The Ravens expect TE Mark Andrews to play in Sunday's AFC Championship vs. the Chiefs, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It'd be Andrews' first game since suffering a cracked fibula and ankle ligament damage on November 16. Andrews practiced all last week, including full workouts on Wednesday and Thursday, but was held out of the Texans game. We'll look for more info on how big a role Andrews is expected to play on Sunday and update his projections accordingly.

The Ravens aren't expected to activate TE Mark Andrews (ankle) from IR ahead of Saturday's game against the Texans, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Andrews has been a full practice participant this week, so we'd guess he'll be ready for next weekend's game -- should Baltimore beat Houston this weekend. His absence will keep TE Isaiah Likely in the starting lineup against a defense that's been third most friendly in the league to TE scoring. Likely sits fourth among TEs in our rankings for the Divisional Round. But he sports upside beyond that position.

The Ravens have designated TE Mark Andrews to return from IR. That opens a three-week window for him to practice before the team must decide whether to return him to the active roster. This move doesn't necessarily mean Andrews will be ready for Baltimore's playoff opener next weekend -- or at all during the playoffs. But it's obviously a positive step in that direction. Keep in mind that Andrews remains a high-risk option for full-playoff fantasy football contests. But we have moved the TE up our playoff rankings. We'll keep tracking his progress.

Ravens TE Mark Andrews appears on track to return from his leg injury at some point during the playoffs -- and perhaps even by Baltimore's first game. Greg Scholz of Inside Injuries says (via The Athletic) their data "suggests [Andrews] will reach Optimal Recovery before Baltimore's first game." That would come in Round 2, after the Ravens' bye in the Wild Card round. HC John Harbaugh most recently said in late December that Andrews had avoided setbacks and might even be "a little ahead of schedule" in his rehab, according to Baltimore Beatdown. Andrews suffered a fibula fracture and high-ankle sprain in Week 11 that required surgery shortly thereafter. His return would obviously be good news for the Ravens' offense. It would also hurt the playoff outlook for replacement TE Isaiah Likely. Andrews makes for a boom/bust option in playoff fantasy contests. We likely won't know until next weekend whether Andrews will play in that game. And we can't know until he takes the field whether Andrews will need to work through any limitations. Returning from high-ankle sprains can be especially tricky. Whether you should take a shot on Andrews depends heavily on your contest type. We'd downgrade Likely's standing at least a bit, though.