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Lamar Jackson ended up playing exactly like many people thought he would when he was finally inserted into the lineup in Week 11. The Ravens were running on fumes after a three-game losing streak. Joe Flacco was hurt, the offense was mired in the muck, and Baltimore knew that inserting Jackson was the only chance they had to dig out of a middling season. Jackson not only gave them a spark, he displayed all the elite playmaking skills that earned him a Heisman Trophy, and almost single handedly willed the Ravens to an upset of the Chargers in the wildcard round.
As expected, Jackson played like a quarterback that was picked 30th in the 1st round instead of 3rd. He showed little as a passer, struggling with accuracy and touch. But what he lacked throwing the ball he more than made up for on the ground. He was able to take advantage of some talent deficient defenses as he scored 18+ fantasy points in all seven of his regular season starts. With 17 rushing attempts a game, and a total of 697 yards and four touchdowns, he saw near RB1-type usage down the stretch.
Now that the Ravens have begun to build this offense around him with the hiring of coordinator Greg Roman and the offensive additions via the draft and free agency, can we expect these numbers to continue? I'm going have to say no. Although he was a dynamite weapon, we've seen young quarterbacks have success running the ball early in their careers. But no matter the talent or ability level, running a quarterback 15+ times a game isn't a viable long-term strategy. Teams either begin to adjust their strategy, or injuries occur. Either way, Jackson struggled mightily for much of the game against the Chargers before flashing late in the 2nd half. He was held to a season low 9 attempts for 54 yards and his erratic passing was a reason the team was down for most of the game in the first place. There is no doubt in my mind Jackson is going to continue to give fits to defenses, but I'm not sure he can develop enough as a passer in one offseason to be a realistic fantasy starter.
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