Who Should I Start? Rashod Bateman or DeMario Douglas
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.9 | 28.8 | 0.2 |
Rashod Bateman News
Wednesday, September 2, 1:37 PM
Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said on Wednesday that he does not know when the NFL will finalize its investigation into wide receiver Rashod Bateman, who was arrested on family-violence charges in June, according to ESPN's Jamison Hensley. Bateman's fantasy football value was already down going into the 2026 season, and a potential suspension to begin the year makes him undraftable in 12-team single-year leagues. The 26-year-old is the WR2 on Baltimore's depth chart behind Zay Flowers, but even without a potential suspension, the possibility of impressive rookie Ja'Kobi Lane passing him on the depth chart sooner rather than later seems high. The former 27th overall pick in 2021 from Minnesota broke out for 756 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, both career highs, but he regressed to a 19-224-2 line in 13 games in 2025 with quarterback Lamar Jackson dealing with injuries mostly all year. Outside of what looks like his 2024 outlier, Bateman has not had more than 46 catches, 515 yards, or two touchdowns in his other four NFL seasons.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.2 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 14.0 | 0.1 |
DeMario Douglas News
Saturday, August 29, 6:59 AM
New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas has the type of can't-cover-in-a-phonebooth shiftiness that has allowed him to thrive in each of his four training camps since being selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but he has never had the level of surrounding talent he now finds himself with, and Patriots senior reporter Evan Lazar believes his skill set makes a ton of sense for a featured role out of the slot. Douglas has been a mainstay in three-receiver sets throughout camp, and Lazar notes that he has been "nearly automatic" against man coverage. He caught only 31 passes for 447 yards in 2025, but with Stefon Diggs no longer on the roster, the 25-year-old profiles as the team's most prototypical slot receiver, and he could find important chain-moving work in what again projects to be one of the league's highest-scoring offenses. At RotoBaller's WR99, he is not a player likely to be drafted in most 2026 leagues, but with the Patriots opening the NFL season in primetime with a Super Bowl rematch against the Seahawks, a strong start to his season could make Douglas a popular Week 2 waiver wire pickup.
Rashod Bateman vs. DeMario Douglas
Still trying to decide between Bateman and Douglas? 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 6.2 points this week while DeMario Douglas is projected to score 3.2 points.
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