Being able to scramble is such a big part of Lamar Jackson’s game.
A knee injury held Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson out of practice twice in the lead-up to their rivalry game vs. the Cincinnati Bengals. It was more of a precautionary measure more than anything, but again, it is something. Jackson needs to be able to make plays with his feet to really tap into all that makes him such a special player. Will this be an issue vs. the Bengals?
The Fantasy Footballers recognize it for what it is. Jackson could go out there and dominate Joe Burrow and the Bengals en route to an easy Week 5 victory. Cincinnati is improved, and that’s undeniable. However, the Bengals still remain the worst team in the AFC North at this time. Talent is on the Ravens’ side in this game, but if they don’t play hard, they can lose this one at home.
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In four starts this season, Jackson has completed 68.4 percent of his passes for 769 yards, seven touchdowns and an interception. As a runner, he has 39 carries for 235 yards and a rushing touchdown he had last week in the Ravens’ win over the Washington Football Team. Though Baltimore may face a similar level of competition this week, what if Jackson is not mobile?
How concerned should we be about Lamar Jackson as a fantasy player?
We have to accept that Jackson will not repeat as NFL MVP in 2020. That’s fine because it’s so difficult to repeat as a winner of that most prestigious award. However, teams might have started to figure out how to slow down “Action Jackson” and the plus-one offensive attack of Greg Roman. While his accuracy is improving, Jackson is not exactly throwing for a ton of yards this season.
In four games this season, Jackson has not surpassed the 300-yard passing threshold. This may be by design, but if he’s not able to counterbalance that with his scrambling ability, then he’s not really worth being your undisputed QB1 anymore. There’s a chance you may have overdrafted him, and could be getting better fantasy football production from your QB2 just chilling on your bench.
So should you start Jackson anyway in Week 5 vs. the Bengals? Yes, because this is a favorable matchup vs. an opponent the Ravens know very well. However, if he can’t get you 20 fantasy points or approach it this week vs. Cincinnati, then maybe you need to look at seeing who’s backing him up for you and play it week-by-week over who you should start at Q1 in fantasy football.