The Baltimore Ravens have Justin Forsett as a prime fantasy sleeper this season and the team hopes that Breshad Perriman can be a factor once he is healthy for Joe Flacco and this comes as Maxx Williams and Crockett Gillmore will compete at tight end, while Steve Smith Sr. has announced that he will retire from the NFL after this season.
The Ravens are coming into the season with high expectations and Joe Flacco said that he thinks the offense could be the best he has had in years. Last season Flacco put up some strong numbers and while the Ravens are without Torrey Smith after his departure to the 49ers in free agency, the team thinks it can replace his production. The Ravens picked Breshad Perriman high in the draft and the team is hopeful that Steve Smith Sr. and Marlon Brown can stay healthy on offense this season.
According to Pro Football Talk, Perriman has not been able to get on the field on a consistent basis for the Ravens and he is likely not playing in the first preseason game of the season. Perriman comes in while dealing with a knee injury and that happened on the first day of training camp. The young wideout has missed a stretch of 10 practices and now he may have to really earn a starting job once he is healthy enough to come back.
According to ESPN, Smith has announced that he will retire after this season. Smith comes in after a strong season with 79 catches for 1065 yards and now his 15th season will be his last. Smith is going to be a main weapon for Flacco with Perriman, while Justin Forsett returns after a breakout season. Maxx Williams was drafted out of Minnesota and he has some potential, but it looks like Gillmore will start out of camp. Forsett should be a major fantasy sleeper after finishing with over 1200 yards last season.
Marc Trestman spoke to ESPN.com and said that he and the team are not worried about Perriman's progression. Trestman said that he is "not going to get behind" learning the offensive system and that Perriman is a "smart young man" and should be fine once he gets back. Perriman has been out of practice, but there is still a lot of time for him to get experience in camp and in the preseason. Perriman was considered to be one of the fastest players coming out of the draft this year and the Ravens want him to be a deep threat for Flacco, taking over the role from Smith, who had a knack for finding the endzone.
Perriman comes in with great speed, but his ball catching ability has come under fire and that is one area he can work on. According to Pro Football Talk, drops were the biggest issue for Perriman in college and he comes in after dropping eight balls last season. Perriman had 50 catches for over 1,000 yards last season for UCF while putting up nine touchdowns. Perriman has some NFL blood from his father and he should be able to step up and be a major factor for the Ravens this season after being the 26th overall pick in the draft.