Who Should I Start? Jakobi Meyers or Rashod Bateman

Tuesday, August 26, 3:12 PM

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers requested a trade on Monday since he and the organization have been unable to reach a contract extension this summer. However, ESPN's Adam Schefter said on the The Pat McAfee Show that the Raiders are "not looking to deal him." "My understanding is the Raiders had one team reach out to trade for Jakobi Meyers but they wanted them to pick up some of his salary," Schefter added. The 28-year-old is owed $10.76 million in the last year of his current deal in 2025. It sounds like Meyers will be with Vegas for the Week 1 regular-season opener against the New England Patriots, where he'll operate as one of quarterback Geno Smith's top options. He had his first 1,000-yard season on a career-high 87 catches last year, but he scored only four times. Meyers is good, but not great, and is on the WR3/4 borderline in RotoBaller's rankings.

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.