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The Baltimore Ravens have decided to cut a trio of their offensive staples from the last several years. Veterans Derrick Mason, Todd Heap, and Willis McGahee should start looking for work.

The move certainly shakes up the Ravens offense and raises two significant questions:

What effects are these changes going to have?

Mason just came off an 800 yard, 7 TD campaign - not too shabby for a 37 year old. Anquan Boldin also notched 7 TDs and only bested Mason by 35 yards last year. In other words, the Ravens are giving up quite a bit of aerial offense by letting him go, but they don't intend to lose a step. They're plan is to get younger and they're expecting 2nd round pick Torrey Smith out of Maryland to step up and make an immediate impact and fill the gap left by Mason's departure. He's an important player to watch through the preseason. Can he handle the task or will the Ravens try to bring in more help?

The loss of Willis McGahee turns into a large gain for Ray Rice. Rice's numbers were down last year so he can really use a boost. The fact is that McGahee has pilfered more than a few scores from Rice over the last couple of years. This change could translate to more goal line opportunities for him and we love that prospect. However, this may not be the end of the story. With Le'Ron McClain also a free agent, the Ravens backfield is starting to look a little barren. We'll have to see what Baltimore does to back Rice up.

Finally, with Heap out, we don't see a viable fantasy starter at TE. Ed Dickson looks to be the guy for now, but he hasn't given us any reason to use him. He saw time in 15 games last year, managed 11 catches, 152 yards, and 1 TD.


What will happen to Mason, McGahee, and Heap?

I actually think they all have a good chance of getting signed elsewhere. I give Derrick Mason the best odds. Despite his age, he has performed as a solid WR2 over the last couple years and I think he still has a couple years left in him.

Ever since watching this Video, I am a Willis McGahee fan. I hope he finds another team, but I don't see him landing in a spot of fantasy relevance. Aside from his torrent of TDs in 2009 (finished with 12), he hasn't had any consistency.

I'm less sure about what to make of Todd Heap. He battled injury to end his 2010 season so his health will be a big factor to potential suitors. Despite only playing in 13 games last year, he still managed to finish 15th among TE, so in the right situation, he could still have some value as a fill-in or in deeper leagues.