Buried in the cellar of the AFC North, the Baltimore Ravens badly need reinforcements in their starting offense, and head coach John Harbaugh is optimistic that they will come soon. Harbaugh expects Smith to practice at "some degree" on Wednesday per Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Steve Smith could practice at ‘some degree’ Wednesday, bodes well for fantasy status
The Ravens could get their No. 1 wide receiver back in action on Sunday. We break down the fantasy implications.
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Smith exited Week 4's victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers with a back injury and was subsequently held out of action the following week. The fact that he would return to practice so early in the week bodes well for his Week 6 availability, which the Ravens desperately need with playoff hopes hanging by a thread.
Fantasy impact: If Smith can return at full capacity, he can immediately be placed back into the WR1 discussion with the position so hobbled as a whole.
Though Smith will likely be limited in practice, if he takes the field, there just aren't many options for Joe Flacco to trust other than him, as evidenced by two games of 10 and 13 catches earlier in the season.
Smith owners will have to monitor practice reports throughout the week, but an encouraging report like Branch’s indicates that the ageless veteran will take the field once again.
