NFL Week 8 Fantasy Football Recap: Baltimore Ravens vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Ravens win despite several injuries: Gus Edwards, Rashod Bateman and Mark Andrews were all questionable coming into the game. All suffered injuries and didn’t last until the end of the game.
• Isaiah Likely is potentially a top waiver priority: Likely was the Ravens' top offensive weapon Thursday night, picking up where he left off from the preseason.
• Julio Jones had a quiet return: Jones returned to the Buccaneers‘ lineup after missing a few weeks but didn’t add a single yard to the team’s offense.

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Baltimore Ravens @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Isaiah Likely: 6 receptions, 77 yards, 1 touchdown
• Mike Evans: 6 receptions, 123 yards

Monitor Mark Andrews‘ health: Andrews didn’t practice all week due to a knee injury, but he started in this game. He then suffered a shoulder injury in the second quarter and was ruled out shortly after halftime.

• He played in 9-of-13 snaps on Baltimore's first four drives, which is fewer plays than he would have played had he been 100%.
• Andrews was the offense's clear focal point to start the game, catching three passes on five targets for 33 yards.
• He injured his shoulder at the start of the fifth drive. Our injury expert Mario Pilato suspects he suffered an AC joint sprain, which would leave him out for 1-4 weeks.
• Isaiah Likely completely took over as the primary tight end, playing the vast majority of the team's offensive snaps the rest of the game.
• The preseason sensation continued where Andrews left off and was one of the game's top performers.
• Likely’s value off the waiver wire depends on the severity of Andrews’ injury.
• The Ravens play the Saints next week who have allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to tight ends, which would make him a borderline fantasy starter. Baltimore has their bye week the following week.
• The matchups in Weeks 11 and 12 are much more favorable for the Ravens' tight ends. Likely would have a lot of value in those games if Andrews is still out.

Monitor Rashod Bateman‘s health: Bateman suffered a foot injury in the first half and tried to return but ultimately was ruled out.

• He showed up on the injury report due to a foot injury on Tuesday after practicing in full on Monday. He was questionable.
• It’s unclear if this was the same foot that was injured during the game or not.
• Bateman played in nine of Baltimore's first 10 plays, so he appeared to not be limited to begin the game.
• He injured his foot on the first play of the second quarter. He came back for three plays later in the quarter but didn’t return for the second half.
• James Proche was serving as the team’s third wide receiver to start the game, playing in five of Baltimore's first 10 plays while Demarcus Robinson wasn’t playing at all.
• Both Proche and Robinson garnered significant increases in playing time after Bateman's injury, and Robinson led the wide receivers in receiving yards.
• This wide receiver rotation could get more complicated as soon as next week, with DeSean Jackson on the practice squad waiting to join the active roster.
• All of these players can be left on the waiver wire even if Bateman misses time. Devin Duvernay was the Ravens' top wide receiver on the depth chart for most of the game, but he still hasn’t topped 55 receiving yards this season. He’s much more touchdown dependent than most fantasy receivers.

Monitor Gus Edwards‘ health: Edwards was another player who was questionable before getting injured during the game.

• Kenyan Drake started the game and played in each of the first two drives.
• Edwards didn’t see much playing time, which could have been due to the injury and short week or because the Ravens weren’t planning on running much. He took 80% of the running back runs in the first half.
• He started receiving more touches in the second half and broke a 22-yard run early in the fourth quarter but was injured while getting tackled.
• Drake would likely take over as the primary rusher if Edwards misses any games, similar to his role in Week 6. He would be a clear waiver wire target if Edwards misses time, as several fantasy managers dropped him after Edwards' strong Week 7.

Julio Jones‘ return: The future Hall-of-Famer made his third appearance in a Buccaneers uniform this season. He missed the last few games with a knee injury.

• The Buccaneers didn’t have Russell Gage due to a hamstring injury, so Jones slid right into the team's third wide receiver spot.
• He did not play as many snaps as expected if healthy, as Scotty Miller took a significant number of snaps in three wide receiver sets in Jones' place.
• The Buccaneers tried running with Jones once, resulting in zero yards. He didn’t see his first target until the last seven minutes of the game because Tom Brady was solely focused on getting his top two receivers the ball.
• Jones scored a touchdown in the last minute, helping anyone who relied on him tonight, but it’s unlikely he will be a dependable fantasy asset this season.
• He can remain on the waiver wire in most formats.

Table Notes

• Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats have these plays removed.
• Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.
• Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.