Tag: Rashod Bateman fantasy football

Where should you consider drafting Baltimore Ravens wide receivers?

Sorting through all that is the Ravens’ revamped WR corps.

In recent history, the Baltimore Ravens have been the crypt keepers for fantasy football wide receivers – it’s where they go to die. The Ravens have been a stellar organization because they consistently draft players whose skill sets fit their system, yet wide receiver remains an elusive hit-and-miss proposition with more misses than hits.

The Ravens have loaded up on players who were high draft prospects coming out of college that have had mixed results as pros, including tripling down in the offseason to give Lamar Jackson the array of weapons he has been missing over the years. Can this group turn a weakness for most of the last decade into a strength?

Is there more than meets the eye to Baltimore’s receiving corps?

On the surface, Baltimore’s receiving corps doesn’t offer much for fantasy. Is that accurate, though?

Despite being the first wide receiver to top 1,000 yards for the Baltimore Ravens since Mike Wallace in 2016, Marquise Brown was traded to the Arizona Cardinals on draft day in exchange for a first-round pick. That move can be interpreted in one of two ways: Either the team was convinced Brown wasn’t a true No. 1 receiver, or Rashod Bateman is ready to take a leap.

Perhaps it’s a bit of both.

Regardless, between the Brown deal and Sammy Watkins signing with the Green Bay Packers, the Ravens find themselves minus two of their top three receivers in terms of yardage from 2021. Of course, the caveat to that is the presence of tight end Mark Andrews (107-1,361-9), who is the real No. 1 option in Baltimore no matter what’s happening outside.

Still, Brown and Watkins were collectively targeted 195 times last season, and those passes will have to go somewhere else in 2022. Let’s see what options quarterback Lamar Jackson will have as he enters the final year of his rookie contract.

Fantasy football team previews: AFC North

A team-by-team fantasy football outlook from the AFC North.

The 2022 fantasy football draft season is starting to heat up now that we’ve gone through the height of free agency and all of the chosen rookies have been assigned to their professional home cities.

The landscape has changed a great deal for many franchises after a whirlwind offseason, and our divisional preview series will help you stay on top of all of the changes to date.

AFC divisional previews

East | North | South | West

NFC divisional previews

East | North | South | West

Which Ravens players are worth drafting in fantasy football?

Expectations of fantasy-relevant Ravens for 2021.

After averaging an NFL-best 33.2 points per game in 2019, along with 407.6 yards, the Baltimore Ravens saw those numbers slip to 29.3 points (seventh) and 363.1 yards (19th).

In response to that regression, the Ravens added free-agent wideout Sammy Watkins (37-421-2 w/ KC) and first-round receiver Rashod Bateman, which they hope will elevate dual-threat Lamar Jackson as a passer. Still, there are a lot of unknowns entering the 2021 fantasy football season, so let’s look at Baltimore’s offense.

Lamar Jackson fantasy football outlook

From a purely statistical standpoint, Jackson’s second full year as a starter wasn’t that different from his first. In 2019, he averaged 208.5 yards passing, 80.4 yards rushing and 2.9 combined TDs per game. Last year, Jackson posted 183.8 yards passing, 67 yards rushing and 2.2 combined scores per contest. Those shortfalls add up over a full season, though, and it was the difference between elite fantasy production and fringe QB1 status.

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Expect a bit of a bounce back from Jackson this year as Baltimore’s investments in the passing game (four high-round picks in three years) and offensive line (signing Kevin Zeitler and Alejandro Villanueva) should help diversify their attack. Don’t expect much of a philosophical shift, however, as what makes the Ravens dangerous is the threat of Jackson making things happen with his legs.

Could we see a little more throwing and a little less running? Sure, but at age 24 there’s little reason to rein in Jackson, who has never missed a game due to injury. Even with two documented cases of COVID-19, one of which cost him a game in 2020, Jackson is draftable as a midrange QB1.

