| While it’s still way too early to deliver
an accurate fantasy forecast on the defending champion Ravens in the wake of RB Jamal
Lewis’ devastating, season-ending knee injury suffered in training camp last week,
you can count on one thing for sure: Elvis Grbac, the Ravens’ new gunslinger who
will be replacing steady but unspectacular Trent Dilfer this season, will be firing a lot
more bullets than initially expected.
But whether Grbac will be more of a fantasy football force as a result, remains to be
seen.
Certainly Grbac’s recent track record indicates he could be a potent fantasy
weapon in 2001. Last year, performing on a Chiefs team with one of the worst ground games
in the league, Elvis revved up his passing numbers to the tune of a career-best 4,169
yards and 28 touchdowns. Out of necessity, he threw 30 or more passes in 12 games.
Without the benefit of Lewis, who accounted for 42 percent of Baltimore’s offense
during its 11-game winning streak last season and was the main reason the Ravens led the
league in time of possession (33:18 average), head coach Brian Billick is definitely
expected to emphasize his passing game more — but not nearly to the extreme K.C.
emphasized it last year.
Translation: A lot more short-to-intermediate passing routes, which could still
translate into a plentiful yardage total for Grbac and perhaps bigger numbers for the
likes of TE Shannon Sharpe and sure-handed WR Brandon Stokley underneath deep coverage and
FB Obafemi Ayanbadejo out of the backfield in three-WR sets.
As far as Lewis’ replacement goes along fantasy lines, you better hope your
league’s draft is held very late in the preseason, since it’s quite possible the
Ravens will go down to the wire in an attempt to secure quality help off the waiver wire.
At present, the Ravens’ RB pickings are pretty slim, with 25-year-old Jason
Brookins, a veteran of three Ravens practice squads, considered to be the front-runner
over fifth-round pick Chris Barnes, who has been a bit of a disappointment, and newly
acquired Terry Allen, who is definitely on his last legs.
It would be a major surprise if the Ravens didn’t make a significant upgrade
before the season opener, but it’s unrealistic to expect anybody to come close to
providing the rare blend of speed and power that Lewis gave the Ravens last season.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean Grbac will be throwing the ball until his arm
falls off either. Ravens offensive coordinator Matt Cavanuagh would very much prefer to
maintain some semblance of a balanced attack, and the right kind of RB acquisition could
still end up generating some fantasy firepower.
Now if Billick could convince retired Vikings RB Robert Smith to come out of mothballs,
we’re talking about a different fantasy picture altogether.
But that’s a really big "if" — with about a 5 percent chance of
materializing according to our sources.
Which probably means a lot less running and a lot more dependence on Grbac’s
pitching arm.
"In Our Opinion" fantasy columns have now resumed for the 2001 season.
Columns will appear daily, Tuesday through Friday, throughout the regular season. The
Fantasy Doctor has returned with your pigskin prescriptions, so send your fantasy
questions to the Doc's attention at fantasydoctor@pfwa.com |
