When word came down that Willis McGahee needed an operation on his knee (the same knee that basically exploded in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl — photo on the right), it was cause for concern in fantasy land.

New coach John Harbaugh did state that his running back would return for Baltimore’s regular-season opener, however, so the concern decreased for a time and McGahee kept his prominent spot on rank lists.

But after further examination, I’ve moved him to No. 17 at the running back position, behind Maurice Jones-Drew, Thomas Jones, Darren McFadden and Earnest Graham.

The reasons for this decision were simple.

First off, Baltimore’s offensive line has looked awful. Second, the team has a less-than-desirable quarterback situation that will result in stacked fronts all season. Third is the emergence of rookie Ray Rice, who’s a taller version of Jones-Drew and will no doubt have a role in the offense.

Then I talked to a close friend, Anita Marks, who covers all things Baltimore sports for 1300 EPSN Radio. Her words say it all.

“McGahee’s knee isn’t good,” said Marks. “He didn’t participate in offseason OTAs, he’s done little in training camp and he still doesn’t know the playbook. The Ravens also have a horrible offensive line and no quarterback. Plus, the coaches love Rice. This could all be motivation for McGahee, but the negatives definitely outweigh the positives.”

Even before I heard Anita talk about McGahee and the Ravens, I saw this as no better than a four-win team. You simply can’t win games with so many question marks and an aging defense. While I might take him if he falls into the fourth round or later, it’s hard to have much faith in McGahee in 2008.