Who Should I Start? Rashod Bateman or Tyquan Thornton

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Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
6.2 0.0 0.0 1.9 28.8 0.2

Rashod Bateman News

Rashod Bateman Still Considered a Starter in Baltimore

Friday, July 17, 5:52 PM

Clifton Brown of the Baltimore Ravens official website lists veteran wide receiver Rashod Bateman as a projected starter for the 2026 season. Brown adds that Bateman is "looking for a healthy and productive campaign" after playing in 13 games and catching just 19 passes on 38 targets for 224 yards and two touchdowns in his fifth year in the NFL. It was even more of a disappointment after the 26-year-old had a career-best 756 receiving yards and nine touchdowns on 45 catches in 17 regular-season games in 2024. Bateman could be considered a bounce-back candidate in 2026, but with no ties to the new regime in Baltimore after they fired long-time head coach John Harbaugh this offseason, it's extremely hard to recommend the former first-rounder in 2021 out of the University of Minnesota as anything more than a low-upside dart throw late in deep-league drafts. The Ravens don't have excellent WR depth behind WR1 Zay Flowers, but they did draft rookies Ja'Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt, who both should have more short- and long-term upside than Bateman.

BENCH

Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
5.1 0.0 0.0 1.6 24.5 0.2

Tyquan Thornton News

Tyquan Thornton Considered a Starter in Three-Wide Sets

Thursday, July 23, 9:50 AM

Joshua Brisco of Sports Illustrated writes that it's clear that Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton is a starter in three-wide sets this year alongside Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy. Thornton played in the first 14 games last season in his first year with the Chiefs before suffering a season-ending concussion. The 25-year-old former second-rounder by the New England Patriots in 2022 from Baylor caught 19 of his 37 targets for a career-high 438 yards and three touchdowns in his 14 games (four starts) last year. Thornton played 33% of the team's offensive snaps when he was healthy, and Brisco writes that the Chiefs are likely to put Thornton "on the field much more consistently" in 2026. Barring injury, Thornton definitely has a clearer path to more snaps with both JuJu Smith-Schuster and Hollywood Brown no longer in town. But as long as Rice and Worthy are healthy and not suspended, Thornton could still struggle for weekly fantasy value in a Chiefs offense that has been lackluster in recent seasons. RotoBaller currently has him ranked as the No. 114 fantasy WR, so he'll be ignored in all 12-team fantasy drafts.

Rashod Bateman vs. Tyquan Thornton

Still trying to decide between Bateman and Thornton? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Rashod Bateman is projected to score 6.2 points this week while Tyquan Thornton is projected to score 5.1 points.