Mark Andrews has established himself as one of the most consistently reliable tight ends in fantasy, finishing TE5, TE1, TE4, and TE2 over the past four years, respectively. He has been the best TE option not named Travis Kelce, and there's really no room for an argument.
That said, he's also about to turn 28, he's been missing practices in the run-up to Week 1, and he's coming off a down year (for him). So, should we draft him as a high-ceiling bounce-back candidate or fade him entirely at his relatively lofty ADP?
Let's get right to it. Here's what we know about Andrews' injury, a full breakdown of his outlook, rankings, and ADP, and whether the Ravens tight end makes for a wise fantasy draft pick for 2023.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2023 Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Mark Andrews injury update: How long will Ravens' TE be out?
UPDATE 9/4: According to ESPN's Jamison Hensley, Andrews is expected to return to practice on Wednesday.
Monday, Aug. 28 marked Andrews' third consecutive missed practice, leading to widespread concerns from the fantasy community regarding the stud tight end's draft value. Even worse, the Ravens have failed to elaborate on the injury itself, so we have no idea how to even ascertain a severity level or timetable for return.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Monday, "You don't need to panic. Tell the fans it's gonna be okay. He should be out there practicing next week, I expect him to play in the game (Week 1), and he should be fine. So that's where we're at with that."
Okay, thanks John. Phew. So, the undisclosed injury that's keeping your best skill-position player sidelined 10 days before the NFL season kicks off is nothing? Give us the old "don't panic," but don't ask me any more about this? Sorry to say it, but providing less detail makes us more concerned. If it was just a slight ankle turn, just say it. Leaving the masses to stew about in uncertainty is what causes panic — and lowers fantasy draft stock.
2023 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Ks | Top 200 | S-Flex | IDP
Mark Andrews' 2023 fantasy ranking and ADP
You can probably already guess where Andrews stands in our 2023 fantasy rankings. He's the No. 2 TE in both our PPR and standard rankings, behind only Travis Kelce. That's probably because he has averaged 14.3 PPR points per game since his 2019 Pro Bowl season and finished as a top-five TE in each of the past four seasons despite a handful of missed games over that four-year stretch.
If you're targeting an elite tight end and couldn't bag Kelce in the first round, Andrews should be the top name circled on your queue. It will probably cost you a pretty penny, though. According to FantasyPros' ADP, Andrews has been going at pick No. 28 on average, right near the start of the third round in 12-team leagues. After him, we don't see T.J. Hockenson until pick No. 46, and George Kittle and Darren Waller don't pop up until the 52-55 range.
2023 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Ks | Top 200 | S-Flex | IDP
Mark Andrews' fantasy outlook 2023
If not for the fact that Andrews plays in the same era as the best pass-catching tight end of all time, Andrews would be getting a lot more love by this point in his career. He has 180 catches over the past two seasons even though Lamar Jackson missed a combined 10 games over that stretch. It's easy to imagine Andrews mounting his second All-Pro campaign in three years.
2023 FANTASY SLEEPERS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Each Team
It's also just as easy for Andrews to hit a wall, get hurt, or see target share reduction due to a freshly rejuvenated Baltimore receiving corps. While the Ravens wideout room has been decimated by injuries over the past few years, it enters 2023 stocked with perennial sleeper candidate Rashod Bateman, veteran Odell Beckham Jr., and rookie Zay Flowers. Even if L-Jax runs less and throws more, that's a lot of mouths for him to feed.
2023 AUCTION VALUES (Standard & PPR):
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Ks | Overall
And what about this mystery injury? If it was really nothing, why wouldn't Harbaugh just tell us rather than insisting we "don't panic"? Our friends at Draft Sharks list Andrews as a "high risk" to get injured this season, projecting him to miss between one and two games. His most recent ailments involved his knee and shoulder around Halloween of last year, for which he missed a game and a half of regular-season action.
2023 POSITION TIERS & DRAFT STRATEGY:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/ST
Andrews is a beast — he runs routes with precision, he has nasty footwork and strong hands, and his 6-5, 256-pound frame makes him a brutal ball-carrier to take down in the open field. Among all tight ends since 2019, he ranks in the top three in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and TDs. If he slips to the fourth or fifth round, you simply have to draft him, but we understand if you don't want to use a mid-to-late second-round pick or early third-round pick on him. If that's the case, wait for T.J. Hockenson, George Kittle, or Dallas Goedert a few rounds later.
