Who Should I Start? Cooper Kupp or Rashod Bateman

Tuesday, June 24, 12:16 PM

The Athletic's Michael-Shawn Dugar writes that new Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp still has some juice, and the team thinks he still has enough left in the tank to be a legitimate complementary piece to WR1 Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Kupp looked the part during offseason workouts and still has enough wiggle, understanding of leverage and quickness to be a pest underneath and in the red zone. The 32-year-old veteran is no longer the same receiver that accomplished the receiving Triple Crown in 2021, but he can still win with deception and his high-level route-running. Kupp's fantasy floor and ceiling are much lower now, and he's missed five or more games in three straight seasons due to injuries, but he can still be in play as a WR4/flex in the Pacific Northwest if he stays on the field. RotoBaller has him ranked just inside the top-50 pass-catchers.

Thursday, June 5, 12:03 PM

The Baltimore Ravens and wide receiver Rashod Bateman agreed to a three-year, $36.75 million contract extension on Thursday that includes $20 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. It's the second straight year that Bateman and the Ravens agreed to an extension after the team gave him a two-year, $12.87 million deal that ran through 2026 last April. Baltimore is rewarding the 25-year-old former 27th overall pick again a year later after his most productive season as a pro in 2024 after he caught 45 of his 72 targets for 756 yards and nine touchdowns in 17 regular-season games (14 starts) in his fourth year in the NFL. It was a nice showing, but Bateman's fantasy ceiling remains rather low with Zay Flowers serving as the WR1 in a run-first offense. The Ravens also now have veteran DeAndre Hopkins, which means Bateman will likely be a boom/bust fantasy commodity.