Who Should I Start? DeAndre Hopkins or Jack Bech

Friday, July 25, 3:38 PM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (undisclosed) was back in action on Friday after missing the team's Thursday practice with an undisclosed ailment, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said previously that Hopkins was held out as a precaution, and that appears to be the truth. The 33-year-old Hopkins is likely someone who Baltimore will be judicious with in terms of practice workload anyway, so a single-day absence early in camp shouldn't be considered highly worrisome. Hopkins recorded 56 catches for 610 yards and five touchdowns in 16 games split between the Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs in 2024. He's more of a supporting piece at this point in his career, but he'll be in the mix with Rashod Bateman as a secondary target option at receiver for Baltimore behind Zay Flowers. The Ravens also have talented tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, so Hopkins could be looking at an even further reduced workload from what he saw last season.

Tuesday, July 22, 9:52 PM

Las Vegas Raiders rookie wide receiver Jack Bech "has some work to do to make up ground" in the battle for a starting role next to veteran Jakobi Meyers, according to Tashan Reed. Reed writes that Bech is competing with fellow rookie Dont'e Thornton and third-year speedster Tre Tucker for playing time. He also notes that Thornton stood out in offseason workouts and that Tucker worked ahead of Bech during OTAs. The Raiders drafted Bech in the second round out of TCU in April. He recorded 62 catches for 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns in 12 games for the Horned Frogs in 2024. Bech is known as a slot receiver, but he's blocked by Meyers and star tight end Brock Bowers for that role in Las Vegas. He's still an intriguing late-round dart throw in re-draft leagues due to his talent and draft pedigree, but it appears Bech has improvements to make before he can be counted on for fantasy production.