Who Should I Start? Rashod Bateman or DeMario Douglas

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.

Tuesday, July 15, 2:00 PM

Patriots.com's Evan Lazar writes that along with wide receiver Stefon Diggs (knee), New England Patriots pass-catchers DeMario Douglas and third-round rookie Kyle Williams are "locks" to make the 53-man roster. Mack Hollins also has a very strong chance of making the team. Douglas, 24, was the highest-rated Patriots receiver in ESPN's receiver score metric, finishing 25th among qualified pass-catchers. He had 66 catches for 621 yards and three touchdowns on 87 targets in his second NFL season and is set to reprise his role in the slot for the Pats in 2025. A lot of Douglas' early-season fantasy value will depend on whether Diggs is ready to start the regular season or not, and if he is, how effective he'll be. Douglas should see enough volume to be worth a late-round PPR flier in deeper leagues, but the Patriots also have much more competition at the position than they did a year ago.