Halfway through what was announced as his final season, Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. saw it end prematurely Sunday, as he tore his Achilles. Smith suffered the injury midway through the Ravens’ 29-26 win over the San Diego Chargers.
Steve Smith Sr. tears Achilles; Ravens, fantasy owners have to move on
The Baltimore receiver said he would retire after the year, but that is now in doubt. We break down the fantasy implications.
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Smith had 82 yards on five receptions before leaving Sunday’s game. With Smith out, Kamar Aiken and Chris Givens became the Ravens’ top receivers. Aiken caught six passes for 62 yards in the game, while Givens caught three for 57. All told, quarterback Joe Flacco targeted 10 different Ravens in the game and connected with nine of them at least once.
Fantasy impact: There just isn’t a replacement for Smith on Baltimore’s roster. Aiken filled in for an injured Smith in Week 5 and went for 78 yards, but his upside is far below that of Smith. With rookie Breshad Perriman yet to see the field this season, the Ravens don’t have a receiver who will be ranked in the top 30 at the position most weeks, and it wouldn’t be a total surprise if they were on the phone with a Wes Welker or a Hakeem Nicks or another of the position’s free agents.
As for Smith, this ends his 2015 and, if his earlier declaration of retirement is accurate, his career. Baltimore coach John Harbaugh speculated after the game that he doesn’t expect Smith to let it end this way, so there still might be some Smith in the fantasy future. But it won’t be this year.
