Marlon Brown was a pleasant surprise for the Ravens last year as an undrafted rookie. He finished the season with 49 catches and 524 yards, but he also had seven touchdown receptions as he fought to maintain a spot as the WR2 in Baltimore. This year, he’ll be battling for the third spot on the depth chart with the addition of veteran Steve Smith from Carolina.
Fantasy Upside
Brown is a big target for quarterback Joe Flacco, standing 6’5, which helps explain why he caught seven touchdowns last season. He should be able to beat out Jacoby Jones for the WR3 spot, so he should manage to maintain a role in the Ravens offense, even if it will likely be smaller than what it was last year. Also, the Ravens offense was terrible last season, so upgrades on the offensive line and a new Offensive Coordinator in former Houston Head Coach Gary Kubiak should help the whole offense.
Fantasy Downside
Unfortunately, Brown isn’t likely to make it back to the starting lineup behind Torrey Smith and Steve Smith. He’ll likely remain a sub-package guy, might still get some red zone looks, and is not likely to see 81 targets again this season. Kubiak’s offense will also likely use two TE sets frequently, which may push his snaps and targets down even further. Brown also didn’t light the world on fire last season, despite playing in an offense that really needed someone to step up.
Bottom Line
Brown is worth noting, but not really worth drafting at this point. Unless something happens to one of the two players ahead of him on the depth chart, he’s unlikely to reproduce the numbers that he put up last season, and seven touchdowns seems like an anomaly if he doesn’t get back to the starting lineup.
