BAL · QB
Projected Points (PPR)
This week
No projection changes recorded this week.
AI-assisted · Researched and drafted by our automated pipeline, then checked for accuracy before publishing. How we make these
Lamar Jackson sits atop the depth chart as the unquestioned starter in Baltimore, a position he has held for his entire eight-year run with the franchise. Through four games in 2026 he has taken 87.8% of the offensive snaps, a figure consistent with how the Ravens have deployed him for years. The volume breakdown tells a specific story: 96 pass attempts against 19 rush attempts, a ratio that leans more toward the passing game than some of his earlier seasons when his legs carried a larger share of his production. He has completed 68 of those 96 attempts, a 70.83% completion rate that stands well above his 2025 full-season mark of 63.58%. The touchdown production has followed suit, with 6 passing touchdowns and 967 passing yards already in four games, pacing well ahead of last year's 21 touchdowns and 2,549 yards across 13 games. On the ground he has 144 rushing yards and 1 rushing touchdown on 19 carries, lower volume than his career norm but efficient when he has pulled the ball down. The receiving corps around him starts with Zay Flowers as the top wide receiver, and Mark Andrews remains the starting tight end, a security blanket Jackson has targeted for years in the red zone and on third down. Derrick Henry continues to handle the backfield work, which keeps a share of the called runs away from Jackson and shapes his rushing totals toward designed keepers and scrambles rather than a high-volume ground attack. The role itself has not changed: Jackson is the offense's engine, the first read on nearly every snap, and the Ravens continue to build their game plan around his dual-threat skill set even as the current split favors his arm.
The case for Lamar Jackson starts with efficiency. His 70.83% completion percentage this season is a meaningful jump from the 63.58% he posted across 2025, and his 6 touchdowns through 1 interception in four games reflects a quarterback playing with more precision than in recent memory. His 20 PPR points per game this season actually exceeds his 17.1 points per game from all of last year, and when a passer is completing more throws, limiting turnovers, and still finding the end zone at a strong clip, the underlying argument is that the passing game has become more dependable even if the raw rushing numbers have dipped. Mark Andrews gives him a reliable target who has run with him for years, and that familiarity matters in contested-catch and scramble-drill situations where chemistry shows up in the box score. Zay Flowers as the top wide receiver adds another weapon who can win vertically and after the catch, stretching defenses enough to keep throwing lanes open. The case against him centers on where he lands relative to the field. Despite the per-game bump, his position finish actually slipped from 20 in 2025 to 26 through the early portion of 2026, a sign that other players at his position have climbed faster or that the sample size swings matter less than raw accumulation over a full season. The rushing attempts, just 19 through four games, are a fraction of what fueled his best fantasy seasons, when his legs alone could produce more total yardage than many passers manage with their arms. If Derrick Henry continues to absorb a heavy share of the called runs, Jackson's per-game ceiling depends almost entirely on his arm, and passing touchdowns can swing more game to game than rushing production tends to. Seven interceptions across 2025's 302 attempts also show the turnover risk has not disappeared; it is one bad week away from resurfacing. The honest read is that Jackson has traded some of his rushing equity for passing efficiency, and that trade has so far produced a higher per-game scoring rate without yet translating into a higher position finish. Whether the raw accumulation catches up over a longer sample is the central question for the rest of the season. If the rushing workload ticks back up alongside the improved completion rate, his weekly ceiling could rival his best previous output. If it does not, he becomes a quarterback who wins with accuracy and touchdown efficiency rather than the explosive dual-threat profile that built his reputation.
Start him without hesitation in any format that rewards quarterback scoring, including single-quarterback and two-quarterback leagues. The underlying efficiency numbers, a 70.83% completion rate and 6 touchdowns against 1 interception in four games, support confidence even though his position finish of 26 this season trails his 20 finish from all of 2025. That gap is more about early-season sample noise than a signal to bench him. Managers who drafted him expecting the rushing totals of prior seasons should adjust expectations rather than their usage of him: with Derrick Henry absorbing carries and Jackson posting only 19 rush attempts so far, his value now leans more on the passing numbers, and that passing output has been strong enough to produce 20 PPR points per game. Keep Mark Andrews and Zay Flowers rostered alongside him where possible, since both remain central to how defenses must allocate their attention, which in turn supports Jackson's passing efficiency. There is no scenario here that calls for a wire add or a stash; he is firmly a weekly starter. The only thing that would change this recommendation is a sustained drop in rushing attempts paired with a return to the turnover rate seen in 2025, when he threw 7 interceptions across 302 attempts. Barring that combination, treat him as a set-and-forget starter every week.
Projections, injury status and news above update automatically. This section is rewritten when his role changes. Browse every player
Lamar Jackson has been ruled out against the Bengals because of his ankle injury. Tyler Huntley is expected to start in his place.
Jackson has been ruled out against Cincinnati, leaving Baltimore without its starting quarterback.
Oct 24, 6:00 PM ET
Sources:cincinnati.comarticle.wn.com