Who Should I Start? Cooper Kupp or Rashod Bateman

Wednesday, May 28, 10:14 PM

The Athletic's Michael-Shawn Dugar writes that new Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp could work underneath in the middle of the field in his first year with the team, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba serving as the big-play threat deeper down the field. Kupp and Smith-Njigba have overlapping skill sets, and general manager John Schneider said the use of tight splits will make the two wideouts hard to defend. Seattle could align JSN more out wide as opposed to in the slot, where he spent 77.4% of his snaps last season. Smith-Njigba led all receivers in yards (956) and catches (79) from the slot in a breakout campaign. It will be interesting to see how offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak uses both Kupp and Smith-Njigba in 2025. Kupp is on the wrong side of 30 and has missed five or more games three seasons in a row due to injuries. JSN has the higher ceiling, and we can't count on a ton of volume from Kupp at this point in his career.

Friday, May 9, 10:15 PM

While searching for a wide receiver, the Dallas Cowboys looked into a trade for Baltimore Ravens wideout Rashod Bateman, sources told FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz. The talks between the two teams didn't go far, though, and Dallas ultimately ended up acquiring pass-catcher George Pickens after this year's NFL draft. Bateman attracted interest from a receiver-needy team after a career year in 2024 in which he caught 45 of his 72 targets for 756 yards and nine touchdowns in 17 regular-season games (14 starts). It was nice to see from the 25-year-old former first-rounder, but fantasy managers probably shouldn't expect more growth in 2025, especially not in the touchdown department. The Ravens remain a run-first offensive operation, and the addition of veteran DeAndre Hopkins won't help Bateman's cause. Zay Flowers should once again lead Baltimore in targets if he stays healthy.