In what I am afraid might be my worst fantasy trade ever, I obtained Joe Flacco. Desperate at quarterback – I had only Chad Henne and Ben Roethlisberger rostered because of money issues – I traded one of my four excellent running backs for Joe Flacco. Who did I give up? None other than Arian Foster, to my week 1 opponent no less. There’s a lot of fantasy egg on my face this week.
The fact of the matter is, though, that I believe in Flacco. Many fantasy experts have him as a low top-10 quarterback this season, and he is poised to prove them right. Indeed, he was the 8th-rated quarterback in 2009 according to PFF, and his fantasy value should reflect that in 2010. In his first two seasons, Flacco’s overall PFF rating improved from 26.3 to 43.3. That is what we like to call a “positive trend”. By comparison, Matt Ryan’s rating went from 42.8 to 23.2 from his rookie to sophomore seasons, despite having better offensive weaponry in Tony Gonzalez (13.8 pass rating) and Roddy White (9.7).
Joe Flacco got his stud receiver when the Ravens landed Anquan Boldin in the offseason. Boldin provides a go-to guy in the receiving corps, having rated 8.2 – good for 17th overall – last season. His seven-catch, 110-yard performance on 10 targets against Darrelle Revis and the Jets was a preview of things to come. Derrick Mason is a steady, solid veteran who was Flacco’s most dependable receiver last year. In fact, Mason was the 21st- rated wide receiver in the passing category (7.6) for 2009. Adding T.J. Houshmandzadeh gives Flacco a big possession target despite Housh's awful tenure in Seattle. Todd Heap, rated 3rd overall (13.7) in 2009, is a valuable tight end, and when deep threat Donte' Stallworth returns Baltimore’s receiving corps might be the most dangerous in the league.
Skeptics point to Baltimore's run-oriented offense. Unlike the Rams, who had Sam Bradford throw 55 passes, the Ravens were openly easing Flacco into NFL action during his first two seasons. Even so, Ray Rice is a highly rated pass-catcher out of the backfield (13.9 rating in '09), adding dimension to Baltimore's passing attack. The Nevermores will profit from opening up the offense and becoming a more balanced team.
Indeed, against the vaunted Jets defense, Flacco performed admirably, throwing for 248 yards, albeit he barely missed on a couple of touchdown passes. When Ray Rice was bottled up and the running game floundered, the Ravens went to the air with success. This was, in large part, due to Flacco's strong receiving corps. Flacco struggled with accuracy at times and did not reach the end zone, but we have to give the Jets' defense credit for something.
All the data points to a great year for Flacco. I have him as a buy-low candidate due to his low fantasy total in week 1 – despite his good showing, Flacco missed the end zone – and the skeptics going into the season. If you own a top-5 quarterback (e.g. Peyton Manning), I would seriously consider trading for Flacco and a second solid player, especially if you have need elsewhere. On a similar note, if you have a surplus at any valuable position, do not be afraid to trade away some depth for Flacco. If you do already own him, look for Flacco to bounce back against the Bengals and Browns in the coming weeks and continue his success throughout the season.
Other Week 1 storylines:
What We Learned: The San Francisco 49ers defense was overrated.
Who knew that the Seattle Seahawks would shred the much-hyped 49ers defense? Granted, one of their scores was on defense, but Seattle’s offense still scored 24 points with the likes of Deon Butler and Deion Branch. Matt Hasselbeck looked rejuvenated, and despite Seattle’s inability to run the ball for most of the game, they had their way with San Francisco. The 49ers get a week-2 matchup with the New Orleans Saints, who should be looking to light it up after a lackluster opener. Good luck if you own the 49ers defense/special teams, but I might look for an alternative this week. Can I interest you in Dexter McCluster and the Chiefs?
What We Already Knew: Matt Forte is a PPR stud.
I raved about Matt Forte in last week’s column, and he got off to an incredible start. Granted, it was against the Lions, but Forte was targeted seven times and caught all seven for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns. His rushing attack (-0.2 rating) might continue to be hampered by a bad Bears’ offensive line (-2.2 run block rating), and Chester Taylor did have a pass rating of 1.2, but Forte was tied for the most targets on his team and certainly had the most success. Start Forte in all your PPR leagues, regardless of matchup.
Pickup of the Week: WR Mike Thomas, Jac
The Jaguars’ Mike Thomas might be this year’s Mike Sims-Walker, having a healthy 1.6 overall rating. Thomas was, by far, Jacksonville’s most-targeted receiver in week 1 with 7 targets, and Sims-Walker was targeted just twice. More importantly, Thomas caught 6 of those passes for 89 yards while Sims-Walker was shut out. If targeted consistently, Mike Thomas could become a legitimate fantasy starter. He might be there for you if you have a bad waiver slot.
© 2026 PFF - all rights reserved.