Earlier in August, the Baltimore Ravens finally received some good news regarding their young, and prospectively impactful, wide receiver. Breshad Perriman was activated off of the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list after partially tearing the ACL in his left knee in early June, according to coach John Harbaugh and CBS Sports. But for the fantasy world, this is yet another speed bump in Perriman's long road to the field, in his short career in the NFL.
Perriman missed his entire rookie campaign in 2015 after suffering serious injuries to both of his knees. The 23-year-old receiver has yet to lace up in a professional game, and figured to potentially miss more time to start the new season. Activated off the PUP list halfway through preseason, Perriman's chances of seeing the field in Baltimore's final two games were still slim before the start of the regular season.
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A Deeper Dive - Breshad Perriman
Despite the injuries, there's a reason the Baltimore Ravens selected Perriman 26th overall in the first round of the 2015 draft. Coming out of Central Florida, the Ravens were impressed with his raw talent and athleticism, but understood that his engine needed plenty of tweaking before obtaining the status of pro-ready. That molding and fixing, evidently, has been halted because of injuries.
With Perriman off of the PUP list, he won't be in danger of missing the first six games of the season and could potentially put a stamp on a Ravens receiving core in need of some youth. Leading the Ravens at wide receiver is the 37-year-old Steve Smith Sr. The veteran played in only seven games last season and has also recently sprung himself free from PUP after tearing his achilles Week 7 of the 2015 campaign. Even with his age and health in question, Perriman can benefit greatly from playing alongside Smith Sr. But the burning question continues to burn. Not only will Perriman remain healthy, but will he see the field at all?
During his three year collegiate stint at Central Florida, it took Perriman a while to find his groove. Over his freshman and sophomore year, Perriman caught a combined 65 passes for 1,199 yards and seven touchdowns. Entering his first season as an upper class-man, he was poised to earn himself the eventual first-round slot in the upcoming draft. Perriman finished his third and final college season with 5o receptions, 1,044 receiving yards, and nine touchdowns. At 6-foot-3 and 214 pounds, the Ravens hoped the young receiver would help start repaving the path towards success and dominance once again.
Despite his health in constant question, Perriman finally took the field in the Ravens' preseason finale against the New Orleans Saints. This was his first appearance in any NFL capacity. Perriman caught two passes for 25 yards, both coming on back-to-back snaps to start the contest, but was quiet on Baltimore's next three drives.
It's of course still too early to tell with Perriman. On paper, it makes sense. There should be excitement surrounding his long-awaited professional debut. But an injury bug that refuses to leave a player alone this early in their career, an injury bug that attacks the knees, is often an injury bug that plagues permanently. To push the cynicism aside, if Perriman plays, he will be competing with other veteran receiver, and the newly signed, Mike Wallace, and Kamar Aiken. Aiken caught five or more passes in all the games Smith Sr. missed last season, tallying 944 receiving yards and five touchdowns, and will look to repeat his production in 2016.
So, where does Perriman fit, if he remains healthy, if he sees the field?
Wallace is 30 years old, with his best seasons in Pittsburgh likely behind him, but is still a threat to mesh well with Joe Flacco. With Smith Sr. and Perriman both battling injuries, it could be safe to say that Wallace and Aiken have already secured their spots as starters. Flacco and Aiken will likely build off of their blooming relationship while Wallace has thrived, and contributed in this position often in the past.
Perriman has not seen one single regular season snap in the NFL and will need to do so before any other predictions, or conclusions, are made about him. Perriman has cracked RotoBaller's top 150 overall and could be targeted around the 15th round of any draft, potentially aiding a roster as a solid WR4 or WR5. There are just too many question marks to truly feel safe with him on a squad, even on a bench. He'll likely be active Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills, so keep an eye on the young receiver.
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