What are the Baltimore Ravens doing? After an off season of swirling rumors and Lamar Jackson contract disputes, they now have to figure out who their WR1 is. Is it their new first round pick, Zay Flowers? Is it the over 30 year old, double ACL injury Odell Beckham? If it’s Rashod Bateman, he’s a fantasy gold mine. In a muddied situation, what is the Rashod Bateman dynasty outlook for 2023 and beyond?
2023 Fantasy Football: Rashod Bateman Dynasty Outlook
The History
The Ravens selected Bateman with the 27th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. The team already had Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, and the reigning MVP. Things were good in Baltimore. Since then, Brown has been traded, Jackson has battled injuries and Bateman has played a total of 18 games over two seasons. In his rookie year Bateman started on injured reserve, then worked back for the latter half of the season. He accumulated 46 receptions for 515 yards and finished as the WR69 in PPR.
Bateman was everyone’s darling for 2022. On Bleacher Report’s breakout candidates list, “the wideout will put up big numbers in 2022”. Some of those big numbers include 13 games missed with injury, 15 catches and 285 yards. He is clearly talented when on the field, but hasn’t been able to stay healthy.
The Situation
Bateman’s situation can be best described as “oof”. After the Ravens traded away Hollywood Brown, he faced zero target competition at receiver. His snap percentages were set to go through the roof, and he was going to be the alpha in this offense. Instead, the team has signed one of the biggest names on the market (Odell Beckham) and drafted another first round wide receiver.
While Bateman is known for his crisp route running and speed, Odell Beckham is also known for… crisp route running and speed. Luckily Flowers is known for, one moment, crisp route running and speed. Each player has a very similar play style which makes projecting snap shares and roles difficult. Of the three, Bateman is the largest and has the most time on the team. This should give him the inside route to the X-receiver role, so he will likely stay on the field in one and two wide receiver sets. That is of course, if he can stay healthy.
Current Price
KTC values Bateman as the WR43. His value has dropped off since March, and has slowly declined with news of Flowers and Beckham. All in all, he is probably valued in the right place as the 120th overall player. Mac Jones and Desmond Ridder are adjacent to him. This is in line with where KTC values a 2024 early second round pick.
What to do With Rashod Bateman
Rebuilding
For a rebuilding team, Bateman is the right kind of risk to take. He is a former first round pick who has flashed on the field, and his situation is muddy enough that contenders want nothing to do with him. If the issues were talent or attitude based, he would be an avoid. But at the current price point, Bateman is a buy for rebuilds. A 2024 early second or an aging receiver (like Mike Evans or Keenan Allen who are valued close to him) could get an injection of youth to your squads. Or on quarterback hungry squads take a swing on Mac Jones or Desmond Ridder if their manager is down on them.
Middle of the Pack
“Are you guys silly? I’m gonna send it” is the mantra for middle of the pack teams. Whether trying to make the push into the top four teams, or looking to rebuild Bateman is a better roll of the dice than any 2024 second round pick. If he works out? Great, managers have a young WR2 on their roster for years. If he doesn’t? That 2024 first round pick is even closer to the Caleb Williams sweepstakes. Jonathan Mingo and those old receivers aren’t going to push a middle of the road team in either direction, roll the dice on Bateman.
Contending
This is the only situation to sell Bateman. If a manager’s roster has five stud wide receivers and Bateman is just sitting on the bench, OK keep him. If their roster needs an immediate game changer at receiver, scroll through the bottom four teams and look for names like Evans, Allen, Hopkins or even JuJu.
Main Photo: Jessica Rapfogel USA TODAY Sports
