The Baltimore Ravens may have to enter the Todd Monken era without one of their star players — but the good news is that they’re playing the lowly Houston Texans. So is Mark Andrews playing? The star tight end picked up a questionable tag after logging limited practice sessions all week. Let’s look at the most recent Mark Andrews injury updates as we assess whether he will be available in Week 1.
UPDATE (9/10/23 at 8:18 a.m. ET): Mark Andrews is not expected to start Week 1’s Texans-Ravens game, per the latest from NFL Insider Ian Rapoport.
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Mark Andrews Injury Update: Is Baltimore’s Star Playing Sunday?
Mark Andrews Injury Update
The Ravens listed Mark Andrews as questionable on Friday. He was a limited participant in practice from Wednesday through Friday. Last week, head coach John Harbaugh told reporters that “you don’t need to panic about [Andrews’ injury],” adding, “I expect him to play in the game, and he should be fine.”
The most recent Mark Andrews injury update, is, well, inconclusive. On Friday, Harbaugh referred all of the reporters’ questions to the injury report, refusing to add any more details than were included on that. Andrews has been dealing with a quadriceps injury for multiple weeks at this point. Late on Saturday night, NFL insider Ian Rapoport shared that Andrews is unlikely to suit up for Sunday’s game.
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Is Mark Andrews Playing for Baltimore in Week 2?
So is Mark Andrews playing for Baltimore in Week 2? The short answer is that we don’t know — but Ian Rapoport’s update suggests he won’t. While Harbaugh has been high on his ability to suit up for this game since last week, it’s notable that Andrews still picked up a questionable tag and that Harbaugh declined to repeat what he had said earlier about Andrews’ availability.
The betting markets haven’t moved much despite the injury concerns surrounding Andrews. The Ravens were trading as a 10-point favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook, which is where they’re trading now. That signals that the markets are confident in the Ravens with or without Andrews, although some movement in Houston’s direction isn’t off the table if he gets ruled out. The Ravens were trading as a 9.5-point favorite at the time this story was updated.
If Andrews can’t go, the Ravens will start Isaiah Likely in his stead. Third-string tight end Charlie Kolar will probably pick up a few snaps as well. The move would likely mean more for rookie slot receiver Zay Flowers than anyone else, though, as both do most of their damage over the middle of the field.
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