Rashod Bateman Fantasy Football Outlook (2021)

By Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros), Sat, Aug 14th 2021, 11:42pm EDT

Bateman suffered a groin injury in camp, has undergone surgery, and should return "sometime in September." That makes him someone to largely ignore in redraft leagues. But long-term, there's plenty to like. "He's good, sure, but the offense is run-first and doesn't have a lot of volume. He's a rookie wide receiver, they take time to develop. He's not the No. 1 target on his team." We said those exact same things about Justin Jefferson last year and look what happened. From the moment I started watching Bateman's film, I was instantly reminded of Keenan Allen. A receiver who may not be an elite athlete, but one who continually got open due to intelligence and route running. When he's healthy, he should be lined up all over the formation, including the slot, becoming Lamar Jackson's favorite target as a possession-style receiver while Marquise Brown plays the field-stretching role. There's a scenario where Bateman is an every-week WR2/3 option once he returns from his injury.