Ravens (-280) @ Jets (+6.5); Total of 44

Joe Flacco gets to match up against his former team as he’s set to replace Zach Wilson (knee) for the first month of the season. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens didn’t get an extension done this offseason, and we’ll see if that ends up working in Lamar’s favor as he seems to play better with a chip on his shoulder. Another storyline worth mentioning is the rookies that the Jets will trot out there for the first time which includes a top-tier RB and WR in Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson.

Ravens

QB

Lamar Jackson may use the fact that he wasn’t able to get an extension done with the front office as motivation for this season. That, and the fact that he is healthy give us all the confidence in the world to start Jackson across formats. He is the model that other QBs like Jalen Hurts, Trey Lance, Justin Fields and others are trying to emulate and he has become less buzzy because he is older and more established than the others. Perhaps that led to value during draft season and Sunday will give us our first evidence to support that notion. Plus, the Jets gave up the third most points to the QB position in fantasy in 2021, a good metric for Jackson’s chances of finishing as the overall QB1 on the week.

WR/CB

Rashod Bateman becomes the clear-cut WR1 on the Ravens after they traded Hollywood Brown to the Cardinals during the draft. He will likely be matched up against D.J. Reed Jr. for the majority of the game, who was the 15th best cover corner in the league during 2021. The rookie first-round pick, Sauce Gardner will be on the opposite side of the field and the Ravens will likely try to get Bateman matched up there as rookie CBs tend to struggle early on as they get initiated to the best football they’ve ever been a part of. Bateman’s talent should win out, although Reed is a difficult matchup.

TE

What else is there to say about fantasy’s new top tight end, Mark Andrews. He’s a smash-start every week regardless of matchup.

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RB

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