Who Should I Start? Rashod Bateman or Josh Downs

Saturday, September 26, 4:11 AM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman took advantage of his team WR1 opportunity in the Baltimore Ravens' Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints, and he is likely to maintain his receiving niche in Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys in Brazil. With Zay Flowers (hamstring) missing Week 2, Bateman led the team in routes (33), targets (9), receptions (7), yards (88), and scored his first touchdown since Week 9 of 2025. Even though Bateman failed to record a reception in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts with Flowers missing half that game, the sixth-year receiver has quietly been a staple of the Ravens' pass attack for years. Bateman has maintained a 68% or higher snap share in three of his five seasons with the Ravens, all of which were with quarterback Lamar Jackson. Last season, Bateman averaged 23 routes run per game, and his 33 and 26 routes run in Weeks 2 and 1, respectively, demonstrate additional opportunities for Bateman with or without Flowers in the lineup. Looking ahead to the Ravens' Week 3 opponent in Brazil, the Cowboys' defense has allowed quarterbacks to target a receiver with three or more yards of separation on 12 of 17 play-action attempts this season (70.6%), the second-highest rate in the NFL. This should help Bateman in two ways. First, Bateman is averaging 3.4 separation yards this season, in keeping with his 2.9-yard career average, and second, the Ravens' 34.4% play-action percentage is the fourth-highest in the NFL through two weeks. With Flowers' status still up in the air for Sunday, managers with Bateman should consider him a WR3/Flex option if Flowers were to miss Week 3. If Flowers is active, Bateman would drop to WR4/low-end Flex consideration in deep leagues, buoyed primarily by the favorable game environment and relatively weak Cowboys passing defense.