The Baltimore Ravens scored 24 points in Sunday's loss to the Bengals, but the points weren't scored by the players we've come to expect over the past several weeks. The Ravens were starting to appear as an unstoppable offense, and they needed a win in Cincinnati to secure a lead in the AFC North. The Bengals were looking to redeem themselves after an embarrassing 27-0 loss in Indianapolis. While the Bengals certainly played better than they did in Week 7, Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense appeared to take a step back on Sunday.
Joe Flacco and Ravens offense struggle for fantasy owners in Week 8 loss to Bengals
The Ravens offense sputtered for fantasy owners in Sunday’s loss. We take a look at the individual performances.
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We’re here to look at the noteworthy performances.
Joe Flacco: Flacco finished Sunday's game with 195 passing yards and two interceptions. Baltimore's offense scored with their running game and field goals all day. Flacco was underwhelming for the most part. He's two weeks removed from his incredible Week 7 performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Perhaps the honeymoon phase for fantasy owners should be declared over. Flacco is bound to have some good weeks from time to time, but he's more of a QB2 in most situations. It's hard to recommend him in Week 9 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Steve Smith: Smith led the team with nine targets but caught just three of them for 35 yards. It's worth noting that Smith would have added an 80-yard touchdown to his day, but the play was nullified by an offensive pass interference penalty against Smith. Regardless, Smith is proving to be a bit of a roller coaster week to week for fantasy owners. He's still a WR2 against the Steelers in Week 9, but he may be on the lower end of that tier.
Torrey Smith: Smith didn't record a single catch on Sunday afternoon. He missed some time in the second half with concussion symptoms but eventually returned to the game. After totaling three touchdowns over the past two weeks, Smith is reminding fantasy owners he's a risky WR3 moving forward.
Justin Forsett: Forsett ran for 68 yards on 17 carries. He also caught three passes for 17 yards. Forsett played well enough, but lost two touchdowns to rookie running back Lorenzo Taliaferro. Bernard Pierce was a healthy scratch from Sunday's game, leaving Taliaferro to operate on third down and red zone duties. Forsett is still a low-end RB2 moving forward, but fantasy owners would be better off with Pierce backing Forsett. Taliaferro appears to have a higher ceiling in the long run.
