Thursday Game Fantasy Football Takeaway: Is Odell Beckham Primed for a Big Finish to the Season?

The Thursday night contest between the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals didn’t go as I expected. 

Had I, or everyone else, known that Cincy quarterback Joe Burrow was injured going into the contest, a far different narrative would have been out there before the game. We will discuss that situation when more information is known.

What I want to focus on from Thursday’s game is Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham. He delivered another strong showing and is trending in the right direction as the fantasy playoffs approach. Is he someone you should be targeting on the waiver wire, or in a trade? Will the likely season-ending injury to Mark Andrews boost Beckham’s fantasy value?

Let’s discuss it all.

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Week 11 Showing

I want to start this section off by saying Beckham played 22 offensive snaps. That was just 33% of the team’s total.

That’s a very low total, but it’s the second straight week he’s played a limited amount of snaps. Beckham did not appear on the team’s injury report at all prior to the game, so this simply might be the team’s plan to get the veteran through the season. 

Beckham did hurt his shoulder in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s game, so his injury status is one to keep an eye on moving forward.

Before leaving the contest, Beckham was targeted seven times, making four grabs for 116 yards. It was his first 100-yard receiving game in the regular season since 2019.

Upward Trend of Late

Beckham got off to a slow start this season, and then missed weeks 3 and 4. He continued to be fairly unimpressive in weeks 5 and 6 before a solid five-catch, 49-yard outing in week 7.

Many thought that was going to be the turning point, but he followed up that game with no catches on four targets in week 8. Since then, Beckham has been a solid fantasy option.

In week 9, Beckham caught five of his seven targets for 56 yards and a touchdown. He scored again in week 10 despite only making one catch on two targets.

He rewarded the fantasy owners that decided to start him in week 11 with one of his best games over the past several seasons.

Beckham’s Fantasy Outlook

Beckham’s overall season numbers are not all that impressive, but as long as the shoulder injury he suffered isn’t too bad, there’s several reasons to believe he can be a solid fantasy option the rest of the season.

First and foremost, if Beckham can be on the field for more snaps, the chances for fantasy production will increase. He’s played the fourth-most offensive snaps of any receiver on the team. Obviously missing two games hurts those numbers, but he’s still played way less than Zay Flowers and a bit less than Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor. 

Among the receivers, Beckham ranks second behind Flowers in most receiving statistics, so quarterback Lamar Jackson appears to have a pretty good connection with him. Hopefully, we’ll be able to see that connection more down the stretch of the season, with Beckham hopefully on the field more often.

A reason his snaps should increase is because of the season-ending ankle injury to Andrews. The talented tight end ranks second on the team in most receiving numbers, while leading the team with six touchdown grabs. 

Andrews and Jackson have had one of the best connections in the league for several years, so there’s going to be a gaping hole in the offense minus Andrews. Someone has to pick up the slack, and Beckham seems like the most logical choice.

How to Approach Beckham?

Because Beckham played in the Thursday night contest, you likely won’t be able to acquire him for several days.

Our charts show Beckham as owned in 43% of leagues. He’s likely going to be one of the top waiver wire guys going into week 12, so make sure to make a mental note, or put in an early claim for him if you can. 

There’s likely going to be a handful of other receivers that are waiver wire options next week, but I’d have a hard time imagining any of them hold as much fantasy value as Beckham does the rest of the season. As long as his injury is a minor one, I’m all for adding Beckham.

If you are in a league where Beckham is already rostered, he was likely a recent pickup. His value is definitely going up after Thursday night, but he still should be relatively cheap if you wanted to trade for him. Maybe you could get Beckham and another depth piece at a position of need for a player of yours at a position of strength. 

Be sure to check out our trade value charts to come up with a fair offer.

If you decided to pick up Beckham after his touchdowns the previous two weeks, you’re probably going to get some trade offers for Beckham this week. If wide receiver isn’t a big issue for you, and Beckham wouldn’t be starting anyways, then you might as well get the best offer you can to try to strengthen another position.