When the Baltimore Ravens selected former Maryland receiver, Torrey Smith, in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft, they were expecting big things from the speedy pass catcher.  In his first two seasons, Smith has been a dependable and consistent receiver, playing in all 32 regular season games and putting up almost identical numbers and establishing himself as a solid No. 2 receiver.  Now that Smith will be the true No. 1 on the Ravens’ depth chart in 2013, what will his fantasy impact be? Is he now a legitimate WR1 option? Let’s find out. 

2013 Outlook

Smith was able to pull in 49 receptions for 855 yards and eight touchdowns last season, despite only catching 47.1 percent of passes thrown his way.  As the Ravens’ No. 2 receiver the last two seasons, Smith has had to compete with Anquan Boldin, Dennis Pitta and Ray Rice for attention from Joe Flacco, but was still able to rack up 205 targets over that time.  Now with Boldin gone to the San Francisco 49ers and Pitta out for the season with a hip injury, there are 198 targets from last season that now need to be redistributed.  Obviously Smith will see the bulk of them, and we could be looking at 160-plus targets.  Even with a career 51.35 percent catch rate, that’s still nearly double the receptions from his first two seasons. 

Dynasty Outlook

Smith is only 24 years old, entering his third professional season and now the focal point of a potent passing game.  Look for him to put up huge numbers in 2013 that will catapult him into the high-end WR2 conversation, and possibly even fringe WR1 in PPR leagues.  Even when Pitta returns to the fold in 2014 and beyond, Smith will still be in the mid-to-high-end WR2 territory as long as he’s Baltimore’s No. 1 on the depth chart.  The only thing that should scare you away in the short or long term is if something happens to Flacco, as Smith’s production will surely suffer if Flacco misses any significant time. 

2013 Stat Projections: 81 receptions, 1,200 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.