Who Should I Start? DeVonta Smith or Rashod Bateman
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 4.8 | 63.7 | 0.4 |
DeVonta Smith News
Wednesday, August 5, 8:26 AM
Philadelphia Eagles wide receivers DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and Makai Lemon (hamstring) are both sitting out of training camp practice on Wednesday with hamstring issues, according to EJ Smith of PHLY Sports. It's the second straight day that both receivers have been held out, but they are both expected to be dealing with minor injuries and should return to the field sooner rather than later. With both Smith and Lemon out, Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown, and Britain Covey have been working with the first-team offense, with Wicks particularly standing out, making him the current favorite to win WR2 duties behind Smith to open the 2026 regular season. Pro Bowler A.J. Smith is now in New England, which means Smith will have an even bigger role as quarterback Jalen Hurts' top aerial target. The former 10th overall pick in 2021 from the University of Alabama had his third 1,000-yard season in 2025 and will now have an even higher ceiling. Fantasy managers should treat Smith as a low-end WR1/high-end WR2 going into his sixth NFL campaign.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.9 | 28.8 | 0.2 |
Rashod Bateman News
Sunday, August 2, 11:07 AM
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman remains in line to start opposite Zay Flowers, but that job has not produced enough volume to make him an appealing redraft pick. He played 69% of the offensive snaps in 2025 and still finished with only 19 catches for 224 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games. A high ankle sprain cost him time and Lamar Jackson also battled injuries, so last season was not a clean evaluation. It was still a major step backward from Bateman's 45-catch, 756-yard, nine-touchdown campaign in 2024. That season now carries even less weight with Ja'Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt joining Devontez Walker as younger options behind Flowers. Baltimore expects Bateman to remain a significant part of Declan Doyle's new offense, but opportunity needs to show up in the target column before fantasy managers buy back in. RotoBaller ranks him WR90 in PPR, half-PPR, and standard formats, with no current ADP listed. That is low enough to make him a watch-list name, not a draft priority. Dynasty managers in deep leagues can hold through camp, but Bateman is expendable when a better upside stash becomes available.
DeVonta Smith vs. Rashod Bateman
Still trying to decide between Smith and Bateman? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that DeVonta Smith is projected to score 13.4 points this week while Rashod Bateman is projected to score 6.2 points.
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