BAL · WR
Projected Points (PPR)
This week
▼ -15.2 ptsAI-assisted · Researched and drafted by our automated pipeline, then checked for accuracy before publishing. How we make these
Zay Flowers sits sixth on Baltimore's depth chart by our board's listing convention, but that number reflects roster construction, not usage — on the field he is the primary target in the passing game. In 2025 he played all seventeen games, started all seventeen, and ran a route on 86% of Baltimore's offensive snaps, a figure that puts him squarely in the every-down category regardless of where he sits on a formal chart. He drew 118 targets across the season and turned them into 86 receptions, a catch rate of 72.9%, for 1,211 yards and five touchdowns. He also picked up ten carries for 62 yards, giving the offense a way to get him the ball outside the standard drop-back structure. Ten of his targets came in the red zone, evidence that the coaching staff trusts him near the goal line and not just as a chain-mover between the twenties. Through the opening game of 2026 that role has not shrunk in importance even though the snap share reported for that game, 29.4%, is a single-game figure attached to unusual circumstances rather than a new baseline. Six targets on the day became five catches, an 83.3% clip, for 150 yards and a touchdown, yielding 26 PPR points. That kind of per-target explosiveness — an average of 30 yards per catch on the day — is not sustainable as a rate, but it shows what happens when he gets clean releases and Lamar Jackson finds him downfield rather than underneath. The receiving role is the throughline: whatever the exact snap number in a given week, he remains the pass-catcher this offense goes to first when the ball is in the air.
The case for Zay Flowers starts with volume and finishes with efficiency. A 2025 line of 118 targets, 86 receptions, and 1,211 yards produced 243.3 PPR points across seventeen games, a 14.3-point weekly average that finished him seventh at his position in PPR scoring. That is not a marginal role player's stat line — it is the profile of a receiver who is targeted constantly and catches at a rate, 72.9%, that keeps him fantasy-relevant even in games where the big play does not arrive. The red-zone work matters too: ten targets inside the red zone is real touchdown opportunity, not incidental scoring. And Lamar Jackson's presence at quarterback is central to the whole case — Jackson's ability to extend plays and throw accurately on the move creates the kind of downfield opportunities that turned into a 14.1 yards-per-reception average last season and a 30-yard-per-catch showing to open 2026. The honest counter-argument is about how the ball gets distributed inside this offense. Derrick Henry remains the running back the offense is built to feed on early downs, and every carry that goes to Henry is a play where Zay Flowers is not getting the ball in his hands on the ground, even though his own rushing usage — ten attempts for 62 yards in 2025 — shows the coaching staff is willing to scheme him touches beyond standard routes. Mark Andrews still commands significant target share out of the tight end spot in the red zone and in the short-to-intermediate passing game, which can compress the number of high-value looks left for a wide receiver working the same underneath and intermediate areas. When Jackson leans on Andrews or Henry in a given week, Zay Flowers' target total can dip below what his overall snap share would suggest, and touchdown production concentrated at just five scores across a full season shows the ceiling still depends on red-zone looks staying available rather than guaranteed. The one-game 2026 snap share of 29.4% is worth flagging honestly rather than dismissing outright — even accounting for game-flow explanations, it is a real data point that a manager should watch for whether it repeats or proves to be an outlier. Put together, the profile is a receiver whose per-target efficiency and full-season target volume argue for a role that reliably produces close to fantasy-relevant numbers, tempered by a backfield and tight end situation that can pull looks away in individual weeks. The 2025 season-long numbers are the stronger evidence; the single 2026 game is too small a sample to overrule them but too notable to ignore.
Treat Zay Flowers as a starter in most lineup formats based on the season-long evidence: 118 targets, 86 receptions, and 243.3 PPR points across a full seventeen-game slate is a workload that supports weekly inclusion, not speculative stashing. His catch rate, 72.9%, and yards-per-reception mark, 14.1, show he produces both volume and explosive plays, which is the combination managers want in a flex or a second wide receiver slot. The strong opening in 2026 — 26 PPR points on just six targets — reinforces that when Lamar Jackson looks his way downfield, the payoff can be significant. What should change the calculus is the snap share trend. A single game showing 29.4% of offensive snaps is a number worth tracking over the following few weeks; if that becomes a pattern rather than a one-game anomaly, it would suggest the coaching staff is deploying him more selectively even while his per-target output stays strong. Watch how targets are split with Mark Andrews in scoring position and how many touches Derrick Henry continues to command on early downs, since both affect how often the ball realistically reaches Zay Flowers in a given week. Absent a clear drop in route participation over multiple games, he belongs in lineups as a confident starting option, particularly in contexts that reward catches and yardage over touchdown-dependent scoring.
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He has been declared inactive for the game against the Saints, creating a major target-shift for fantasy lineups.
Sep 20, 12:35 PM ET
Source:USA TODAY
Flowers has been downgraded to out for today’s game against the Saints, so fantasy managers need to remove him from lineups immediately. Baltimore also placed T.J. Tampa on injured reserve and elevated Carl Jones to the active roster.
Sep 20, 9:20 AM ET
Source:USA TODAY
He is doubtful with a hamstring injury and is expected to miss Sunday’s game.
Flowers has been downgraded from doubtful to out for Sunday against the Saints. He will not play, so fantasy managers need to replace him immediately.
Sep 19, 4:35 PM ET
Source:NBC Sports
Flowers missed Wednesday's practice with a hamstring issue after aggravating it in Week 1. His Week 2 status is now murky, making him a risky fantasy start until more clarity arrives.
Sep 16, 5:55 PM ET
Sources:USA TODAYCBS Sports