Getty Ravens QB Lamar Jackson
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has taken the league by storm in his second NFL season. Jackson leads all players, regardless of position, in fantasy football points through two games with 64.44 points.
As good as Jackson’s been to kick off 2019, Sunday will be his first true battle with an upper-echelon NFL quarterback. And by upper-echelon, we mean the pinnacle. Will Jackson be able to keep up and possibly outduel the reigning league MVP Patrick Mahomes today?
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Lamar Jackson Fantasy Outlook vs. Kansas City Chiefs
When whispers of the Ravens intent to unveil a new era of offense into the NFL began circulating during training camp, this is not what we expected. What we envisioned was a college-like spread system that Lamar Jackson excelled in during his time at Louisville. Instead, Baltimore has gifted us with a top-four passing offense.
Jackson, the self-proclaimed running back, has taken major steps as an NFL quarterback this season. The quarterback took the offseason to hone in on his craft. Jackson bulked up in the offseason and worked on his mechanics. In return, he leads the NFL in TD-INT ratio and passer rating.
It’s safe to say Jackson’s numbers were slightly skewed due to the fact that he faced off against the utterly miserable Miami Dolphins in Week 1. That’s no knock on Jackson, but rather a haymaker on the entire Dolphins organization. Still, Jackson proved in Week 2 that his impressive Week 1 performance was no fluke. Jackson’s chameleon-like ability to be a pure pocket passer one week, and the league’s best dual-threat QB the next based on matchups, makes him fantasy gold moving forward.
Kansas City has slightly improved this season at defending the passing game, however, leaves much to be desired. The Chiefs have gone from allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to QBs on a per-game basis in 2018 to the 13th this year.
Kansas City defense is tied for the fourth-most touchdown passes allowed in the first two weeks of the NFL season. The Chiefs also allowed 25+ fantasy points to the combination of Nick Foles and Gardner Minshew in Week 1. While one has a Super Bowl MVP under his belt, and one likes to work out with very little under his belt, none are more lethal weapons than Jackson.
Should You Start or Sit Lamar Jackson in Week 3?
This shouldn’t be much of a question at this point. Jackson has been the best fantasy option through two weeks of play regardless of position. Kansas City defensive struggles have been masked, yet still seep through on film.
The one concern you could have for Jackson is that Mahomes and company jump out to a large lead, forcing Jackson to play outside of his comfort zone, leading to silly mistakes. However, Baltimore ranks second in the NFL in total defense and will likely do enough on that side of the ball to allow Jackson to play within himself.
Start Lamar Jackson in all leagues today.
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