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The Ravens used their first round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on Rashod Bateman and have some high hopes for him. Bateman suffered a groin injury in training camp last season. Although he missed some games his first season in the NFL, he showed promise to why he can be a No. 1 receiver in the NFL. Bateman didn't get to play alongside Lamar for too many games last season as Lamar suffered a season-ending ankle injury against the Browns in Week 14.
With Marquise Brown out of Baltimore now, Bateman is now the top guy in the receiver room and the team is counting on a big season from him. Lamar Jackson will throw him the ball a lot this season, as Bateman is too good not to.
2021 season statistics & fantasy finish
Receiving: Bateman had 46 receptions for 515 yards, and a touchdown. He only played in 12 games however.
Fantasy: He finished the season as WR70 in PPR fantasy scoring. In PPR, Bateman scored 103.5 points (8.6 per game), while scoring 57.5 (4.8 per game) in standard.
Ravens offseason moves
On draft night, the Ravens traded Marquise Brown and a compensatory third-round pick for a first-round pick. Brown said he wanted to be in more of a passing offense and wanted more targets. It’ll be interesting to see how his time goes in Arizona.
2022 best case scenario
Rashod Bateman’s number make a massive jump with him finishing at WR12. I think Bateman is fully capable of having one of these jumps. With Brown gone, Bateman will be the top receiving option in the passing game aside from Mark Andrews. The Ravens have been outspoken that they want to get back to their 2019 offense, which would mean wide receivers would have lots of success in the red zone.
2022 worst case scenario
The Ravens offense doesn't get Bateman the ball while they rely much more on Mark Andrews. I think both Andrews and Bateman have big seasons ahead of them. If Bateman doesn't get the ball as much as expected, I would expect the worst case would be him finishing around WR25.
2022 prediction
I expect Bateman to be WR14-WR16 this year for fantasy. Bateman is electric and is a nightmare for opposing defensive backs to stop. I think Lamar will target him in the red zone a bunch and Bateman will score much more touchdowns this season. Look for a big season from Bateman.