Who Should I Start? Rashod Bateman or Makai Lemon

Tuesday, June 2, 6:00 AM

When the Philadelphia Eagles traded up to select USC wide receiver Makai Lemon with the 20th pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, it was clear they were planning for life without three-time Pro Bowler A.J. Brown. With the trade of Brown to New England becoming official on Monday, the spotlight on Lemon grows notably brighter. In his four seasons with the Eagles, Brown never earned less than a 27.3% target share, twice topping the 30% mark, and his absence creates the opportunity for Lemon to immediately claim a meaningful role in Philadelphia's new-look offense. After spending the past two seasons in Green Bay, Sean Mannion steps in as the Eagles' fifth offensive coordinator in as many seasons, creating a fresh slate for every pass catcher on the roster. While DeVonta Smith has become the focal point of Philadelphia's passing offense in a small sample of games played without Brown over the past two seasons, he's done so without another target-earner of Lemon's caliber on the roster. While some early-season growing pains are to be expected, Lemon has both the talent and opportunity to quickly establish himself as a legitimate 1B in Philadelphia, and he is RotoBaller's rookie WR3 and dynasty WR21.