J.K. Dobbins fantasy football outlook

One of the great mysteries of last season was why it took roughly two months to give Dobbins steady work — he averaged 4.2 carries per game in his first six and 12.1 over his final nine. The Ohio State product showed great burst, averaging 6.0 yards per carry as a rookie and scoring in each of his final half-dozen games. While he continued to share snaps with Gus Edwards, Dobbins’ numbers over that stretch project out to 1,403 yards and 20 TDs over a 17-game campaign.

Those numbers are still based off modest usage, and if Dobbins can carve out a larger slice they could improve quickly. It’s a dubious proposition to rely on the Ravens to change up a model that has led the NFL in rushing the past two years, so Dobbins is best drafted as a lower-end RB2, but there’s top-10 upside.

Gus Edwards fantasy football outlook

Edwards has quietly carved out three solid seasons as part of Baltimore’s running back committee, averaging 717 yards and 3.3 rushing scores on a 5.2 YPC clip. He’s been a nonfactor as a receiver, though, with just 18 career receptions, which figures to limit his usage to running situations.

While the departure of Mark Ingram leaves 72 carries to be redistributed, the smart money suggests most of those will go to Dobbins. Consider Edwards a decent fourth/fifth fantasy RB and possible handcuff.

Sammy Watkins fantasy football outlook

After seven NFL campaigns, Watkins’ status as talented but oft-injured is well earned. The former fourth overall pick missed a combined 23 games over the last five seasons, which is a big reason Watkins has topped 1,000 yards just once as a pro.

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His yards-per-catch have declined each of those five seasons, though some of that can be chalked up to his role in a Chiefs offense that featured the NFL’s top field stretcher in Tyreek Hill. Still, the bloom is off the rose. Between the injuries and middling production, Watkins isn’t worth more than final-round flier consideration.

Marquise Brown fantasy football outlook

Brown returns as the nominal WR1 in Baltimore after leading the team in catches (58), yards (769) and TDs (8) last year. The diminutive wideout has shown he can get deep — only nine WRs had more receptions of 40-plus yards last year — but the consistency has yet to develop with Brown topping 100 yards in a game just twice. The question is whether adding talent around him will create more opportunities by opening things up or fewer looks in the NFL’s least-active passing attack; Baltimore threw 406 passes last season, 79 fewer than Tennessee, which ranked 30th.

To date, Hollywood has been more straight-to-DVD than summer blockbuster, but he’s arguably the only Ravens receiver worth drafting, albeit no more than a WR4.

Rashod Bateman fantasy football outlook

When Baltimore used the 27th pick in the ’21 draft on Bateman there were thoughts that he could be an immediate starter given his advanced route running and toughness after the catch. Unfortunately, Bateman went down early in camp and ended up undergoing core-muscle surgery that could keep him sidelined into October or later.

Even if there are no hiccups in his recovery, he might have trouble carving out a significant role as a rookie. He’s purely dynasty-league material.

Mark Andrews fantasy football outlook

Andrews led the Ravens with a 64-852-10 line in 2019 and was just slightly off Brown’s pace last season when he posted a 58-701-7 mark. His size has been a boon down in the red zone, and he has generally operated as Jackson’s go-to receiver.

Even with an influx of new and developing options there’s no reason to think that Andrews won’t continue to be a volume target. He deserves serious consideration once Travis Kelce and Darren Waller are off the board.

Rookie Rundown: WR Rashod Bateman, Minnesota

Bateman has enough skills to challenge for a Round 1 selection.

Minnesota sent wide receiver Tyler Johnson to the NFL in 2020, and this year Rashod Bateman enters with even more appeal as an outside target capable of playing from the slot.

A productive stint with the Golden Gophers offers considerable tape for scouts, and there’s much to like — as well as fixable traits a coaching staff will be able to sort out in time.

Bateman was listed through the program as being 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, and his Minnesota Pro Day measurements shaved nearly two inches and 30 pounds from the junior. He timed faster than most people likely expected, and while it is unofficial, Bateman plays functionally faster than average.

