Updated

Updated · BaltimoreRavens.com · Sep 14

Zay Flowers Exits Ravens Opener After 150 Yards as Hamstring Injury Hits Thin WR Corps

Updated

Updated · BaltimoreRavens.com · Sep 14

Zay Flowers Exits Ravens Opener After 150 Yards as Hamstring Injury Hits Thin WR Corps

Q: With key receivers injured, who will emerge as Lamar Jackson's top passing target in Week 2?

If Zay Flowers is unavailable or limited in Week 2, Mark Andrews looks like the safest bet to become Lamar Jackson’s top passing target, with Rashod Bateman the leading candidate among wide receivers. The clearest evidence is Week 1 usage. Andrews drew six targets and caught four passes for 49 yards, tying Flowers for the team lead in targets and reinforcing his long-standing role as Jackson’s most trusted option. Flowers erupted for 150 yards before aggravating his hamstring, but his status for the Saints game is uncertain after missing time with the same injury in camp. Ja’Kobi Lane is expected to miss several weeks with a fractured wrist, removing another projected contributor. Bateman should see a larger opportunity share simply because of the injuries, and he did run the most routes among Ravens receivers in Week 1. But he was targeted only once and finished without a catch, which makes him a projection more than a proven answer. LaJohntay Wester and Chris Moore are likely to get expanded snaps, and Moore did flash with a 53-yard catch against Indianapolis, yet both still appear more like complementary options than focal points. That leaves Andrews as the most reliable answer. If Flowers sits, Baltimore’s passing game is likely to funnel through Andrews on key downs, with Bateman getting the best chance to emerge as the top outside receiver and Wester possibly carving out a useful slot role.

3 articles · Updated · BaltimoreRavens.com · Sep 14

150 first-half receiving yards and a 54-yard touchdown were not enough to keep Zay Flowers on the field Sunday; Baltimore ruled him out in the second half with a hamstring injury.
Flowers set up the Ravens' opening touchdown with a 49-yard catch, added a 54-yard score, then left after a 12-yard reception and never returned to action.
Jesse Minter gave no postgame update, and the injury revives a problem that already cost Flowers a couple of training-camp practices before he returned on Sept. 3.
Baltimore's receiver depth took another hit when rookie Ja'Kobi Lane went out with a wrist injury, leaving Rashod Bateman, LaJohntay Wester and Chris Moore to carry the group.