Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel Sr. or Rashod Bateman

Thursday, February 12, 7:35 AM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. continued to deliver decent contributions in the passing game last season, which was his first with the team. He finished the year with 72 catches, 727 receiving yards, and five receiving touchdowns, his highest marks in those categories since 2021. He also rushed for 75 yards and an additional touchdown on the ground. Although it was a good but not great year by Samuel's standards, he still finished as the overall WR25 in full-PPR leagues, cementing himself as a low-end WR2 or high-end WR3/flex on a weekly basis. Samuel restructured his contract with the Commanders to become a free agent this offseason, so he'll hit the open market in March. A return to Washington seems possible, but he'll presumably explore all of his options before putting pen to paper. Samuel fits best on a team with an established No. 1 wide receiver, so that he can operate as the No. 2 receiver with contributions as a gadget-type player behind the line of scrimmage or in the short-to-medium passing game. His 2026 fantasy outlook will depend on his landing spot and his eventual quarterback pairing, but for now, we'd expect him to remain a top-30 fantasy receiver.

Wednesday, February 18, 6:45 AM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman had a very underwhelming 2025 season, catching just 19 of his 38 targets for a career-low 224 yards and two touchdowns. Missing four games impacted his stats slightly, but it's concerning that he had fewer yards over 13 games in 2025 than yards over just six games in 2022. His 1.5 catches and 4.3 fantasy points (PPR) per game are both new career lows. Interestingly enough, Bateman remains under contract with the Ravens through 2029, so he'll have plenty of opportunities to bounce back next season and beyond. It does work in his favor that DeAndre Hopkins and Isaiah Likely are both free agents, but Bateman will still have to compete for targets behind Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews, and any other pass-catchers the Ravens bring in. He can be avoided in all redraft leagues next year, and dynasty managers should be willing to drop him when the 2026 roster crunch comes around.