John Harbaugh continues to speak highly of Rashod Bateman during the off-season.
“Rashod’s been working to make plays — To see him come out and make those catches, those are great catches,” Harbaugh said. “Traffic catches, one catch he plucked off the ground there. I was excited, everybody was fired up about it. That’s what we expect from Rashod Bateman. He’s expected to be a top receiver in the league for us. That’s what we’re planning on.” Bateman recently signed a two-year extension for $12 million this off-season. Ravens look to have a solid starting wide receiver corps with Bateman and Zay Flowers complementing each other in the passing game.
Everyone has heard of the Bateman hype year in and year out. Injuries have been a problem, as well as grasping the offense to be the dominance force the Ravens hoped he would be. Bateman was drafted in 2021 in the first round and was compared to players like Stefon Diggs but also players like Michael Gallup. 2024 could be the year Bateman truly shows the talent and upside his first grade warranted, with the offense adding Derrick Henry and second Zay Flowers developing, Bateman comes in as the sleeper on this team. In deeper leagues he should be drafted and has late round value in 12 or 10 team leagues.
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman has endured ...
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman is expected ...
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (midsection) ...
The hype for Rashod Bateman continues this offseason.
After hearing John Harbaugh talking about how Bateman looks great and continues to shine in off-season activities. Even his teammates are talking up the hype for Rashod Bateman, Mark Andrews said “He looks incredible. He looks as put together as he’s ever been. It’s going to be a big year for Rashod Bateman. I’m calling it now.”
Bateman has had his challenges with injuries holding him back from living up to his first-round potential. All off-season he has been highly talked about and with dynasty football in full force and redraft season coming before you know, Bateman can have a nice sleeper role coming into the season. He will continue to be the third option behind Mark Andrews and Zay Flowers in this upcoming season.
The Ravens have extended Rashod Bateman until 2026.
Instead of the Ravens picking up Rashod Bateman’s fifth-year option by May 2nd, the former first round pick has agreed to an extension until 2026. Bateman has dealt with various injuries during his young career, but the extension shows that General Manager Eric DeCosta and Head Coach John Harbaugh believe in his talent and that he is a big piece of this offense going forward.
Having Bateman alongside second year receiver Zay Flowers gives Lamar Jackson his best receiving duo in years. Bateman has logged 93 receptions, 1,167 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns in the first three years. Going into 2024 he will be a year and a half removed from his foot injury which hindered him throughout 2023. He showed flashes towards the end of last season and will look to be back to 100 percent this fall.
Baltimore Ravens will be without Rashod Bateman and Odell Beckham Jr week 4 @Cleveland.
More bad news for Baltimore, but what else is new. The Ravens have been on one of the worst injury runs in recent NFL history, and it’s only getting worse. Baltimore will officially be without two of their top wide receivers in Rashod Bateman (hamstring) and Odell Beckham Jr (ankle) this week as they travel to face the top defense in the NFL in a divisional game Sunday afternoon.
OBJ will now be missing his 2nd straight game for Baltimore with an ankle injury. The 30 year old WR just can’t seem to stay healthy unfortunately. Odell hasn’t played a full season since 2019 and this year is shaping up to be no different. Meanwhile the former 1st round pick Rashod Bateman has also struggled to stay healthy in his young playing career, and he is now being ruled out with a hamstring injury.
The Ravens missing both Bateman and OBJ opens up opportunities for all other pass catchers on Baltimore. Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews are the prime beneficiaries here as the target competition thins out. Both players have had impressive target shares of 29.8% for Flowers and 20.6% for Andrews through 3 weeks and they are must starts even against a vaunted Cleveland defense. Bateman and OBJ injury histories do not paint a pretty picture for the future. It is time to move on from both players in fantasy, as they are both 3rd options at best on this team when they return from their injuries.