Ravens WR Zay Flowers a True Game-Time Decision Against Cowboys

Zay Flowers is officially a "game-time decision" for Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, which is NFL coaching translation for "he is probably wearing sweatpants, but we want the other team to waste five minutes of meeting time on him."

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Baltimore Ravens wide receiver will test his lingering hamstring injury pregame, but the team is not actually counting on him to suit up.

"Ian Rapoport reported that Flowers' participation is 'not something the team is counting on.'"

If you are holding out hope for your fantasy lineup or staring at his receiving props, it is time to make peace with a pivot. A hamstring issue for a guy whose entire game relies on stop-and-start explosion is like putting a speed limiter on a sports car. It defeats the whole purpose.

For context, Flowers looked completely unguardable in the season opener against the Indianapolis Colts. He racked up 150 receiving yards and a 54-yard touchdown in just one half of football before the hamstring flared up. He has been battling the issue ever since, leaving Baltimore scrambling for healthy pass-catchers.

The Ravens are heading into a massive matchup in Dallas. Without Flowers, Lamar Jackson is looking at a receiver room headlined by Rashod Bateman and LaJohntay Wester. That is not exactly a group that forces a defensive coordinator to lose sleep.

This means the Cowboys can comfortably load up the box to stop the run and dare Baltimore to win on the outside. If you are looking at the betting board, expect a heavy dose of the ground game and tight end targets to compensate for the lack of perimeter speed.

Watch the inactive list 90 minutes before kickoff. Even if Flowers somehow talks his way onto the field, expecting a full workload from a compromised speedster is a massive gamble. The Ravens need him healthy for December, not just to act as a decoy in September.