The bye week did not do any favors for the Baltimore Ravens. Franchise quarterback Joe Flacco suffered a hip injury in Week Nine against the Pittsburgh Steelers and is questionable to play in Week 11. Should he not be able to play, starting duties will fall to rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson. Jackson is something of an enigma, as the first-year quarterback is one of the most athletically gifted in the league but is still developing as a passer. However, with quarterback depth thin in deeper leagues, several fantasy football owners may try to insert him into their lineup, at least as a bye week start. What should one expect from Lamar Jackson next week, and is he worth a start?

(Update [11/18/2018]: Lamar Jackson will start against the Bengals, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport)

Fantasy Football: Expectations for Lamar Jackson

Coming out of college, the scouting report on Jackson was that he was a phenomenal athlete with a strong arm who struggled with ball placement. In limited work, Jackson has played exactly up to that scouting report. He’s only thrown 12 regular season passes, so it’s hard to extrapolate anything from a sample size that small. However, he does have a decent amount of film from the preseason.

Playing in five preseason games, Jackson threw 68 passes, completing 34 for 408 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. His 6.0 yards per attempt were very underwhelming, especially considering the low level of competition he was facing. Additionally, Jackson’s awareness left a bit to be desired, as he finished his preseason with eight sacks.

It’s worth noting that Jackson improved on a weekly basis. In his final two weeks of the preseason, Jackson completed 16 of 25 passes for 207 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Granted, he did most of his work against backups, but he showed some signs of improved play in the passing game. Still, he’s still a work in progress as far as throwing the ball goes.

Jackson As A Runner

Anyone thinking about starting Lamar Jackson is not doing it for his work in the passing game. Jackson is a freak athlete who’s capable of exploding for a big play every time he touches the ball. Jackson ran 23 times in the preseason, recording 136 yards and three touchdowns. Fantasy football scoring favors rushing quarterbacks, so Jackson’s mobility should set a safe floor.

Additionally, the Ravens know just how dangerous Jackson can be with the ball in his hands. Even with Flacco in the lineup, the Ravens have designed plays to give Jackson the ball. So far, Jackson has recorded 139 rushing yards and a touchdown on 28 attempts.

Given two full weeks to prepare, Ravens offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg should develop a strong gameplan which plays to Jackson’s strengths. In many ways, this could be similar to what the New England Patriots did with Jacoby Brissett back in Week Three of 2016. Jackson is more developed than Brissett was back in 2016, but it should be a run-centric gameplan with bootlegs and a series of short, safe passes.

Baltimore’s Favorable Schedule

It would be hard to start Jackson if he were facing a slate of elite defenses the rest of the way. However, Jackson has the benefit of facing perhaps the easiest schedule in football moving forward. In Week 11, Jackson is facing off against a Cincinnati Bengals defense which has struggled tremendously against the quarterback position. Entering Week 10’s action, the Bengals defense has allowed the fourth-most points to quarterbacks in standard scoring.

While Flacco should be healthy for Week 12, there are whispers that his job is not secure. If Jackson performs well against the Bengals, he could get the nod the rest of the way. Fortunately for Jackson, the rest of the schedule is just as favorable as his Week 11.

Heading into championship weekend (Week 16), the Ravens face off against the Oakland Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This is probably the easiest group of defenses any quarterback has to face the rest of the way. Each team is top-eight in fantasy points allowed per game to quarterbacks. It won’t take a superstar to light up these defenses, and Jackson’s mobility only gives him a higher floor for fantasy scoring.

Last Word on Lamar Jackson

If you’re looking for an emergency fill-in during Week 11, you could do a lot worse than Lamar Jackson. Jackson still has a lot of work to do as a passer, as his scattershot accuracy was probably his biggest weakness during his preseason games.

However, Jackson has proven that his borderline elite athleticism will successfully carry over to the professional level. The Ravens have already created plays to take advantage of Jackson’s explosiveness, and his rushing ability should create a safe floor for his fantasy production.

Additionally, Jackson has perhaps the most favorable fantasy matchup for the rest of the season. Every team the Ravens face from now until Week 16 ranks among the worst at defending the quarterback position. If Jackson performs well in Week 11, he could steal the starting job from Flacco. If he does that, he should continue to put up strong performances against subpar defenses.

Obviously, you’re not going to bench a guy like Aaron Rodgers for Lamar Jackson. However, if you’re rostering Tom Brady and need a Week 11 starter, Jackson should be a smart play for mid-level quarterback production.

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