Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith was one of the few players in the team’s offense who didn’t see a drop in production when the team’s offensive unit struggled as a whole in 2013.
According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, Smith finished last season with 139 fantasy points in standard scoring leagues. He did slightly better last year than in his first two years in the league. In his first two years in the league, he finished as the 23rd ranked wide receiver in all of fantasy football. His slight improvement in production in 2013 pushed him up to the 20th ranked receiver in fantasy last season.
The Ravens had many issues last year, including porous offensive line play, Ray Rice‘s inability to make any sort of impact, Joe Flacco‘s up-and-down form and a lack of quality receiving options outside of Smith. All of the aforementioned issues are all intertwined with each other and served as a chain reaction to failure for the offensive unit. Heading into the 2014 campaign, Baltimore appears to be slightly better than last year. Its coaching philosophies should see a change as well since the team hired former Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak as their offensive coordinator.
In the 2014 season, Smith will no doubt serve as the team’s No. 1 wide out. After last year’s performance, he can be considered a high-end WR-2 for fantasy football. Smith remains the only proven pass catcher on the team besides Dennis Pitta, his value should be capped as a WR-2.
Through much of last season, Torrey Smith was subjected to double coverage due to the lack of talent around him. The Ravens coaching staff commended him on his ability to deal with the extra pressure. The receiver should expect much of the same treatment from defenses this year. Therefore, his value as a high-end WR-2 should remain there for the upcoming season.
Alexander Muir is a writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @AmuirAlex, “Like” him on Facebook or add him on your network on Google.
