Mark Clayton

With the addition of Anquan Boldin and Donte' Stallworth in the offseason, Clayton finds himself battling for at best the third spot in the Ravens' offense, and likely worse. There is still a chance he could be playing elsewhere next season, which at this point would probably be his best shot at fantasy relevance.

A talented receiver trapped in a bad system since he arrived in the league, Clayton has a chance to break out – if only the team would get him the ball. Targeted just 82 times, Clayton averaged 16.9 yards per catch and 8.5 yards per target while playing with rookie quarterback Joe Flacco. His per play average was roughly the same as teammate Derrick Mason’s, though Clayton managed six receptions of 40-plus (tied for 6th) to Mason’s four on 39 fewer targets. At 5-11, 195, Clayton’s not much of a red-zone threat (just nine looks, no scores last year), but he’s tough for his size and willing to mix it up in the middle of the field. Clayton’s got good speed and excellent quickness, and now that the strong-armed Flacco has replaced Steve McNair/Kyle Boller, Clayton will hurt defenses down the field.

A talented player in a disastrous system, Clayton regressed last season, averaging just 11.1 yards per catch and failing to score a touchdown. With Kyle Boller, rookie Joe Flacco and Troy Smith competing for the starting quarterback job, it's unclear if things will get that much better – even if they certainly won't be worse. Cam Cameron will call the plays, and that likely means plenty of handoffs to Willis McGahee, which seemed to be the plan last year, but Clayton still owns his 2006 skill set, when he managed 14-yards per catch and 8.3 per target. Clayton has excellent speed and quickness, and though he's on the small side, he’s not afraid to mix it up in traffic. While he's never likely to be much of a red-zone threat, he's a playmaker in the mold of Lee Evans and Santonio Holmes. Even though it's hard to see the Ravens being a prolific or competent passing team, we could have said that about the Browns last year. Change and uncertainty are on Clayton's side, but from what we know, this is looking like a conservative offense – and for good reason.

If only Clayton didn’t play for the Ravens, we might be looking at a rising star. Even in that sluggish, conservative offense with an aging Steve McNair at the helm, Clayton managed 14 yards per catch and 8.3 yards per target. Moreover, he had five catches for 40-yards or more, showing good downfield speed and the ability to make sharp cuts in the open field after the catch. At 5-11, 183, Clayton’s a smaller receiver, but he’s a very good route-runner, and he’s not afraid to make tough catches over the middle of the field. The Ravens don’t look to Clayton much in the red zone (13 looks, one TD), and that’s not likely to change in 2007 with Todd Heap and Derrick Mason still McNair’s preferred targets from in close. Nonetheless, Clayton is the team’s downfield playmaker, and as such, has added value in distance scoring leagues.

After a quiet first half, marred in part by an ankle injury, Clayton came on down the stretch, catching 21 passes for 305 yards and two scores in Weeks 13-16. Clayton has good speed, makes quick cuts and runs very good routes for a second-year wideout. At 5-11, 183, Clayton is a small receiver, but he’s tough enough to catch balls over the middle and has good leaping ability to fight for jump balls. Clayton, who will start opposite Derrick Mason from the outset this year, should continue to develop in his second season, especially since the Ravens upgraded at quarterback with Steve McNair.

Clayton left Oklahoma as the all-time leader in almost every receiving category, and enters the league as perhaps this season's most NFL-ready rookie receiver. Clayton has similar size (5-10, 193 pounds) and skills as Mason, but his speed (4.41 in the 40) and playmaking ability make him more of a deep threat than his veteran counterpart. Whereas Derek Mason will probably get more receptions, Clayton looks to be the home-run hitter.