Who Should I Start? Rashod Bateman or Jayden Higgins

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.

Sunday, June 15, 1:52 PM

Houston Texans rookie second-round wide receiver Jayden Higgins impressed during the team's mandatory minicamp, according to ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime. Higgins made one-handed catches with starting cornerback Kamari Lassiter in coverage and also connected with quarterback C.J. Stroud on other plays. He will be pushing for a role in his first year in the NFL and could seal a starting spot by the second week of training camp this summer if he continues to play well. For being 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, the young pass-catcher and Iowa State product moves extremely well. Nico Collins is Houston's clear WR1, but Higgins has the potential and athleticism to surpass Christian Kirk as the team's WR2 sooner than later in 2025. In his final season at Iowa State, Higgins had 87, catches, 1,183 yards and nine TDs. He's worth a late-round flier in deeper single-league fantasy formats.