Ravens Downgrade Zay Flowers to Out, Send T.J. Tampa to IR Ahead of Saints Matchup

Losing your top wideout to a hamstring issue this early in the season is the kind of news that makes fantasy managers stare blankly at their phones in the grocery store checkout line. The Baltimore Ravens are officially downgrading Zay Flowers to out for Sunday, while also placing cornerback T.J. Tampa on injured reserve with a knee injury.

Flowers was initially listed as doubtful, but the team pulled the plug on Saturday. Tampa heading to IR means the defensive back is shelved for at least four weeks, dealing an early blow to the Baltimore secondary.

"The #Ravens downgraded WR Zay Flowers to out for tomorrow and placed CB T.J. Tampa on IR."

The Ravens are currently sitting as 8.5-point favorites with a 45.5 over/under against a New Orleans Saints team that dropped their opener. But Baltimore's Week 2 injury report is starting to read like a CVS receipt.

Beyond Flowers and Tampa, defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike is already ruled out with a neck injury. To make matters worse for the offense, starting linemen Ronnie Stanley and John Simpson are both questionable, leaving the trenches looking a little thin.

Baltimore looked like an absolute buzzsaw in Week 1 when they dropped 41 points on the Indianapolis Colts. Taking Flowers out of that equation forces the Baltimore offense to find a new primary target against a New Orleans defense desperate to avoid an 0-2 hole.

We will see if the Ravens can cover that massive spread while missing key pieces on both sides of the ball. If the Saints cannot keep it close against a battered Baltimore roster, it might be a very long season in the bayou.