Who Should I Start? Michael Pittman Jr. or Rashod Bateman

Wednesday, July 23, 5:52 PM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (knee) took part in the team's first training camp practice on Wednesday, according to the Indianapolis Star's Joel A. Erickson. It's good to hear that Pittman is practicing on the first day of camp after he dealt with some knee soreness on the last day of OTA practices in the spring. The 27-year-old is the team's unquestioned WR1, but it remains to be seen if it will be Daniel Jones or Anthony Richardson Sr. throwing him passes to open the 2025 season in early September. Pittman took a step back in 2024 with a 69-808-3 line in 16 regular-season games (14 starts), primarily because of the turmoil at the QB position. It also didn't help that Josh Downs took a big step forward. He may never see as many targets as he did in 2022 and 2023, and neither Jones nor Richardson will be great for his fantasy value as more of a WR4/flex.

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.