Today, we’re continuing our series on players we believe you should be trying to acquire on your dynasty fantasy football rosters heading into the 2022 season. Here’s why I believe Rashod Bateman is someone YOU should be targeting.
Background
After an impressive college career with the Minnesota Golden Gophers in which he posted just shy of 2,400 receiving yards and 19 TDs, the Baltimore Ravens made Bateman their first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, selecting him 27th overall. During training camp, Bateman suffered an inguinal groin strain which would see him placed on IR and miss the first five games of his rookie campaign.
Bateman saw the first action of his NFL career in the Ravens’ week six blowout 34-6 win over the Chargers, posting a forgettable four catches on six targets for a meager 29 yards.
The rookie pass catcher would play a larger role in the offense moving forward, posting 50 or more receiving yards in five of the remaining eleven games Baltimore would play in the 2021 season.
Bateman finished his rookie campaign with a 46/515/1 stat line, and whilst that’s underwhelming for a first-round WR, it’s worth noting that Bateman played 50% of his 12-game rookie campaign without Lamar Jackson at QB due to the former MVP’s injury-riddled 2021 season.
Despite the underwhelming season stat line, it is worth noting that Bateman’s three games with 80 or more receiving yards tied with De’Vonta Smith for fourth-most amongst all rookie WRs in 2021, with Bateman being the only player in the top four to play in less than 16 games.
Beyond just the box score, Bateman passed the eye test with multiple impressive catches, especially in contested situations where he finished with a 63.6% win rate*, good enough to tie for second place amongst all NFL WRs last season.
The former Golden Gopher also displayed some nice route-running, although it is worthwhile to note that he was afforded the largest ‘cushion’ by the defensive player assigned to him on each route*. Keep that in mind if you put on his tape and notice some separation on routes at or before the first down marker.
Current Situation
Before the 2022 NFL Draft, it was widely expected that Rashod Bateman would continue to learn his trade as an NFL WR as the number two option amongst the Baltimore Ravens WR core, that was until Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown was traded on draft night to the Arizona Cardinals.
That move and the lack of added reinforcements to the position group has Bateman firmly entrenched as Baltimore’s WR1 heading into the 2022 season and the second option in the passing game after TE Mark Andrews.
Hollywood Brown had a 26.7% target share in 2021, so his absence creates a clear path for Bateman to increase the 15.8% he had into a 20-plus % chunk in 2022.
Outlook
Ultimately we have a talented young pass-catcher who has first-round draft capital, less competition for targets than in his rookie campaign, and a top-10 QB throwing him the ball. He’s already shown an ability to get open and catch the football, and I think it’s fair to expect some positive regression in the TD department after only scoring one in 2021.
I’m expecting a WR2-type fantasy season from Bateman, and that’s worth having on any dynasty roster.
*Stats via FantasyData
Thanks for checking out our Dynasty Target article on Rashod Bateman. Over the course of the summer make sure to click here for more Dynasty Target articles discussing players for you to acquire this season!
