Fantasy football owners welcomed back Rashod Bateman last week, but a nagging foot injury has him "questionable" ahead of Week 8's Thursday Night Football showdown in Tampa. As is always the case when an every-week starter is a game-time decision, updates will be crucial ahead of your first start 'em, sit 'em decision of the week.
We'll continue to update this article with news on Bateman until the official active/inactive report comes out on Thursday around 6:50 p.m. ET.
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Is Rashod Bateman playing Thursday night Week 8?
UPDATE: NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Thursday afternoon that Bateman is "hopeful" he can play Thursday night.
UPDATE 2: Bateman is officially ACTIVE.
After failing to practice on Tuesday, Bateman (foot) got in a full session on Wednesday. That makes him likely to suit up against the Buccaneers despite being officially listed as "questionable."
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Bateman returned from a two-game hiatus in Week 7, catching four-of-five targets for 42 yards. He played 56 percent of snaps, which is slightly less than what he played in Weeks 1-3 (66 percent, 61 percent, 62 percent). Overall, Bateman looked healthy and ran well, so a matchup against a slightly above-average Tampa pass defense isn't too intimidating. The Bucs are giving up just 190 passing yards per game, but they've also allowed 11 passing TDs, so there are still points to be had against them. Bateman always has boom-or-bust tendencies in Baltimore's limited passing offense, but he's the type of big-bodied, big-play receiver who's worth using as a WR3 or flex whenever he's active.
WEEK 8 STANDARD RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Bateman could also get a boost on Thursday night by the potential absence of TE Mark Andrews (knee), who failed to practice this week. Even if Andrews plays, he could be limited, resulting in more targets for Bateman.
WEEK 8 PPR RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
If Bateman is a surprise scratch, Devin Duvernay would get a nice bump in value. Like Bateman, he's a boom-or-bust, big-play receiver, but he has the added advantage of occasionally being used on run plays. He would likely get four-to-seven touches and have WR3 upside.
