The Baltimore Ravens will face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wild Card Weekend. 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 vs. the Steelers?
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 on Wild Card Weekend?
Bateman saved you if you were forced to go in this direction for the Week 16 meeting between these two teams with a 14-yard touchdown, but three catches on eight targets across two regular season matchups (-0.67 EPA per target) isn’t exactly the type of form you love to see.
The Steelers proved themselves as the best defense in the league when it comes to getting off the field on third downs this regular season, and secondary pieces like Bateman are the ones who end up feeling that the most. Baltimore’s WR2 continues to lose value on the fringes the deeper you dive.
Lamar Jackson threw a play-action touchdown pass in both Pittsburgh games this season, averaging 10.1 yards per attempt when pulling the ball back out from the belly of a back. In theory, you’d think that such a play structure would allow Bateman to earn targets at an increased rate, buying him time to work his way down the field, but that simply hasn’t been the case.
Ravens pass catchers’ play-action target rates, 2024:
- Zay Flowers: 34.8%
- Mark Andrews: 31.5%
- Charlie Kolar: 28%
- Nelson Agholor: 21.4%
- Isaiah Likely: 21.2%
- Bateman: 20.2%
Maybe Todd Monken pulls out all the stops in the third meeting, but the two previous matchups along with the overall 17-game data set from the regular season have me confident in passing on Bateman in all formats.
Should Flowers be sidelined, Bateman’s value obviously ticks up, but considering that I am below market in the first place with his ability to thrive in this system, my ranking/projection isn’t going to surpass what the market does in this instance, keeping me uninvested.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Wild Card Weekend Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Rashod Bateman’s Fantasy Points Projection on Wild Card Weekend
As of Saturday, Bateman is projected to score 11.9 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 4.1 receptions for 59.9 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)
