Who Should I Start? Rashod Bateman or George Pickens

Monday, January 20, 1:32 PM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman registered the best season of his career and capped it off with another touchdown in the loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The fourth-year wideout out of Minnesota finished the game with four receptions on five targets for 66 yards and a touchdown which brought his total to 11 touchdowns between the regular and postseason. Most of his damage came in the first half along with his 16-yard catch that kicked off all of the scoring in the opening drive. Bateman still has another year left on his contract, so he's likely looking at more of the same role going into the 2025 season.

Wednesday, May 7, 1:02 PM

The Dallas Cowboys' plan is for newly acquired wide receiver George Pickens to play out his rookie deal in 2025, a source tells ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. The Cowboys swung a trade for Pickens and a 2026 sixth-round draft pick with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday in exchange for a 2026 third-rounder and a 2027 fifth-rounder. The 24-year-old Pickens gives Dallas a big upgrade at the No. 2 receiver spot behind All-Pro CeeDee Lamb. Although Pickens is going to have plenty of competition for targets from Lamb -- he would have had that in Pittsburgh as well alongside DK Metcalf -- the move to Dallas should be overwhelmingly positive for his fantasy value in 2025. Pickens will now be working with quarterback Dak Prescott in an offense that could be very pass-heavy when considering their mediocre backfield options. The former second-rounder has 2,841 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in his three NFL seasons.