Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
It wasn’t too long that the DEF/ST of the Baltimore Ravens was the best in all of fantasy football. The unit was filled with Pro Bowlers and was honestly the scariest defense in all of football. After losing several household names in recent seasons, though, the unit has since fallen into the middle of the pack.
Positives:
Despite Baltimore’s miserable 2013 season, the defense performed rather admirably. They were ranked 12th in the league against the pass (230.1 yards/game) and 11th in the league against the run (105.4 yards/game).
The team still has All-Pros Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil as their primary pass rushers to go along with monster DT Haloti Ngata in the middle. Baltimore’s front-seven in very strong and will attack the quarterback all game long when healthy. The unit should be much better at racking up sacks in 2014.
Negatives:
Baltimore was tied for 16th in the league with just 40 sacks and 16th in the league with 16 interceptions last season. They simply don’t have an elite set of playmakers anymore and it has taken a serious toll on the unit’s overall fantasy value.
Unfortunately, all their superstar defenders (Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Bernard Pollard to name a few) are no longer with the organization, and it appears to have finally impacted the team. The defense looked lost on the field last year and truly lacked a defensive leader.
Final Verdict:
Baltimore may not be the elite defense they were a couple of years ago, but they can still be a serviceable fantasy unit. Look for them to be a decent find after the first handful of defenses come flying off the board.
Bye Week: 11
Projected Round: 14
Auction Value: $2
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