Height: 6-foot-0 3/8
Weight: 190 pounds
40 time: 4.39 seconds

Minnesota played Bateman as a freshman in 2018, and he went on to earn the school’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the Year Award. His breakthrough season in 2019 resulted in an all-Big Ten first-team selection, third-team Associated Press All-American recognition, and the conference named Bateman its “Receiver of the Year.”

Table: Rashod Bateman NCAA stats (2018-20)

Year School Class Gm* Receiving Rushing
Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds Avg TD
2018
Minnesota
FR
13
51
704
13.8
6
0
0
—
0
2019
Minnesota
SO
13
60
1,219
20.3
11
0
0
—
0
2020
Minnesota
JR
5
36
472
13.1
2
0
0
—
0
Career
147
2,395
16.3
19
0
0
—
0

*includes postseason/bowl games

We’ve see a little bit of everything from Bateman through just under two and a half seasons. He finished 2019 averaging a whopping 20.3 yards per grab that was sandwiched between a pair of more indicative 13-plus-yarders.

The 2020 season was originally going to be played in the spring of 2021, but it returned to the fall of ’20, so Bateman rescinded his opt-out notification. In the sixth game, the school was scheduled to face Wisconsin, at which time the Badgers experienced positive COVID-19 test results. In response, Bateman once again opted to sit out, this time for the remainder of the year.

Pros

  • Strongest attribute is advanced route-running repertoire — quick feet in and out of breaks, sells body fakes, understands advanced concepts
  • Nuanced, diverse movements to create separation off the line — able to overcome a lack of elite burst
  • Played primarily from the slot in 2020 after playing on the outside in 2019
  • Array of on-field productivity, stemming from home run and possession traits, being unafraid over the middle, and having a nose for the end zone
  • Late hands and catches away from his body — has several “wow” grabs on film
  • Plus body control in the air
  • Adjust well to underthrown passes, and there were plenty of those in his time with Minnesota
  • Natural understanding of route concepts and responsibilities accompanying them — coming back for his quarterback, sitting in soft spots, deep releases, etc.
  • Plays bigger than he measured at pro day
  • Fast enough build-up speed to challenge deep

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Cons

  • Limited experience as a blocker
  • Borderline WR1 upside and could be “overdrafted” as a career No. 2 receiver
  • Isn’t a twitchy, flashy athlete, which will turn off teams in relation to current needs/style — isn’t going to be thrown a ton of screens or utilized from the backfield
  • Despite wide array of tricks to escape press-man coverage, he struggled at times with stronger corners (worst example is vs. Nebraska in 2019)
  • Dropped 19 of 166 catchable targets, according to Pro Football Focus — seems to be more concentration-related issues than a lack of raw talent
  • Significant statistical peaks and valleys during his NCAA career — not all his fault but will incite a closer look by scouts

Fantasy football outlook

Bateman will attract some attention late in the 2021 NFL Draft’s opening round. The most likely teams to show interest that early: Chicago (No. 20), Indianapolis (No. 21), Tennessee (No. 22), and Baltimore (No. 27).

Atop the second round, which is a better placement in terms of value, Bateman could be in the plans for a number of teams. Jacksonville, the New York Jets, Atlanta, Miami, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and Carolina make up the first seven selectors of Round 2, and Bateman would be a viable target for each franchise.

In 2021 drafts, the single-year outlook is somewhere in the neighborhood of matchup-based flex through seldomly used depth. Some of this depends on how much on-field work NFL teams are able to utilize during the pandemic. Long-term valuation has Bateman’s outlook that of a strong No. 2 PPR career path. WR1 worth is in his grasp with the right setting around him.

As an NFL comparison, Keenan Allen is commonly tied to Bateman. It’s a fair one, but Allen is physically larger in stature and has better hands. Allen is a sound comparison from a fantasy trajectory perspective. While injuries kept Allen down early in his career, he has blossomed into a low-tier WR1 PPR option or an ideal No. 2. If Bateman’s career arc follows suit, gamers will have a heck of a player at their disposal for years to come.