The Baltimore Ravens will face the Cleveland Browns in Week 18. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR Rashod Bateman.
Is Rashod Bateman Playing in Week 18?
Bateman is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any unexpected setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Ravens’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Rashod Bateman in Week 18?
If you’re not on Bateman for the 1-12-0 stat line, do you even deserve to be there for the 2-43-1 line?
This is the life of a Bateman manager. He has just a 15.3% on-field target share this season, and that is why I fade him with confidence weekly. However, there’s no denying the upside that comes with this profile.
For the season, Bateman is averaging 25.8 yards per touchdown reception, a number that holds some weight given that he has eight scores this season. Trying to pin the tail on those weeks is a headache-inducing activity, and it certainly wasn’t the case in Week 8 in Cleveland (one catch on five targets for 28 yards), but it’s not hard to talk yourself into taking a flier on a player like this in Week 18.
Cleveland owns the eighth-worst deep pass touchdown rate against this season and sixth worst opponent passer rating on those throws, making them as good a target as any if you’re going to roll the dice on Bateman. He’s more of a DFS pick for me than anything – one that I can hit big with if he happens to be on the right side of a few bombs.
Due to the nature of this week, he’s flirting with my top 35 at the position, a ranking that is more reflective of how impactful big play potential is in a goofy week than my confidence in this specific player.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 18 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Rashod Bateman’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 18
As of Saturday, Bateman is projected to score 11.8 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 4.1 receptions for 59.6 yards and 0.3 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Rashod Bateman’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.Â
Conference Championship WR PPR Rankings
1) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) Terry McLaurin | WAS (at PHI)
3) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
4) Khalil Shakir | BUF (at KC)
5) Xavier Worthy | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Hollywood Brown | KC (vs. BUF)
7) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (vs. BUF)
8) Keon Coleman | BUF (at KC)
9) Dyami Brown | WAS (at PHI)
10) Mack Hollins | BUF (at KC)
11) Amari Cooper | BUF (at KC)
12) Curtis Samuel | BUF (at KC)
13) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (at PHI)
14) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (vs. BUF)
15) Jahan Dotson | PHI (vs. WAS)
16) Jamison Crowder | WAS (at PHI)
17) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (at PHI)
18) Justin Watson | KC (vs. BUF)
19) Johnny Wilson | PHI (vs. WAS)
20) Parris Campbell | PHI (vs. WAS)
21) Nikko Remigio | KC (vs. BUF)
22) Ainias Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
