Countdown to 2021 fantasy football drafts: Mark Andrews No. 55

The 2020 Baltimore Ravens offense didn’t live up to their 2019 version, which showed in individual passing and receiving stats the most. Tight end Mark Andrews saw a drop off in every statistic, but still managed to finish as the sixth-best fantasy tight end at a weak position. There is plenty of room for Andrews to return back to his 2020 form this season.

To commemorate the 2021 NFL season, we’ll be counting down the 75 best fantasy football players in the league. Picking a Top 75 is subjective, especially when you are projecting a whole season of accumulated fantasy points, but that’s part of the fun. We’ll assume what I see as an average league, which is 12 teams, .5 PPR scoring and a roster of 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE, & 1RB/WR/TE. Kickers and defenses need not apply.

Change is the nature of the NFL beast, so trades and injuries will likely impact this list as we go along, but hey, this isn’t rocket science. We’re here to have a little fun and build up some much needed anticipation for a league cast in the shadow by baseball, soccer, hockey, etc. Sarcasm aside, the NFL is addictive and we’re here to give your daily fix as we close in on the season.

The official and often updated fantasy football drafting tiers can be found here.

No. 55, Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens, TE

Andrews missed two games and caught 58-of-88 targets for 701 yards and seven touchdowns. In 2019 he had 64 receptions on 98 targets for 852 yards and 10 touchdowns in 15 games. He missed time in 2020 due to Covid-19 along with many of his teammates. Out of all the teams last season, The Ravens likely suffered the most as a team due to the pandemic.

Competition for touches

Andrews led the team in targets in 2019 and was second to Marquise Brown in 2020, but still led in targets per game. Efficiency is the key to the Ravens passing offense, as their running game is so good that they can hit big plays in the passing game when defenses key too heavily on the run. Andrews is a huge part of those big plays, which can make him inconsistent.

The Ravens did add Sammy Watkins in free agency and drafted wide receiver Rashod Bateman, but Andrews is still going to be No. 1 or 2 in targets on the team.

Team offensive expectations

The Ravens should be able to get back on track this season, but even in a down year they were a Top 10 offense in the league. They still have upside to be the top offense in the league like they were in 2019.

What’s his upside?

Andrews has Top 4 tight end upside if the Ravens offense is clicking. His big play and touchdown scoring potential are right up there with George Kittle and Travis Kelce. His lack of big targets is the only thing that keeps him out of their tier.

What’s his downside?

Lamar Jackson would need to take another step backwards in 2021 to really drag Andrews down this season. But he doesn’t have to be Patrick Mahomes in this offense to make Andrews a strong fantasy play this season.

Projection

70 receptions, 100 targets, 900 yards, 9 touchdowns