The Baltimore Ravens have had a hit-and-miss offense this season, and entered Week 6 off one of those misses, having struggled to 13 points a week ago at Indianapolis. Sunday was a definite hit though, with the Ravens' offense erupting in a 48-17 beatdown of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ravens fantasy football recap: Joe Flacco and the Smith duo erupt for huge day
The Baltimore offense had a huge day Sunday, leading to fantasy production from a lot of names. We break down the fantasy implications.
Joe Robbins
The Ravens came out in a hurry, with four first-quarter touchdowns en route to a 38-0 halftime lead. The team called off the dogs in the second half, but still cruised to an easy win that brought the Ravens to 4-2 and kept them in the hunt for first place in the AFC North.
As you might expect from such a dominant offensive showing, several Ravens had strong fantasy days:
The Baltimore quarterback had averaged 16 fantasy points a game in his last two outings, but with one a 25-pointer and one a seven, he wasn't exactly predictable. It was no matter Sunday, as Flacco had his biggest game in a long time. He threw for five touchdowns in the game (all in the first half; four in the first quarter) with 306 yards on 21-of-29 passing. That was good for 32 fantasy points, one of the top marks of this or any week. And, with Week 7's game a home one against the Atlanta Falcons, Flacco's good fortune could continue.
Against all odds, the seven-year veteran who had never been much for fantasy or real football continued his huge 2014. Forsett ran for 111 yards on 14 carries Sunday, good for 11 fantasy points despite not finding the end zone for the first time in three weeks. Forsett now has at least 65 total yards in all six games this season, with 80-plus yards in four of the six. He's averaging more than 11 fantasy points a game, and has become a surefire starter in all leagues. Behind Forsett, Bernard Pierce had a touchdown and 15 carries, but his 2.1 yards per carry shows that he and Lorenzo Taliaferro, who was barely involved Sunday, are little more than last-guy-on-the-fantasy-roster types.
After an awful Week 5 fantasy day against the Indianapolis Colts, Smith bounced back in a big way Sunday, catching five passes on six targets, and going for 110 yards and a touchdown. Smith's score was the fifth touchdown for Flacco on the day, a 56-yarder early in the second quarter. Aside from that one-point fantasy day in Week 5, Smith has put up at least seven fantasy points in every game this season, and is averaging almost 13 fantasy points a game over the whole season. He's an every-week must-start.
Hey, remember him? After barely showing up for most of the season, Smith had a big game Sunday. He caught only four passes for 51 yards, but two of those catches went for touchdowns. In fact, Smith had the first two scores of the game, with both of his touchdowns out of the way by the 9:22 mark of the first quarter. After such an awful beginning to the season, we’ll need to see more of Smith to keep him in fantasy lineups, but this is a nice sign for those who invested in him early on.
The tight end was the one left out of the Ravens’ offensive dominance Sunday. Daniels was targeted only three times in the game, catching two for 34 yards. He has potential in an offense without a plethora of offensive options, but his usage and production has been so inconsistent that he’ll be tough to rely on in most leagues.
