Rashod Bateman Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Ravens WR Rashod Bateman (core) has been activated from IR. That makes him eligible to play this weekend -- but doesn't necessarily mean that he will. We'll keep an eye on Bateman's practice participation this week. The rookie makes a nice stash in fantasy leagues of 12+ teams. Baltimore also activated WR Miles Boykin (hamstring) from IR.

Ravens WR Rashod Bateman (core) will return to practice this week, HC John Harbaugh said. The rookie is eligible to come off IR for Week 4, although he might not be ready to play after being sidelined since mid-August. Bateman is a fine stash in deeper fantasy leagues, but don't plan on using him in your starting lineup for at least a couple more weeks.

Ravens WR Rashod Bateman (core) has been placed on IR. That means the rookie will miss at least the first 3 games of the season. HC John Harbaugh had previously said that he hoped to get Bateman back “sometime in September," but the earliest he could be back now is the very end of the month. We'll keep an eye on his progress, but Bateman is only worth stashing in deep fantasy leagues and leagues with IR spots. Ravens WR Miles Boykin was also placed on IR

Ravens WR Rashod Bateman had successful core-muscle surgery in Philadelphia on Friday, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. HC John Harbaugh reportedly still hopes to get the rookie back “sometime in September.” Bateman’s absence to open the season helps the outlook for both Marquise Brown and Sammy Watkins.

ESPN's Jamison Hensley reports that Ravens WR Rashod Bateman will have surgery on his groin. HC John Harbaugh reportedly says the rookie will be back "sometime in September." We'll see about that as the return gets closer. For now, Bateman probably has to fall down draft boards. He had been performing well in camp, but WR Sammy Watkins has also drawn positive reviews from OC Greg Roman. Bateman's situation certainly adds upside to Watkins as a late fantasy pick.

Ravens HC John Harbaugh confirmed on Wednesday that "it's going to be weeks" before WR Rashod Bateman can return from his groin injury. Harbaugh added that he's "still hopeful" the rookie will be ready for Week 1. Translation: Bateman is iffy for the start of the season. And considering the training camp and preseason reps he's going to miss, he probably won't be a guy that we can trust in fantasy lineups until October at the earliest.

Ravens WR Rashod Bateman "at the very least will be considered week-to-week" with the groin injury suffered in Tuesday's practice, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports. "Evaluations are ongoing and it’s too early to know whether he’ll be sidelined to start the regular season," Garafolo adds. So the 1st-round rookie will, at minimum, miss a bunch of valuable training-camp reps and likely the entire preseason. And it sounds like there's a chance that he's not ready for Week 1. We'll keep an eye on Bateman's rehab, but you should only consider him a late-round flier in fantasy drafts now. WR Sammy Watkins might enter the season with a big role in this passing game.

Ravens WR Rashod Bateman left Tuesday morning's practice with an apparent leg injury. According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic: "Bateman pulled up while running a slant against [CB Marcus] Peters and then fell immediately to ground. Walked to building with pronounced limp." We'll definitely keep watch for more on this developing situation.

Update: Bateman is dealing with a "soft-tissue injury," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "He’ll have tests and the severity isn’t known," Rapoport adds. We'll pass along an update on the rookie when we get one.

Ravens WR Marquise Brown is sidelined with a hamstring injury. HC John Harbaugh said it's "a little more serious" than he was told initially. We'll see exactly how serious and how long Brown is out. Rookie WR Rashod Bateman also missed Monday's practice with what Harbaugh called "muscle tightness." Sammy Watkins has been Baltimore's best WR in camp so far according to multiple sources.

According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, Ravens WR Rashod Bateman has given the Ravens, “every reason to believe he’ll be a significant contributor from Day 1.” Zrebiec adds that Bateman “hasn’t looked like a rookie.” It's tough to expect consistent fantasy contributions given a run-heavy offense and the presence of Mark Andrews, Marquise Brown and Sammy Watkins. But there’s a real chance that Bateman’s role grows as the season rolls along. He's heavily discounted with a WR62 price in FFPC best ball drafts.

The Ravens selected WR Tylan Wallace in Round 4 of the 2021 NFL Draft. Wallace has 1 of the strongest production profiles in this year’s WR class. He posted a huge 86-1,491-12 line as a true sophomore in 2018, accounting for 37% of Oklahoma State’s receiving yards and 36% of the TDs. He was on a similar pace through the first 8 games of 2019, averaging 6.6 catches, 113 yards and 1 TD per contest. But Wallace tore his right ACL in practice that October. He was ready for the start of last season and was productive again, averaging 5.9 catches, 92 yards and .6 TDs per game. The concerns? Wallace is on the small side at 5’11, 194 pounds with below-average athleticism. That’s more concerning since he did a lot of his damage in college in contested situations. He probably won’t be as effective in that department in the NFL. And he’s just a mediocre route runner. Then there’s the ACL. Wallace has the 1 tear behind him -- and his twin brother has torn his ACL 3 times. It makes Wallace genetically more likely to suffer another ACL injury in the future. He joins a run-heavy Baltimore offense that boasts Marquise Brown, Mark Andrews and Round 1 pick Rashod Bateman. Wallace is certainly a long-shot for year 1 fantasy value.

The Ravens selected Minnesota WR Rashod Bateman with the 27th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. Bateman has as strong a production profile as any WR in this year’s class. He turned in a rare true freshman breakout season in 2018, ranking 2nd to only then-junior Tyler Johnson in all major receiving categories (51-704-6). Then he exploded for 1,219 yards and 11 scores on 60 catches as a sophomore alongside Johnson. Bateman was named First-Team All-Big 10 and Big Ten receiver of the year. He contracted COVID last summer and originally decided to opt out of the 2020 season. He eventually changed his mind and played in 5 games before electing to sit out the remainder of the season. Bateman was as dominant as ever, though, averaging 7.2 catches and 94.4 yards per game. He surprised with a 4.43-second 40 time at his Pro Day -- although he came in much smaller than expected at 6’0 and 190 pounds. Bateman looks and plays bigger on tape. And he has an impressive combination of releases and route running. We see shades of Keenan Allen and Davante Adams in his game. A final note: Bateman brings positional versatility after playing 87% of his snaps on the outside in 2019 and then 61% in the slot this past season. This isn’t an ideal landing spot with the Ravens, who have ranked dead last in passing attempts in each of the last 2 seasons.