College Football Best Bets of the Week: Week 9
Walter Waddell
The Baltimore Ravens seemed destined to take a wide receiver in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, especially after they added a second first-round pick in a trade last week, and that came to fruition Thursday when the team selected Minnesota WR Rashod Bateman with Pick No. 27.
(Check out the FTN Rashod Bateman scouting report here.)
Bateman had 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2019, finishing as a third-team All-American. He initially opted out of the 2020 season but ultimately came back for five games, going for 472 yards and 2 scores. He’s got a high ceiling, though his lack of top-end speed could hold him in check. That said, pairing him with the speed-to-spare Marquise Brown in Baltimore could make for an elite combo. Bateman’s ceiling is going to be closely tied to how much the Ravens and Lamar Jackson choose to throw the ball, and thus far in Jackson’s career, that’s meant the ceiling is on the low side. Still, Bateman is arguably the best receiver Jackson has had (at worst he’s second to Brown), and that receiver duo could encourage them to throw more. Bateman only has a mid-range flex fantasy outlook for the 2021 season, but there’s room for a lot of growth. — Daniel Kelley
