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In a season full of devastating injuries, it feels good to be writing about a player coming back from one. The Baltimore Ravens have activated tight end Dennis Pitta from the IR/designated to return list. Pitta has missed every game so far after going under for hip surgery.
The Ravens passing game isn’t close to what it was in their Super Bowl run. Pitta has been out, Anquan Boldin signed with the San Francisco 49ers and the current receivers aren’t fantasy relevant. Pitta was Joe Flacco‘s go-to guy in crucial situations.
We saw what happened to Percy Harvin when he returned from his injury. He was limited on snaps in his first game and hasn’t played since. Fantasy owners were chomping at the bit for Harvin to return, but didn’t receive the return on investment they were looking for. Michael Crabtree was somewhat similar. He was on the field for 42 snaps, but was only targets four times.
As for Pitta, you should ease your expectations. He could be on the field for the majority of the snaps, which will help Ray Rice, but he won’t be that productive. The matchup against the Minnesota Vikings says otherwise as they are 26th against tight ends. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Pitta sneak in for a touchdown, though.
In Weeks 15 and 16, the Ravens play two tougher teams, the Detroit Lions and New England Patriots, ranked in the top-15 in defending opposing tight ends. If Pitta has a productive first game back and doesn’t suffer from any setbacks, he could be worth adding in deeper leagues. It will also help owners on where to draft Pitta in 2014.
Bill Pivetz is a fantasy football writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @Mr_Piv1127.
