Who Should I Start? Keenan Allen or Rashod Bateman

Monday, March 31, 12:36 PM

When asked about potentially signing free-agent wide receiver Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said, "Anything's possible. That would be cool." Allen remains on the free-agent market after a disappointing 2024 campaign with the Chicago Bears in which he caught 70 of his 121 targets for 744 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 starts. The Bolts took the 32-year-old veteran in the third round (76th overall) back in 2013 out of California, and he spent the first 11 years of his NFL career with the team. Allen was a Pro Bowler from 2017-21 and posted six 1,000-yard seasons for the team. However, he certainly looked to have lost a step in 2024 and would not have the same kind of role if he returned to L.A. now that Ladd McConkey has taken over as QB Justin Herbert's top target in the passing game.

Thursday, June 5, 12:03 PM

The Baltimore Ravens and wide receiver Rashod Bateman agreed to a three-year, $36.75 million contract extension on Thursday that includes $20 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. It's the second straight year that Bateman and the Ravens agreed to an extension after the team gave him a two-year, $12.87 million deal that ran through 2026 last April. Baltimore is rewarding the 25-year-old former 27th overall pick again a year later after his most productive season as a pro in 2024 after he caught 45 of his 72 targets for 756 yards and nine touchdowns in 17 regular-season games (14 starts) in his fourth year in the NFL. It was a nice showing, but Bateman's fantasy ceiling remains rather low with Zay Flowers serving as the WR1 in a run-first offense. The Ravens also now have veteran DeAndre Hopkins, which means Bateman will likely be a boom/bust fantasy commodity.