Who Should I Start? Dalvin Cook or Rashod Bateman

Thursday, January 18, 12:03 PM

The Baltimore Ravens signed running back Dalvin Cook from their practice squad to the 53-man active roster on Thursday, and he's expected to make his Ravens debut in Saturday's Divisional Round playoff game against the Houston Texans, according to his agency. The Ravens waived running back Melvin Gordon III on Wednesday to open up a roster spot for Cook. Baltimore signed the 28-year-old at the end of the regular season to give them some more depth behind Gus Edwards and Justice Hill after the Ravens' backfield has been lackluster to close out the regular season. It's not like Cook is going to be a savior, though, as he averaged a career-worst 3.2 yards per carry with no touchdowns in 15 games for the New York Jets in 2023. Expect Cook to operate as the No. 3 behind Edwards and Hill on Saturday, giving him very little DFS appeal.

Tuesday, February 27, 3:21 PM

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said that wide receiver Rashod Bateman is going to get the ball "a lot more" next season and said that he expects the wideout to take a big step forward in 2024. Odell Beckham Jr. may not return in free agency, which would help, but most fantasy managers will likely want to see it before believing Harbaugh's words. The 24-year-old disappeared more often than not in his third NFL season in 2023, finishing with just 32 receptions for 367 yards and one touchdown on 56 targets in 16 regular-season games. A lot more would have been expected of the former first-rounder had we known he was going to stay healthy all year. Unless Zay Flowers or tight end Mark Andrews miss time with injury in 2024, Bateman will have an uphill battle to climb again for consistent fantasy value.