Third-year pro Rashod Bateman was one of the more anticipated wide receivers to enter the league in 2021. He was a dominant player in his time in college at Minnesota, and many believed that would translate to the NFL.
Through two seasons, we’ve seen flashes of that player, but we’ve seen a plethora of injuries for Bateman. With the regular season fast approaching, what is the latest on Bateman’s health, and what are the implications for the Baltimore Ravens and fantasy football teams?
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What Happened to Rashod Bateman?
Bateman’s first two years in the league saw him land on injury reports several times. They also caused him to miss a significant amount of time. In fact, Bateman missed 15 of a possible 33 games through his first two years.
Bateman is back ‼️@Lj_era8 ➡️ @R_bateman2 | @Hyundai pic.twitter.com/5s5dCcKNxp
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 19, 2023
Then, in early August, news broke that Bateman was still hampered. His Lisfranc foot injury that shut him down last season was still on the mend, and he would need to be brought along slowly in camp.
Bateman was able to practice throughout the month of August, and the foot seems to be on the mend. If anything, this may have been more of a precautious move by the Ravens in not wanting to risk a re-aggravation during practices and preseason games.
For now, all signs point to Bateman being ready to go for Week 1. But how long he will remain healthy is a valid question. Yet, nothing appears to be holding him back from football action at the moment.
What Are the Ravens’ Options if Bateman Misses Time?
If the foot injury Bateman has been dealing with for a year causes more problems (or another injury occurs), the Ravens have set themselves up nicely in their WR room. This seems to be a change to years past and could be a result of dealing with injuries to their wide receivers for years.
Baltimore currently has Odell Beckham Jr., Nelson Agholor, and rookie Zay Flowers all ready to go. Beckham is a talented veteran who may still have some juice in the tank, Agholor has had several strong seasons in the NFL, and Flowers has been impressing coaches throughout camp.
If Bateman were to miss time, these receivers and tight end Mark Andrews would give Lamar Jackson plenty of talent in the passing game. As a result, I wouldn’t expect the Ravens to make a major move if Bateman misses time. They seem to have already had the foresight to do that in the 2023 offseason.
What Does This Mean for Bateman’s Fantasy Ranking?
From a redraft perspective, Bateman’s stock isn’t going to move from where it has been for weeks. He’s currently being drafted as the WR53 and No. 124 overall, which seems like a good spot. Bateman has flashed talent, but owners are (rightfully) worried about what he can become or if he deals with injuries again.
When he first joined the Ravens, there was a lot less competition in the receiver room. Now that the room is packed with talent, Bateman’s ceiling is reduced a bit, even if he does remain healthy, which makes it hard to trust him with a high draft pick.
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From a dynasty perspective, Bateman is a very hard receiver for me to want to invest in. Two injury-riddled seasons have hindered his progress, and Baltimore has several mouths to feed. At his current value around WR40 in dynasty, I’m still cautious about taking that gamble. One more rough year from Bateman and his stock will be kaput.
If you do have Bateman in dynasty, you should be holding for now and hope that he stays healthy and has a strong start to the season. If that happens, it wouldn’t be an awful idea to throw him on the trade block and see what another team will pay for the 23-year-old receiver.
Bateman could still take off and become a great asset, but the odds are stacked up. I would likely try to sell at the first increase in his value.