I am a big fan of Mike Evans. That might be a weird way to start a Zay Flowers article, but I’ll connect the dots. From the moment Evans entered the league, I enjoyed his game. Big, physical, and excellent at high-pointing a ball. The consecutive 1000-yard seasons helped too. Then I made the mistake so many fantasy managers make: chasing the next Mike Evans. Sometimes it works; Drake London and Tetairoa McMillan look good. Sometimes it goes oh so poorly. Looking at you, A.T. Perry. But what does any of this have to do with Zay Flowers?
Zay Flowers does not fit the Mike Evans mold, so I avoided him in fantasy football. As we head into 2026, it’s time to admit I made a mistake.
The Market Is Still Too Low on Zay Flowers
I’m the Problem, It’s Me
Let’s rewind to 2023 rookie drafts. In a league I share with Josh Hudson, I was up at the 1.09, and staring in the face of Zay Flowers or Dalton Kincaid. It was a decision I dreaded having to make, because a WR with first-round draft capital should have been the easy pick.
But he was just so small.
Five-foot-nine and barely 180 pounds. He was certainly no Mike Evans. No, thank you. I took Kincaid and the rest is history. No one has lost more games over the last three years than my absolutely awful dynasty team. I can’t blame it all on Kincaid. I’m also really bad at rebuilding a dynasty team. But Flowers probably would have helped.
I had a picture of an NFL receiver in my mind, and Flowers did not resemble what I was looking for. At his size, I expected slot usage at best on a Ravens team that leaned into the run and heavy personnel.
And I was wrong.
A Quick Look at the Career of Zay Flowers
In three seasons in the NFL, Flowers has been a do-it-all receiver in Baltimore. And far more importantly, he has been consistently good.
Zay Flowers Career Stats
- 2023: 108 targets – 77 catches – 858 yards – 5 TDs
- 2024: 116 targets – 74 catches – 1059 yards – 4 TDs
- 2025: 118 targets – 86 catches – 1211 yards – 5 TDs
Every season, his targets and receiving yards have increased. He’s also added 174 rushing yards and two TDs in his career. Zay Flowers is just plain good at football. His fantasy finishes in that span: WR31. WR25, WR7. After three years in the league, Zay Flowers is playing at a top-10 level.
Last season was easily his best. He posted career highs in target share and catch rate while maintaining his yardage efficiency and rushing usage. At 25 years old, he’s entering the prime of his career, yet fantasy managers are drafting him as if he’s about to regress.
And they are wrong.
Be sure to check our fantasy football preview of Zay Flowers and the 2026 Ravens!
The New Baltimore Ravens Offense
John Harbaugh is gone. Todd Monken is gone. Gone with them is any preconceived knowledge we have of this Ravens offense. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are still there, so we can still bet on the running game, but will new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle lean so heavily on their legs? History says probably not. And by “history,” I, of course, mean Doyle’s one-year history as the OC in Chicago. We don’t know a lot about Declan Doyle, but we know enough to work with.
Doyle was the offensive coordinator under Ben Johnson last year. Before that, he was an assistant to Sean Payton in Denver. To this point, he hasn’t called plays. That means we don’t have a Declan Doyle system. We have a Sean Payton system and a Ben Johnson system to learn from. Those are the clues.
In Denver, they averaged about 540 passes per season. In Chicago last year, that number was 574. Baltimore, by contrast, threw just 422 times last season, Zay Flowers’ best year.
If there’s one thing we can take from Doyle’s coaching history, it’s this: Payton and Johnson offenses have no issue hyper-targeting their best receiver. Think Michael Thomas, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Courtland Sutton. We didn’t see it so much in Chicago last year, but the best receiver might have been a tight end.
That matters here because in Baltimore, Zay Flowers is the best receiver, by a wide margin.
The team also lost Isaiah Likely and DeAndre Hopkins, replacing them with rookies at receiver and tight end. With the unproven talent around him, there is a very real possibility Flowers’ target share increases in 2026. His arrow is pointing up in every category. If the Ravens approach 500 passing attempts, Flowers could be even better this season. So he must be a top-10 pick, right? Not quite.
Zay Flowers 2026 Fantasy Outlook
After a top-10 finish in 2025, there is no world where Zay Flowers should be considered a sleeper in fantasy football. But when you look at his ADP, there is still value to be had. In current Underdog drafts, Flowers is going off the board as the WR14. It’s not egregious. But it’s probably a mistake.
Flowers is in his prime, playing in a new offense that should suit him even better, and remains the clear No. 1 receiver in Baltimore. A repeat feels well within reach, and another step forward is absolutely on the table. If you are a fantasy drafter who likes to start RB-RB, like me, he is the perfect WR1 to grab in Round 3.
Looking at my own projections, I have Flowers at 120 targets, finishing with 83 catches, 1118 yards, and seven TDs. Modest numbers, all in all, and he still comes in as my WR9 for the year. And I might be low here. If the Ravens throw the ball 525 or 550 times, there is a non-zero chance Flowers is a top-5 fantasy asset in the 3rd Round of your draft. That upside is what Robust RB drafters pray for, and Flowers might be the answer to those prayers.
Looking for your favorite team? This link will take you to the rest of our 2026 Look Inside team previews.
A Look Inside the Baltimore Ravens
Editor’s Note: While this article focused on Zay Flowers in fantasy football, we don’t want to leave you hanging on the rest of the team. Here is a quick look at the other fantasy-relevant Ravens.
Lamar Jackson
After an electric 2024, where Jackson scored 45 TDs (4 rushing) against just four INTs, expectations were high in 2025. Finishing as the QB20 was an obvious disappointment. Though he only missed four games, he dealt with injuries most of the year, and it seemingly destroyed his rushing upside. In fact, if you gave him all four of those games, his averages would still have left him at only QB12. That makes his current QB2 price tag concerning. He has league-winning upside, but you have to accept playoff-missing downside if you spend a 5th or 6th round pick on him.
Derrick Henry
There is nothing I can say here that hasn’t already been said about King Henry in his illustrious career. He was the RB8 last year, and he’s being underdrafted this year as long as he stays healthy. Father Time will catch up eventually, but I am done guessing when.
Rashod Bateman
Bateman has looked capable at times in his career, but 2025 was a disaster. He should have established himself as the WR2. Instead, he finished with fewer fantasy points than DeAndre Hopkins. The Ravens adding two WRs in the draft is not a good sign for Bateman’s tenure in Baltimore.
Jakobi Lane / Elijah Sarratt
The Ravens drafted Lane in the 3rd Round, and Sarratt in the 4th. Lane is a taller receiver who will play on the outside and thrive in contested catch situations. He could easily fill the hole left by Isaiah Likely, a tight end who was crucial in the red zone. Sarratt is more prototypical and has field-stretching ability. Basically, he’s a bigger, better Rashod Bateman. It may take some time for both to learn and earn their roles.
Mark Andrews
While the young guys find their footing, Andrews will once again be the number-two option in this passing game. Both systems Declan Doyle comes from value the tight end. Andrews sat around 70 targets in each of the last two seasons, with very different results. He was the TE6 in 2024 on the back of 11 TDs. Then, on the same volume in 2025, he fell to TE15, with large drops in yardage and TDs. He should see a small boost in targets this year, think 80-85, but if he truly lost a step last year, he may not be the value he looks like in your draft.
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Before you go, check out where Zay Flowers and the rest of the Ravens fall in our 2026 Fantasy Rankings!
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