The Baltimore Ravens have Steve Smith and Justin Forsett off the injury report for Week 7 and both players look ready to start against the Cardinals. Buck Allen and Kamar Aiken are solid fantasy pickups, while Breshad Perriman remains out with an injury and tight end Dennis Pitta practiced for the first time this season.
Smith has been dealing with a back injury and Pro Football Talk reports that it was considered a "week to week" issue, but this week it appears Smith is fully healthy. PFT reports that Smith was not on the injury report for the Ravens this week and Smith said he feels fine heading into the game against the Cardinals. Justin Forsett also is off the injury report after dealing with an ankle injury and according to ESPN.com, Forsett was able to practice on Thursday after missing the session on Wednesday.
Forsett has been one of the best running backs in the league this season and he is putting up 76 yards per game over six games. Forsett has 457 yards and one touchdown along with 23 catches for the Ravens and as long as his ankle is fine, Forsett is worth starting for fantasy owners. The Cardinals have a tough defensive front, but Forsett has played well against tough defenses this season already, including against the Steelers and Broncos.
Smith is a strong start option as well, as he has been putting up numbers like a player much younger than the age of 36. Smith has 36 catches for 510 yards this season and three touchdowns and he is averaging over 100 yards per game in five games played this year. Smith has been mentioned in some trade reports, Pro Football Talk writes that with the Ravens 1-5, they should try and get some value for Smith. Smith is reportedly planning on retiring after the season and that could motivate the Ravens to trade him to a contender.
Yahoo Sports reports that the Ravens are not looking to trade Smith and Eric Edholm reports that the team is "not at all likely" looking to make a move with the receiver. Edholm adds that the Ravens "are more likely to try to convince" Smith to play for another season next year over making a trade. Fantasy owners looking for some insurance in case Smith or Forsett go down again can look at Buck Allen and Kamar Aiken, as both players have been contributing on offense this season.
Breshad Perriman remains out for the Ravens and Jeff Zrebiec at the Baltimore Sun reports that he has still not been able to practice with the team. The Ravens saw Dennis Pitta return to practice for the first time this season and according to Pro Football Talk, the team now has a three week window to activate the tight end after placing him on the PUP list before the season. Pitta said that it "felt really good" to be back on the field and there is a chance he could be activated by the Ravens if he shows progress over the next couple weeks.
