Who Should I Start? Rashod Bateman or Isiah Pacheco

Saturday, December 20, 9:15 PM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman has not been a dependable fantasy option throughout the 2025 season, and that trend should continue as he returns from injury in Week 16 against the New England Patriots. Bateman is the overall WR93 in scoring this year, catching just 18 of his 35 targets through 11 games. He has finished with more than two catches in just one game this year, and two of his games have resulted in zero catches. Bateman remains stuck behind Zay Flowers in a wide receiver room that handles a below-average number of targets. This week, he'll face off against a Patriots secondary facing injury-related question marks. Superstar cornerback Christian Gonzalez is healthy, but there's less certainty about Marcus Jones (knee) and Carlton Davis III (hip), who are both questionable. Regardless of their injury statuses, Bateman shouldn't be started in fantasy football this week. He ranks as RotoBaller's WR78 for Week 16.

Tuesday, December 23, 9:20 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco took back over as the lead back for the Chiefs this week, stepping in ahead of veteran Kareem Hunt and taking eight carries for 34 yards while adding six catches for 41 yards in the team's loss to the Titans last week. Pacheco could be in for a heavy workload moving forward, since the team could phase out Hunt now that the playoffs are no longer a possibility. The team could take the next two weeks to evaluate Pacheco and rookie Brashard Smith for their future roles, but Pacheco is in a brutal matchup this week against the Broncos, who have been elite against the run. Pacheco does have touchdown-dependent upside and should get a good workload, but he's still a long-shot flex play to add off the waiver wire this week due to the matchup.