Who Should I Start? Rashod Bateman or Josh Downs

Wednesday, November 26, 6:08 PM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (ankle) upgraded to a full practice on Wednesday and has been removed from the final injury report in Week 13, according to Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun. Bateman will put an end to his two-game absence due to an ankle sprain and will play against the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals on Thanksgiving Day on Thursday night. The matchup against Cincy's porous defense is an excellent one for Bateman to return to, but he may not be able to take advantage of it. The 25-year-old is having another disappointing season for fantasy football purposes, having caught just 16 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns on 32 targets through nine games. At best, fantasy managers should consider Bateman to be a low-upside WR5/flex in deeper leagues in his return to Baltimore's lineup.

Tuesday, November 25, 3:12 PM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs caught just two of his six targets for 10 yards in Sunday's overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12. Downs was trending up in fantasy football after recording touchdown grabs in three straight games, but the 24-year-old has had back-to-back duds with three total receptions (eight targets) for just 13 yards the last two games. He has taken a back seat in the Colts' passing game behind receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and rookie tight end Tyler Warren. While the former third-rounder is still useful depth in most fantasy formats, he'll be hard to trust going into a difficult Week 13 matchup against the league's top defense in the Houston Texans. Downs is up to 38 receptions for 326 yards and three touchdowns on 54 targets in 10 games in 2025 in his third year in the NFL.