Who Should I Start? Rashod Bateman or Calvin Austin III


Week 1 Projections

Fant. Pts. Rush. Yds. Rush TD Rec. Rec. Yds. Rec TD
8.8 0.0 0.0 3.2 40.4 0.2

Rashod Bateman News

Rashod Bateman Signs Three-Year Extension With Ravens

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.


Week 1 Projections

Fant. Pts. Rush. Yds. Rush TD Rec. Rec. Yds. Rec TD
8.7 0.0 0.0 3.6 38.6 0.2

Calvin Austin III News

Calvin Austin III Set Up to Be the Team's WR2

Wednesday, June 11, 5:17 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni likes Calvin Austin III to be the team's No. 2 wideout behind DK Metcalf in 2025 after George Pickens was traded to the Dallas Cowboys this offseason. Azzanni said that Austin is being overlooked and that he is a "legit NFL receiver" that "gets separation all over the field." Roman Wilson and others will be working as a committee behind Metcalf and Austin to open the 2025 regular season. Austin, a former fourth-rounder (138th overall) in 2022 out of Memphis, caught 36 of his 58 targets for 548 yards and four touchdowns in 17 regular-season games (eight starts) in his second season in the NFL last year. He is definitely going to have a bigger role in 2025, but in what is expected to be a run-heavy offense with quarterback Aaron Rodgers likely in the last season of his career, we'd expect Austin to struggle for volume on a week-to-week basis.


Rashod Bateman vs. Calvin Austin III

Still trying to decide between Bateman and Austin III? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Rashod Bateman is projected to score 8.8 points this week while Calvin Austin III is projected to score 8.7 points.