of the Jackson pick. He also got together for extra workouts with his pass catchers for the first time since 2011.

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco got together with his receivers a couple of times last week. He threw to receivers at the park across the street from the facility. This is the first time since 2011 that Flacco had extra workouts with his receivers.

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) July 18, 2018

The Ravens made some upgrades to their receiving corp this offseason. Michael Crabtree, John Brown and Willie Snead were added in free agency, then two tight ends (Hayden Hurst, Mark Andrews) and two wide receivers (Jaleel Scott, Jordan Lasley) were brought in via the draft.

Flacco has been a mid-to-low-end QB2 in fantasy in three straight years, and he’s not in the top-25 quarterbacks in Fantasy Football Calculator ADP right now. Fantasy Pros’ ADP consensus eventually uncovers him, at QB35, with (for what it’s worth) Jackson coming in at QB30.

Flacco optimists will try to see Alex Smith 2.0 in 2018. But the chances of that are incredibly slim, with not nearly as much talent around him and Marty Mornhinweg directing Baltimore’s offense rather than Andy Reid or Matt Nagy.

Flacco should not be drafted outside of deep two-quarterback leagues, or maybe deep best-ball leagues for those that want to get a little cute. But when bye weeks get rolling, he may be on the radar as a streaming option if he’s playing well. On that optimistic side, my projection for Flacco will assume he starts all 16 games this year.

Joe Flacco 2018 Projection: 3,350 pass yards, 25 TD, 16 INT, 1 rush TD

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