Zay Flowers is Doubtful Against the Saints, and the Ravens Offense is Suddenly Sweating

Zay Flowers is officially listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints, which is NFL coaching speak for "he is absolutely not playing, but we want to make the opposing defensive coordinator think about it for another 24 hours."

Adam Schefter dropped the news Friday that the Baltimore Ravens wide receiver is dealing with the fallout of a hamstring injury. If you have him in your fantasy lineup, it is time to stop bargaining with the injury report and hit the waiver wire.

"Adam Schefter reported the doubtful status on Friday afternoon."

Flowers tweaked the hamstring during Baltimore's 41-23 blowout win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1. The team called it a Grade 1 sprain and day-to-day, but soft tissue injuries for guys who run a 4.4 40-yard dash are never actually day-to-day. You do not mess around with a hamstring when your entire game is built on stopping and starting faster than humanly possible.

This is a massive blow to a Ravens offense that relies heavily on Flowers to stretch the field. For context, he racked up 86 catches for 1,211 yards last season. Without him, Lamar Jackson is going to have to get creative against a Saints defense that is desperate to bounce back from a brutal 31-30 loss to the Detroit Lions.

Vegas still likes Baltimore, listing the Ravens as heavy 8.5-point favorites at home with a point total hovering around 47. But missing your top receiver makes covering a spread that large a lot more complicated, especially if the offense stalls out in the red zone without its best separator.

Expect the Ravens to play it safe and keep Flowers in street clothes this weekend. It is only Week 2, and risking a multi-month setback just to beat the Saints in September is the kind of decision that gets people fired.