RashodBateman

News: 5 days agoBateman caught two of four targets for 51 yards in Sunday's 30-16 win over the Bears.

Spin: The fifth-year wideout once again didn't see much target volume, but Bateman managed to make an impact with a 36-yard reception in the third quarter that helped set up a field goal. He's seen more than four targets only once in seven games this season, no matter whether Lamar Jackson (hamstring), Tyler Huntley or Cooper Rush has been under center, leaving Bateman with a 13-171-1 line on 26 targets on the season. Even if Jackson is able to return in Week 9 against the Dolphins, Bateman may not be able to benefit much.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Bateman is entering his fifth season (all with Baltimore) following a big leap forward in 2024. Bateman appeared in all 17 regular season games for the first time and, though his 15.4% target share was the second lowest of his career, he posted career-best marks in yardage, touchdowns and fantasy points. Targets remained inconsistent, however, and led to extremely boom/bust production (eight single-digit fantasy point games and a 47th-place finish in PPG, the latter of which is a career best). The 25-year-old is a capable situational deep threat (he's ranked top 12 in aDOT two years in a row), but he's a good bet for touchdown regression to the mean (4.6 expected TDs last season) and his usage is too volatile to allow weekly flex consideration.