Who Should I Start? Ja'Marr Chase or Rashod Bateman

Sunday, January 7, 9:35 PM

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase finished the Week 18 win over the Browns by catching four of six targets for 19 yards. The Bengals had nothing to play for but pride on Sunday, and with Chase battling a shoulder injury over the last few weeks, the team didn't want to take any chances with their superstar wideout. Nonetheless, the 23-year-old capped off another strong year, finishing with 100 catches for 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns. But with Chase entering his fourth season in the league, contract rumblings will run rampant until he signs a new deal. Yet, regardless of how talks pan out moving forward, he'll remain a first-round fantasy option heading into the 2024-25 campaign. He'll need Joe Burrow (wrist) to stay healthy if he hopes to come close to capturing the magic he had on the offensive end as a rookie.

Tuesday, February 27, 3:21 PM

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said that wide receiver Rashod Bateman is going to get the ball "a lot more" next season and said that he expects the wideout to take a big step forward in 2024. Odell Beckham Jr. may not return in free agency, which would help, but most fantasy managers will likely want to see it before believing Harbaugh's words. The 24-year-old disappeared more often than not in his third NFL season in 2023, finishing with just 32 receptions for 367 yards and one touchdown on 56 targets in 16 regular-season games. A lot more would have been expected of the former first-rounder had we known he was going to stay healthy all year. Unless Zay Flowers or tight end Mark Andrews miss time with injury in 2024, Bateman will have an uphill battle to climb again for consistent fantasy value.