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The Baltimore Ravens selected wide receiver Zay Flowers with the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. In his final college season at Boston College, he brought in 78 passes for 1,077 yards and 12 touchdowns on a subpar offense.
Flowers led the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in touchdowns and yards after the catch (503) in 2022. There’s no doubt the young wideout – who ran a 4.42, 40-time – is a versatile receiver. He will likely occupy the starting slot job right away in Baltimore.
Will that lead to him finishing as the top fantasy rookie wideout in 2023? What's his fantasy football outlook? Let's dive in.
Zay Flowers Fantasy Football Outlook
The landing spot for Flowers might not be the most ideal fantasy one among the rookie wide receivers. Despite likely starting in the slot in Week 1, the 22-year-old wideout's fantasy outlook might be murky in his first season, given the Ravens rejuvenated wide receiver room.
Third-year wideout Rashod Bateman will be back from his foot injury, tight end Mark Andrews will once again garner a ton of targets, and the team signed Odell Beckham Jr. to a one-year deal this offseason. Quarterback Lamar Jackson finally has a handful of weapons to throw to, and all four players – including Flowers – will likely have a big part in Baltimore's offense.
Let's also hope the Ravens stick by their off-season mantra of wanting to throw the ball more in 2023. Last season, Baltimore aired it out just 49.8% of the time, the third-fewest in the NFL. If that low passing percentage continues this year, Flowers likely won't have much fantasy value in his rookie season.
Early Rookie Wide Receiver Draft Trends
So far in fantasy football drafts, Jordan Addison of the Vikings is off the board first, followed by Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seahawks, Quentin Johnston of the Chargers, and Flowers after that. On RotoBaller, Addison is ranked the highest at WR39, Flowers comes in at WR41, Smith-Njigba at WR47, and Johnston at WR50.
Addison's landing spot in Minnesota puts him immediately in the WR2 role as a rookie, making him most likely to lead the rookie class in targets. We must remember that he's still stuck behind All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
Flowers' fantasy outlook likely depends on how frequently the team throws the ball this season. If Baltimore becomes a pass-heavy offense, the rookie could consistently put up solid fantasy numbers. He certainly has plenty of upside and can be a weekly WR3/high-end flex play in 2023. The Ravens wideout definitely has a path to be the top-scoring rookie wide receiver this season. However, the team will need to throw consistently for that to happen.
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