Calvin Ridley or Zay Flowers: Week 9 Start/Sit Advice and Fantasy Projections

The Baltimore Ravens are really not messing around. With the NFL trade deadline swiftly approaching, general manager Eric DeCosta decided he didn't want to sit on his hands and wait for the deals to come to him. By trading for wantaway Carolina Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson, the Ravens sent the rest of the league a warning.

That the move came after a pretty humbling defeat at the hands of the then-1-win Cleveland Browns who had Jameis Winston under center in his first start this year was pretty telling.

In any case, Johnson's arrival changes things for this Ravens offense, especially from a fantasy point of view. Will Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews' targets dwindle? Will we see a change of roles for their WR1 to accommodate Johnson? Here's all you need to know about Flowers' fantasy outlook against the Denver Broncos.

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Zay Flowers' fantasy outlook for Week 9

Flowers clearly doesn't have a problem with Johnson joining this receiving corps. Prior to the former Panthers wideout moving to Baltimore, the Ravens lacked a true WR2 despite Rashod Bateman's best attempts to fill that role.

Johnson's arrival, however, complicates matters for Flowers' fantasy outlook. We'll only know how much his target share goes down after Sunday's matchup with the Denver Broncos but the primary concern here is that Flowers will be shadowed by Patrick Surtain II.

The Broncos cornerback had a pretty fun night locking down all of D.K. Metcalf, Mike Evans, George Pickens, and Garrett Wilson - none of these WRs managed to surpass 30 receiving yards when PSII was on them. Johnson's arrival further complicates matters for Flowers, especially given the state of the Broncos' defense.

Calvin Ridley's fantasy outlook for Week 9

Ridley made the league stand up and take notice of his talents in Week 8 against the Detroit Lions. The Tennessee Titans WR managed to haul in 10 of his 15 targets for 143 yards last Sunday. Interestingly, this was just his second game with more than 55 receiving yards this year.

There's not a lot to like about Ridley's matchup in Week 9 where he will face coverage from Christian Gonzalez, who has struggled over the past few weeks but still remains one of the best young CBs in the league.

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Calvin Ridley vs Zay Flowers: Final verdict

Flowers' matchup isn't the most exciting one this week but we're still inclined to give him the edge over Ridley, given the latter's target share has not exactly been a picture of consistency. This Titans offense is also not one to place your faith in, especially against a team on the up.

Calvin Ridley vs Zay Flowers fantasy outlook for Week 9

Sportskeeda's Start/Sit Optimizer has Flowers registering 13.2 points this week with little possibility of a touchdown.