After a slow start to his career, now is the time to buy Rashod Bateman in fantasy football.
Welcome in! Dynasty fantasy football is a game of looking ahead, outsmarting your opponents, and buying low on players that are sure to increase in value. So as the 2022 season officially comes to a close, I’m looking ahead to 2023 and identifying a few players that I’m targeting. I believe these players will gain a significant amount of value in Dynasty Leagues throughout the off-season and heading into next year.
The first player in this series had high expectations coming out of college, but hasn’t quite lived up to the hype so far in the NFL.
Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Rashod Bateman, a first round pick out of Minnesota underwent season-ending Lisfranc surgery this past year. Bateman was presumed to be the WR1 in Baltimore in 2022 after injuries dismantled his rookie season. Because of this, his stats have been a little underwhelming thus far in his career. In 18 games he’s totaled 95 targets, 61 catches, for 800 yards. The numbers aren’t exactly eye-popping. However, for what is essentially a 1-year sample size it’s very promising.
Last season, without Lamar Jackson and Rashod Bateman together for most of the year, the Ravens finished 28th in pass attempts per game. However, the Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman was let go this off-season and replaced with Todd Monken. Monken was previously the OC for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when they led the NFL in passing yards per game in 2018. Most recently, he helped the Georgia Bulldogs win back-to-back National Championships.
I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest to see the Ravens start throwing the ball more, finding themselves in the middle of the pack/upper half of the league in passing offense. I am confident the Ravens and Lamar Jackson will come to an agreement on contract terms that would allow Lamar to stay in Baltimore, due to the current QB market in the NFL. That could also provide a significant boost to Batemans value; high-end QB’s just do not come around often enough to let him walk away.
Rashod Bateman Fantasy Value
According to DLF January ADP, Bateman is currently being valued as the WR36. A normal rebuilding team in your fantasy football league won’t have much incentive to trade him at this moment. However, it’s definitely worth gauging the current manager and see how they’re currently valuing him. If the manager is impatient or out on him because of the recent surgery, he could be a great value as WR3/4 in lineups. Rashod Bateman is a prime candidate for bounce back year in 2023, and a major buy in dynasty leagues.
Assets I would be looking to move to acquire.
- Two mid-late 23 2nd
- SEND: Mike Evans/Keenan Allen; RECEIVE: Bateman
- SEND: Miles Sanders and 23 2nd; RECEIVE: Bateman and 23 3rd
- SEND: Deebo Samuel; RECEIVE: Bateman and a 2024 1st
- SEND: George Pickens; RECEIVE: Bateman and a 2024 1st, or an early 23 2nd
Rashod Bateman was on a mission last year before getting injured. I was so excited to watch him on the first 3 weeks of the season. He was being really impressive out there. Don't give up on him yet. Crazy route runner and good speed for breakaways. Revenge tour is coming soon 😈 pic.twitter.com/36q21kwptC
— Pedro H. Rhormes (@rhormes_) February 21, 2023
Tim Riley
Thanks for stopping by, I'm 30 years old, currently serving active duty in the Navy. I consider myself a Dynasty fantasy football expert. I'm writer for Dynasty Football Factory and The FF LeagueWinners, and Always looking to help out when and where I can. Follow me on Twitter @FF_Reez and shoot a DM for any personalized advice for free.