The Baltimore Ravens are in danger of being extremely thin at wide receiver for the Week 16 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, as wide receiver Rashod Bateman is questionable to play.
On top of possibly not having Bateman, the Ravens ruled out Nelson Agholor, and Diontae Johnson was waived on Friday, ending what was a disastrous tenure in Baltimore.
Bateman started off the week fine but popped up on the injury report Wednesday after apparently suffering a foot injury in practice that had him in a walking boot, leaving his status up in the air for Saturday.
Here’s the latest on Bateman’s status.
Rashod Bateman injury update
UPDATE: Bateman is officially active for the Ravens’ Week 16 game against the Steelers.
Inactives vs. Steelers: pic.twitter.com/6zwXqKPfEL
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 21, 2024
END OF UPDATE
UPDATE: Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Ravens are “somewhat optimistic” that Bateman will play on Saturday.
“Rashod Bateman had an issue in practice, got rolled up on his foot area during a practice session, had a boot in the locker room,” Fowler reported on SportsCenter. “It’s going to be up in the air a little bit. I talked to somebody with Baltimore who’s somewhat optimistic that he can go, but nothing official as of yet, so it could be more of a game-time decision.”
END OF UPDATE
According to the Ravens’ injury report, Bateman finished off the week as a non-participant in practice, which suggests he’s on the wrong side of questionable.
The Ravens did not rule Bateman out on Friday like they did with Agholor, so there’s hope yet. If Bateman is sidelined, guys like Tylan Wallace and Devontez Walker should see bigger roles, and Zay Flowers may get peppered with targets.
Bateman is in the midst of a career year in 2024, with the former first-round pick tallying career-highs in receiving yards (654) and touchdowns (seven), and he’s eight receptions away from tying his career-high mark there.
Bateman scored two of those touchdowns in Week 15 against the Giants, when he also added three catches for 80 yards. The Minnesota product has been a touchdown machine lately, scoring four over the last five games.
Fantasy Football start or sit Week 16: Rashod Bateman
When it comes to fantasy football, Bateman amounts to a boom-or-bust flex play. He simply hasn’t had consistent enough yardage production to be anything more than that, and he’s heavily reliant on scoring touchdowns.
The Steelers have been a middle-of-the-road matchup for wide receivers this year, but Bateman had just two catches for 30 yards the last time these two teams met. Adding to that, the risk of re-injuring his foot is another concern.
Even if he suits up, we’d keep Bateman on the bench.
Verdict: Sit Bateman
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