Yesterday, I commented on a report that Torrey Smith would miss most of the preseason with an ankle injury and his week 1 status was in jeopardy. However, it appears that was much ado about nothing as Smith was already back practicing for the Ravens today. My original projection of him as a major fantasy sleeper and a great value at his current ADP in the 7th round still stands.

Torrey Smith was excellent as a rookie, catching 50 balls for 841 yards and 7 touchdowns and he was even better in his last 7 games, catching 27 balls for 416 yards and 3 touchdowns. Over 16 games, that’s 62 catches for 951 yards and 7 touchdowns. Keep in mind he played all of last season with a double sports hernia. Now that he’s a year older and Anquan Boldin is a year older on the wrong side of 30, Smith should continue to improve as a receiver and establish himself as Baltimore’s clear #1 receiver.

We could even see a Mike Wallace/Hines Ward type situation here. As a rookie, Wallace caught 39 passes for 756 yards and 6 touchdowns, while the veteran Ward caught 95 passes for 1167 yards and 6 touchdowns. However, in Wallace’s 2nd season, the tables turned and Wallace caught 60 passes for 1257 yards and 10 touchdowns, while an aging Ward caught 59 passes for 755 yards and 5 touchdowns. There’s definitely upside to be had with the speedy Smith in the mid rounds. This is also good news for Joe Flacco, who is already in danger of losing his top-2 tight ends for week 1, heading into a make or break contract year.

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