The NFL preseason is over and the regular season is less than one week away, which means it’s time for fantasy football drafts. Many NFL fans are cramming ahead of their drafts and checking in on the various injuries around the league. What’s the latest on Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, and should you draft him?
The Latest on Mark Andrews’ Health
On Aug. 14, Andrews was involved in a car accident and the Ravens announced that he “was evaluated by medical staff at the Ravens’ training facility and did not sustain any apparent injuries.”
Andrews was able to attend meetings the same day as the accident, and the statement said that he was “expected to return to practice in the coming days.”
Statement from the Baltimore Ravens. pic.twitter.com/Y5Hi2l3tDI
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 14, 2024
However, Andrews missed practice for the next two weeks, which concerned fantasy managers. It’s unclear why Andrews was sidelined, as teams don’t have to report injuries prior to the start of the regular season.
Fortunately, Andrews was able to return to practice on Friday, which is terrific news for fantasy managers who recently drafted him. It certainly seems that he’s on track to play in Baltimore’s Week 1 contest against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday.
This lines up with what Ravens head coach John Harbaugh recently said about Andrews’ injury. On Aug. 19, Harbaugh told reporters that Andrews was dealing with something “very minor,” and he was confident that Andrews would play in Week 1.
“Don’t worry about Mark,” Harbaugh said.
It’s great to see Andrews back at practice and put this issue behind him, and perhaps we’ll get some clarity about why he was sidelined once he meets with the media.
Mark Andrews’ Fantasy Outlook
Andrews’ résumé speaks for itself, with fantasy finishes of TE1, TE4, TE5, and TE6 in four of the last five years. Unfortunately, his one season spent outside of the top six (TE15 overall) at the position was last season after he missed seven games due to injury.
Andrews’ productivity on a per-game basis didn’t show any drastic regression in offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s first year. He still averaged 4.5 receptions and 54 receiving yards per game — near his per-game production of 4.8 receptions and 56 receiving yards in 2022 — which suggests his elite usage in the passing game still makes him a viable TE1 overall candidate in this offense.
Sometimes, though, small details can tell a slightly different story. Andrews’ 22.2% target share was actually the lowest mark since his rookie year, and he ranked fourth at the position. By all means, that’s still a very healthy amount of volume in the passing game. However, considering Andrews led all tight ends over the previous two seasons in target share… it does make this stat a bit more noteworthy.
Some of this could certainly have to do with the retooled collection of offensive playmakers on the perimeter this Ravens offense had last year. Zay Flowers had a great rookie season with 77 receptions for 858 yards and five scores on 108 targets, which actually gave him a higher target share than Andrews. Odell Beckham Jr., Rashod Bateman, and Nelson Agholor also slightly ate into that volume of work last year.
However, with Beckham now on the Miami Dolphins, the only noteworthy addition to the WR room this offseason came in the form of Devontez Walker on Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft, which should pose no threat to Andrews’ role this upcoming season.
MORE: PFN’s Consensus 2024 Fantasy Football Rankings
Yet, Andrews’ fantasy upside in this offense certainly still feels like the TE1 overall. Andrews finished the season tied for 31st with 14 red-zone targets despite missing seven games last season. His 1.4 red-zone targets per game, when forecasted over a 17-game regular season, come out to 23.8, which would’ve tied him for fifth in the league.
Andrews is being drafted as the TE3 at No. 46 overall, right behind Kelce and Sam LaPorta. His role as a focal point in a high-powered Ravens offense, combined with his elite red-zone potential, makes him a strong value in the fourth round.
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