The Baltimore Ravens lost to the Bengals this weekend in Week 8, but Lorenzo Taliaferro was not a reason why and now he is one of the best fantasy football pickups for the team, as Bernard Pierce was out this week and he could be strong along with Steve Smith, Owen Daniels and Torrey Smith going forward into Week 9 for quarterback Joe Flacco.
Taliaferro and Justin Forsett have stepped in well for Bernard Pierce and Ray Rice this season and after some early strong play from Forsett, it looks like Taliaferro is the starter now. Taliaferro had two touchdowns in the game against the Bengals and with Pierce being a healthy scratch, it's looking more and more likely that Taliaferro will be getting the RB1 carries at least for the next few weeks.
The Ravens have been able to move on fine without Ray Rice, as Taliaferro and Forsett have played well in his absence. It's strange for how bad Rice was last season and how easy the team has moved on from his player wise that they did all they could to hide from what happened in that elevator, but the latest news with Rice should bring the truth out of what the Ravens knew. Either way, Taliaferro had 27 yards in the game for two touchdowns on the ground and he also added two catches for 42 yards and now he has 226 yards and four scores on the season.
Flacco has been playing well for the Ravens and Steve Smith has been one of the best fantasy football surprises of the season. Smith has not put up great numbers in the past couple weeks, but he has been a pleasant surprise for the Ravens and now he has the chance to be a strong target the rest of the season for Flacco. Smith has put together a strong season with 41 catches for 675 yards and four touchdowns, but he has not had more than five catches since back in Week 4 and has not been over 100 yards since Week 6.
In the previous week, the Ravens had a huge day for fantasy football owners and Flacco was the top performer with five touchdowns in the game against the Buccaneers and both Torrey Smith and Steve Smith got in on the action and all three are strong starts for the rest of the season after putting up that performance. The Ravens have played well despite losing Ray Rice and they have the chance to make the playoffs after missing out last season.
The Ravens came into weekend with a big game against the Bengals and Steve Smith, Bernard Pierce and Torrey Smith were all strong start options for Joe Flacco the matchup. Those names had the chance to step up for fantasy owners and with the way the Cincinnati defense had been playing of late, but it was Taliaferro who had the best day and now he is the top pick up from the team. Both Smith boys are strong WR starts moving forward, while Pierce is basically a non-factor for this season until he can prove he can get back into the lineup on a consistent basis.
