Who Should I Start? Tee Higgins or Rashod Bateman

Sunday, March 16, 11:39 PM

After signing wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase to a record four-year, $161 million deal with $112 million guaranteed on Sunday night, the Cincinnati Bengals then turned around and signed receiver Tee Higgins to a four-year, $115 million deal to make him the highest-paid No. 2 wideout in NFL history, according to FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz. The first two years of Higgins' new deal are guaranteed. Cincy put the franchise tag on Higgins for the second straight year, but it only served as a placeholder before they locked the 26-year-old up long term. Although the former second-rounder (33rd overall) in 2020 out of Clemson only played in 12 games (nine starts) in 2024 due to injuries, he excelled when on the field and finished with a 73-911-10 line. His 10 scores were a new career-high. Although Chase takes valuable targets away from Higgins, he still has two 1,000-yard seasons and two 900-yard seasons, making him a strong WR2 target in fantasy.

Friday, May 9, 10:15 PM

While searching for a wide receiver, the Dallas Cowboys looked into a trade for Baltimore Ravens wideout Rashod Bateman, sources told FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz. The talks between the two teams didn't go far, though, and Dallas ultimately ended up acquiring pass-catcher George Pickens after this year's NFL draft. Bateman attracted interest from a receiver-needy team after a career year in 2024 in which he caught 45 of his 72 targets for 756 yards and nine touchdowns in 17 regular-season games (14 starts). It was nice to see from the 25-year-old former first-rounder, but fantasy managers probably shouldn't expect more growth in 2025, especially not in the touchdown department. The Ravens remain a run-first offensive operation, and the addition of veteran DeAndre Hopkins won't help Bateman's cause. Zay Flowers should once again lead Baltimore in targets if he stays healthy.