Fantasy Index

header banner img
OUR FANTASY BASEBALL MAGAZINE IS BACK! PRE-ORDER NOW
Win here.

Around the NFL

Ravens love Jackson

Baltimore experimenting with formations with 2 QBs

It’s becoming more apparent that Lamar Jackson will get on the field sooner rather than later. At their current workouts, the Ravens have him lining up with Joe Flacco in formations with two quarterbacks.

"Gosh, I sure like him out there helping us," says John Harbaugh in an ESPN article. "If you put two quarterbacks on the field at once, what options does it create for our offense? That's what we're trying to figure out."

I’m leery of formations that include both Jackson and Flacco. How would such a formation be better than simply subbing in Jackson for a few plays? Flacco is an immobile pocket passer so how is it supposed to scare defenses when he splits out as a wide receiver. If I were a cornerback, I would be far more concerned if Michael Crabtree or John Brown was lined up on the other side.

But there’s definitely been an on-going love with Jackson. He’s got elite speed, and that’s caused problems for Baltimore’s defenders in drills. My hunch is he’ll be Baltimore’s starting quarterback in the second half of the season. Maybe sooner.

"Once he gets out of the pocket, it’s like watching a young Michael Vick," says C.J. Mosley in another article written by Jamison Hensley. "It’s amazing to watch.”

History has shown us that when a young quarterback takes the league by storm – Vince Young, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson, Robert Griffin III, Cam Newton – there’s usually a running dimension involved. And Jackson in college put up some pretty slick running numbers.

Among quarterbacks selected in the first and second rounds, 29 times in the last 20 years we’ve seen quarterbacks ran for over 500 yards in a college season. Jackson is the only one in that group who’s run for over 1,500 yards, and he’s done it twice.

COLLEGE QUARTERBACKS / RUSHING STATS
YearPlayerAttYardsAvgTD
2016Lamar Jackson2321,6016.9018
2017Lamar Jackson2601,5716.0421
2010Cam Newton2641,4735.5820
2012Johnny Manziel2011,4107.0121
2010Colin Kaepernick1731,2066.9720
2009Colin Kaepernick1611,1837.3516
2008Colin Kaepernick1611,1307.0217
2015Deshaun Watson2071,1055.3412
2004Vince Young1671,0796.4614
2005Vince Young1551,0506.7712
2003Vince Young1359987.3911
2007Jake Locker1729865.7313
2015Lamar Jackson1639605.8911
2009Tim Tebow2179104.1914
2007Tim Tebow2108954.2623
2008Robert Griffin III1738434.8713
2014Marcus Mariota1357705.7015
2013Johnny Manziel1447595.279
2012Marcus Mariota1067527.095
2013Marcus Mariota967157.459
2011Robert Griffin III1796993.9110
1999Michael Vick1316825.219
2008Tim Tebow1766733.8212
2014Carson Wentz1386424.656
2010Robert Griffin III1496354.268
2004Alex Smith1356314.6710
2016Deshaun Watson1656293.819
2000Michael Vick1046175.938
2007Colin Kaepernick1055935.656

—Ian Allan

Fantasy Index