Who Should I Start? Darnell Mooney or Rashod Bateman

Friday, July 25, 9:06 PM

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney (shoulder) is expected to miss most of training camp with a shoulder injury. He exited Friday's practice early after attempting to make a diving catch down the sideline and did not return. The severity of his shoulder injury is unknown, and Mooney is considered day-to-day for now. The 27-year-old was productive as Atlanta's No. 2 wide receiver, catching 64 of 106 targets for 992 yards and five touchdowns over 16 games. Ray-Ray McCloud III, Kyle Pitts, KhaDarel Hodge, and recently signed DJ Chark should see an uptick in snaps and targets if Mooney misses any regular season games. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor the situation as the Falcons are expected to provide more details on Mooney's shoulder injury soon. Mooney's draft stock takes a slight hit as his status for Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is up in the air.

Monday, July 28, 4:25 PM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (illness) was sent home on Monday due to an illness, according to Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. There's no reason to think this will be a long-term absence for Bateman, but he could conceivably miss the next few days of practice as well. The 25-year-old is coming off the best season of his career in 2024 when he recorded 45 catches for 756 yards and nine touchdowns in 17 games. Baltimore added some talent to the wide receiver room with the offseason addition of DeAndre Hopkins, but Bateman still profiles as an important piece of the team's offense. The Ravens' low-volume passing offense limits Bateman's fantasy upside, but he has some boom/bust appeal as a flex option in deep leagues due to his ability to make plays down the field.