Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith, Sr. will play Sunday, despite reports leading into Sunday that the veteran was likely to miss his second straight game. Smith hadn’t played since suffering his injury in Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens play at the San Francisco 49ers at 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday.
Steve Smith, Sr. will play Sunday for Ravens, fantasy owners
The Baltimore wide receiver will return Sunday after missing Week 5. We break down the fantasy implications.
Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports
Smith, who announced before the season this would be his last year, has 373 yards on 29 receptions through four games (three and a half, really), with two touchdowns. Those numbers include 150 yards on 10 catches in Week 2, and 186 on 13 with both his touchdowns in Week 3. With Smith out in Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns, Kamar Aiken filled in as Baltimore’s No. 1 receiver, catching four of nine targets and going for 78 yards.
Fantasy impact: If Smith had missed another game, it really would have rendered the Baltimore passing attack -- Aiken, plus Marlon Brown and tight ends Crockett Gillmore and Maxx Williams -- basically moot for fantasy purposes. Even with him playing, it might be wise for fantasy owners to let Smith sit for a game to heal up some more; reporters at Baltimore practice said he wasn’t showing his usual burst.
In standard leagues, the best advice is to let Smith sit for a week. In PPR, it’s possible volume alone will be enough to give Smith relevance, but he’s still far from a sure thing. Either way, his return renders Aiken unusable.
