Instant fantasy football takeaways from Bengals-Ravens Thursday Night Football

• The Baltimore Ravens can’t stop Yes’Marr Chase: Chase has 20 receptions for 457 yards and four touchdowns in two games against the Ravens this season.

• Newly traded players have minimal impact: The Cincinnati Bengals was recently traded for running back Khalil Herbertwhile the Ravens traded for wide receiver Diontae Johnsonbut neither of them has played much on offense yet.

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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

PFF’s fantasy football roundup focuses on player usage and stats, breaking down all the key information you need to achieve fantasy success in 2024.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens

Keaton Mitchell returns: The Ravens’ second-year running back was activated from injured reserve before the game.

Mitchell, an undrafted rookie last season, posted the second-highest rushing grade among running backs in 2023, albeit on a limited sample of 47 carries. He led the league with 8.4 yards per carry, with an impressive 40.4% of his runs resulting in first downs. His 0.32 avoided tackles per carry ranked second among running backs.

Unfortunately, his season was cut short by a torn cruciate ligament. After starting this season on injured reserve, Mitchell recently returned to practice. In his first game back, he played primarily on special teams and only played two offensive snaps late in the first quarter.

While Mitchell’s return could easily impact the playing time of Derrick Henry And Justice Hill With everyone healthy, the Ravens could turn to him more often if they want to secure a lead. Mitchell also remains a valuable handcuff option because of the talent he showed last year and Baltimore’s commitment to the run.

Diontae JohnsonThe role is not expanded: Johnson’s involvement was limited, with just a few snaps spread throughout the game – fewer than last week.

Johnson was traded from the Panthers to the Ravens nine days ago and played a limited role in his first game (Week 9), playing 17 of a possible 51 offensive snaps. He spent most of his playing time in the second half, as he only played three snaps in the first half, the rest coming after the Ravens had a two-point lead.

Many expected Johnson to get at least as much playing time this week if he was given more time to learn the playbook and Isaiah probably‘s injury. While he played a higher percentage of snaps on the 11-person roster, he did not play in any one or two wide receiver sets, with all of his snaps coming in lieu of Nelson Agholor.

Ideally, Johnson will soon take over most of Agholor’s snaps on 11 personnel and earn additional snaps in two-wide receiver sets. The Ravens face a tough schedule in the coming weeks, followed by a bye before a more favorable stretch in the fantasy playoffs. Even if Johnson isn’t a promising option in the near future, he could be a valuable lottery ticket as a wide receiver for a possible breakthrough near the playoffs.

Ravens adapt without Isaiah probably: The Ravens’ rotation tight end was inactive due to a hamstring injury.

The Ravens followed a predictable tight end rotation through the first nine weeks. In 11 staff, Mark Andrews typically plays 65% of snaps Isaiah probably takes care of the remaining 35%.

The two share the field with 12 people; in 21 staff, Charlie Kolar sees 54% of the snaps, Andrews 30% and Likely 17%. Out of 22 personnel packages, Likely and Kolar took the most snaps.

With Likely out, the Ravens did not activate a tight end to the practice squad. Instead, Andrews played all snaps on the 11th team, while Kolar filled in for Likely on the 12th team, extending playing time for both. The Ravens’ 22 personnel usage has also dropped significantly, dropping from an average of 14 plays per game (Weeks 3-7) to minimal usage since Week 8. In the few snapshots of 22 employees, Andrews replaced Likely.

Andrews finished the game with six catches for 68 yards and a touchdown, leading the Ravens in receiving yards Tylan Wallace‘s 84-yard touchdown. If Likely continues to be sidelined, Andrews will become an even more reliable fantasy option than he was in the first nine weeks.

Khalil Herbert makes brief debut for Cincinnati: Herbert was the only running back traded at Tuesday’s trade deadline, coming from the Chicago Bears.

Bengals RB Zack Moss landed on injured reserve earlier this week and is likely out for the season, prompting the Bengals to trade for a running back from Chicago. Even though he was only with the team for 60 hours, he was active in the game.

Herbert played primarily on special teams but made his offensive debut early in the third drive. However, he mishandled a handoff, resulting in an error that was credited Joe Burrow, but in the end it was Herbert’s mistake. After that, offensive snaps didn’t occur again until the end of the third quarter.

With more practice time, Herbert could potentially become the team’s third-down back and cut-in Chase Brownis game time. Herbert has shown similar effectiveness as a runner per game to Brown, suggesting he could eventually earn a more prominent role. For now, the Bengals are relying on it Sample drawn And Tanner Hudson in the backfield with clear passes. Sample has filled this role occasionally throughout the year and may continue to do so in the future.

Jermaine Burton Starts for the Bengals: Cincinnati was down two wide receivers for another week T-shirt Higgins And Charlie Jones Inactive due to injury.

Higgins missed time early in the season Trenton Irwin stepping in as his main replacement. When Higgins was sidelined again in Week 8, Burton stepped up and played 24 of 55 offensive snaps. Although reports indicated Burton would play a larger role last week, he missed Saturday’s walkthrough and was ultimately inactive.

This week, Burton was active, starting the game as the third wide receiver, similar to Week 8, occasionally rotating with Irwin, particularly on rushing plays. While Burton probably won’t be relevant in fantasy leagues this season, he still has the potential to make a big play or two – especially with Higgins still sidelined.

Bengals adjust without Erick All: The Bengals tight end landed on injured reserve after tearing his ACL.

Erick All played 21% of 11-person snaps and 76% of 12-person snaps throughout the season. This week, however, all three of the Bengals’ tight ends saw increased usage due to a variety of factors. Tanner Hudson Filled in as the primary backup on 12 personnel, playing multiple snaps Mike Gesicki also saw more snaps in this formation. In 11 staff, Gesicki and Sample drawn split snap fasteners.

injuries Zack Moss And T-shirt Higgins further increased the involvement of the tight ends. The Bengals often used 03 personnel in third-and-long (3rd-and-7-plus) situations and used that package more in this game than any other team all season. In these sets, Gesicki often lined up in the slot — where a third wide receiver would normally be — and a combination of Hudson, Sample or both took snaps in the backfield, filling in for Moss.

As the running back and wide receiver rotations stabilize, Hudson’s snap count should remain elevated, with slight increases expected for Gesicki and Sample compared to earlier in the season.

Various notes

The Ravens’ fifth-round rookie running back Rasheen Ali was inactive for the fourth straight game due to an ankle injury. Once he’s ready, he could be a healthy inactive Keaton Mitchell is back.

The Bengals added undrafted rookie Kendall Milton to the active roster a week ago as the team’s third running back. With Herbert in the squad, Minton was a healthy inactive. He will likely be released and then reinstated to the practice squad.

Sixth-round rookie of the Bengals Tanner McLachlan had been a healthy inactive all season and was the fifth tight end on the depth chart. Instead of adding him to the game day roster this week, they drafted an undrafted rookie Cam Grandy from the practice squad and served as the fourth tight end in the game.

Table notes

• Snaps include plays that are called back due to penalties, including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. These plays have been removed from the other three statistics.