close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

Fantasy Football: Lessons Learned from Ravens Chiefs
news

Fantasy Football: Lessons Learned from Ravens Chiefs

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely, right, walks into the end zone after catching a pass for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Missouri. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Baltimore Ravens TE Isaiah Likely stole the show in Thursday night’s 2024 NFL Kickoff Game with nine catches for 111 receiving yards and a score. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

The following is an excerpt from the latest edition of Yahoo’s fantasy football newsletter, Get to the Points! If you like what you see, You can subscribe here for free.

The preparation took forever and bad weather forced the Chiefs and Ravens to wait 20 minutes for the season opener on Thursday.

Never mind. This instant classic was worth the wait.

The Chiefs held off the Ravens 27-20 in what will undoubtedly be one of the games of the year. Baltimore missed a touchdown on the final play by about half a toenail, with Isaiah Likely catching a pass in the back of the end zone but failing to get both feet in bounds. Had Likely scored, the Ravens would have been looking to steal the game with a 2-point effort.

Here’s what you need to know:

Likely had a monstrous 9-111-1 line on 12 targets while Mark Andrews was limited to two short catches. Likely was a nice tight end upside pick all summer, but the corner was largely dependent on what he would do if Andrews got hurt.

Thursday showed that Likely can be a force even when Andrews is healthy; as a hybrid target, Likely could effectively be Baltimore’s No. 2 wideout while he has TE eligibility. Likely is a modest 25% drafted in Yahoo leagues; that number will rise in next week’s waiver run.

The refereeing team made an example of Baltimore LT Ronnie Stanley by flagging him three times for illegal formation. It’s a new focus in the rules. But even when Baltimore lined up properly, blocking was a problem. It encouraged very short passes in the first half and dampened the effectiveness of RB Derrick Henry (13-46-1). Henry’s volume will be much safer when Baltimore plays a weaker opponent; the Raiders will call in Week 2.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

Subscribe to Yahoo Fantasy Prediction on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.

Lamar Jackson finally found his groove (273 passing yards, 122 rushing yards) and Zay Flowers (6-37-0) could have had a much stronger night; Jackson missed for an easy touchdown on the game’s penultimate play. Justice Hill was used for a surprising six catches, and deserves a tire kick when deeper leagues exercise their next waivers.

Rice was dazzling in his 7-103-0 night, collecting seven targets and doing dynamic work after the catch. While Pacheco was only averaging 3.0 yards per rush, he absorbed 17 touches for 78 yards and a score and consistently generated yards after contact. Samaje Perine was limited to just one catch on two targets, perhaps because he was new to the team. Rice and Pacheco managers felt the joy of instant validation.

Worthy had just four chances, but they included an electric 21-yard score on his first touch and a 35-yard touchdown catch later, thanks to a defensive breakdown. Just what Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes needed — a speed demon to terrify opposing defenses. The Chiefs host the Bengals in Week 2.