Who Should I Start? Rashod Bateman or Alec Pierce

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.

Tuesday, August 19, 7:32 PM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (groin) returned to training camp practice on Tuesday, according to Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan. Pierce initially suffered his groin injury in practice on Aug. 10 and then proceeded to miss the team's second preseason game last Saturday. The 25-year-old will probably be held out of th preseason finale this week as well, but the fact that he's back at practice this week means he should be ready for the Week 1 regular-season opener on Sunday, Sept. 7, against the Miami Dolphins. Not only does Pierce have an uphill battle for consistent playing time in Indy's crowded receiving corps, but he's probably also the only one of Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs and Adonai Mitchell that doesn't benefit from Daniel Jones being named the team's starting quarterback. Pierce is currently ranked as the WR70 in fantasy at RotoBaller.