The NFL season is officially here, and it only took one game for months and months of preparation to go out the window. Mark Andrews is one of the top tight ends in fantasy football and was the third tight end off the board by average draft position. With a proven track record and paired with an elite quarterback in Lamar Jackson, the former third-round pick seemed to be one of the safest bets in fantasy. However, he had a disastrous debut, recording just two receptions for 14 yards on two targets while fellow tight end Isaiah Likely led the team with nine receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets.
On the surface, this is a terrible look for Mark Andrews that could lead to a Week 2 benching in fantasy football. However, experienced players know that weird things happen in one-week samples. Last year at this time, Joshua Kelley, Roschon Johnson, Kendrick Bourne, and Hunter Henry all had top-12 finishes and none of those players maintained their success throughout the season. So, is this the end of Mark Andrews, or can you trust him in Week 2 and beyond?
Fantasy Football: Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely Outlook
The Usage
Isaiah Likely dramatically outproduced Mark Andrews in Week 1 on the stat sheet, but experienced players know that process can matter more than results. If this truly is the end of Mark Andrews in fantasy football, it would show in the snap counts. It goes without saying that players can’t score fantasy points from the bench, and they also can’t produce if they’re blocking instead of running routes.
Fortunately, the underlying metrics look promising for the fantasy football futures of both Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely. According to Nathan Jahnkie of Pro Football Focus, Andrews played 59 snaps and ran 38 routes. By comparison, Likely played 53 snaps and ran 35 routes. This equal usage varies from 2023 when Andrews averaged 27 routes per game while Likely averaged 15.4, which suggests a more even split in 2024. However, the fact these two were third and fourth, respectively, in snap count suggests Baltimore wants both players to be featured parts of the passing attack. Now, the question becomes whether Mark Andrews just had a bad week, or if he’s starting to reach the end of his career.
Is This It For Mark Andrews In Fantasy Football?
Back in 2021, then-Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green returned to the field after missing all of 2020 and a sizable portion of 2019. The former superstar saw plenty of snaps and targets early in the season but couldn’t make the most of his opportunities. Eventually, the Cincinnati Bengals learned that the former first-round pick had nothing left in his tank, so they eventually decreased his role and built their passing game around rookie Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd. Now on the older side, could something similar happen to Mark Andrews in fantasy football?
While anything is possible, the answer is probably no. Today is Andrews’ 29th birthday, and while he is getting up there in years, he’s not at the age where tight end production tends to fall off a cliff. According to Marvin Elequin, tight ends slow down in their age-31 season, so Andrews should have a few more years of reliable production left in his tank. Chances are, Week 1 was nothing more than an outlier for Mark Andrews in fantasy football. So, if Andrews keeps running routes without a dropoff in talent, can this offense support two tight ends in fantasy?
Sharing the Workload
Last year, Mark Andrews was Baltimore’s top fantasy football tight end when healthy. That might not be the case in 2024, and Andrews and Likely saw similar snaps and you’re not going to bench a player after he records nine receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown against a good Kansas City Chiefs defense. These two will cap each other’s respective ceilings, but the Ravens should have enough targets to keep both players fantasy-relevant.
As expected, Zay Flowers was the top receiver in Baltimore’s offense, as he saw 10 targets in Week 1. However, he turned this work into just six receptions for 37 yards. Rashod Bateman, meanwhile, turned his five targets into two receptions for 53 yards. Flowers will continue to see targets, but Andrews and Likely should be the second and third options in the passing attack. If you somehow have both Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely on your fantasy football roster, start Likely next week. However, both players should be startable assets on your team for the rest of the season.
Main Photo: Jay Biggerstaff – USA Today Sports
