Who Should I Start? Adam Thielen or Rashod Bateman


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
8.9 0.0 0.0 4.2 36.1 0.2

Adam Thielen News

Adam Thielen Announces his Retirement

Wednesday, January 14, 1:25 PM

Wide receiver Adam Thielen announced his retirement from professional football on social media on Wednesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Thielen played 13 years in the NFL and was a two-time Pro Bowler with the Minnesota Vikings. The 35-year-old originally went undrafted before latching on with the Vikings in 2014. He played 10 years in Minnesota before two years with the Carolina Panthers in 2023 and 2024. Thielen began the 2025 campaign with the Vikings before latching on with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had 19 receptions for 186 yards and no touchdowns during the regular season in 16 games with Minnesota and Pittsburgh. Thielen will wrap up his NFL career with 704 catches for 8,497 yards and 64 touchdowns in 178 regular-season games played. His two Pro Bowl seasons came in back-to-back years with the Vikings in 2017 and 2018.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
7.7 0.0 0.0 2.9 33.8 0.2

Rashod Bateman News

Rashod Bateman Falls Out of Favor in Baltimore

Wednesday, February 18, 6:45 AM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman had a very underwhelming 2025 season, catching just 19 of his 38 targets for a career-low 224 yards and two touchdowns. Missing four games impacted his stats slightly, but it's concerning that he had fewer yards over 13 games in 2025 than yards over just six games in 2022. His 1.5 catches and 4.3 fantasy points (PPR) per game are both new career lows. Interestingly enough, Bateman remains under contract with the Ravens through 2029, so he'll have plenty of opportunities to bounce back next season and beyond. It does work in his favor that DeAndre Hopkins and Isaiah Likely are both free agents, but Bateman will still have to compete for targets behind Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews, and any other pass-catchers the Ravens bring in. He can be avoided in all redraft leagues next year, and dynasty managers should be willing to drop him when the 2026 roster crunch comes around.


Adam Thielen vs. Rashod Bateman

Still trying to decide between Thielen and Bateman? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Adam Thielen is projected to score 8.9 points this week while Rashod Bateman is projected to score 7.7 points.