What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

WR Rashod Bateman, BAL (1 Viewer)

Cjw_55106

Cjw_55106

Footballguy
After a very good freshman season (51-704-6), Bateman's average jumped from 14 to 20 yards per catch in his sophomore campaign. The 6'2 210lb junior is someone to watch in the 2020 season. 

Personally, I think he's a better receiver than Tyler Johnson who is heading to the NFL after 4 years as a Golden Gopher. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Rashod Bateman Highlights: Gopher Football vs. Michigan (Oct. 24, 2020)

I had an interesting talk with my cousin who is a Gophers fan about this game the other day.

He again says that he thinks Tyler Johnson is a better WR than Bateman.

So I asked him why he thinks that? What does Johnson do better than Bateman?

He says that Johnson has a better release than Bateman does. He thinks Johnson is stronger and knows how to use his body positioning to shield the defender from the ball. He will make the defensive back play through him to get to the ball.

Bateman looks pretty good in the clips above on the plays he made. I am not saying I agree with what my cousin is saying, but its interesting to me hearing what he thinks Johnson does better than Bateman.

 
Minnesota junior WR Rashod Bateman earned eight receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown in Friday's 35-7 loss to Iowa. 

Bateman (6'2/210) was literally more than half of Minnesota's receiving production. While he split receptions down the middle at eight for himself and eight for the rest of the team, his 111 yards were more than half of the 167 yards Minnesota ended with. He also earned their only touchdown, though it was late in the fourth quarter when the game was entirely doomed (through no fault of his own). While the offense at large continues to look like a disaster, Bateman is only boosting his draft profile by looking like the one competent component. 

Nov 13, 2020, 10:55 PM ET
Click to expand...

 
Rashod Bateman had 4 receptions for 59 yards against Purdue. Chris Autman-Bell had 5 receptions 129 yards.

I saw Bateman try to body catch a very catchable pass on a crossing route instead of using his hands.

The Gophers really miss Tyler Johnson.

 
JohnnyU said:
Lenscrafters have a sale going on right now.  Bateman may end up being the best WR in the draft and definitely top 4.
Click to expand...
I agree. He looks really good on tape. They say a lack of speed and athleticism might -- just might be -- a problem, but they were saying the same thing about Tee Higgins, who might be a comp.

 
FunkyPlutos said:
I'm not an NFL scout but he doesn't pass they eye test for me...
Click to expand...
I am interested to learn what it is you see (or do not see) with regards to Bateman which concerns you.  I currently rank Bateman as my WR4, and I confidently have him among my early top 5, along with JaMarr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith and Rondale Moore.  However, I have eaten enough crow to learn not to take too firm an early stand on draft prospects so as to dismiss the contrary opinions of others.  (In the words of Ben Franklin, "For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise.") 

Often, it is in the very process of defending my position that I find myself either strengthening my view or identifying the flaws in my analysis, and this has proven to me to be a most valuable exercise.  It is a big part of what keeps me coming back to this board where people far more informed and far more intelligent than me act as a great sounding board and think tank.

 
Andy Dufresne said:
He dropped quite a few. He fought the ball a bit this year.
Click to expand...
Thanks.  That is the part stats do not necessarily tell you.  I have not yet watched any 2020 complete game tape on Bateman, I don't think.  I did see one game live on television (against Purdue), but I was not specifically watching Bateman.  

 
Last edited by a moderator:
IHEARTFF said:
If you’re on the clock at 2.1, do you feel good about picking this guy? Does it depend on landing spot?
Click to expand...


IHEARTFF said:
Is he Keenan Allen or just a guy?
Click to expand...
I think Bateman compares pretty favorably to Kennan Allen or Michael Thomas, on the high end of the spectrum, from what I have seen.  Bateman does not appear to have elite speed, but he does so many things really well, and his speed is at least adequate.  Bateman has strong hands and possesses that "my ball" mentality which should serve him well as he transitions to the pros.  Draft destination matters, of course, but, at least as it stands now, I would feel pretty good about getting Bateman at 2.01.

 
socrates said:
I am interested to learn what it is you see (or do not see) with regards to Bateman which concerns you.  I currently rank Bateman as my WR4, and I confidently have him among my early top 5, along with JaMarr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith and Rondale Moore.  However, I have eaten enough crow to learn not to take too firm an early stand on draft prospects so as to dismiss the contrary opinions of others.  (In the words of Ben Franklin, "For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise.") 

Often, it is in the very process of defending my position that I find myself either strengthening my view or identifying the flaws in my analysis, and this has proven to me to be a most valuable exercise.  It is a big part of what keeps me coming back to this board where people far more informed and far more intelligent than me act as a great sounding board and think tank.
Click to expand...
I'm a South Dakotan who has a casual interest in Gopher athletics so will tune in to them and cheer for them if I happen to be on the couch while they are playing, so didn't make a point to watch him every game but saw about 3 or 4 of the games he played in this year. He didn't dominate like I would expect from a first round draft pick. Seemed to not get much separation and looked like he was a bit of a "body catcher." This is just in the games I watched so they could have been "bad" games for him versus his body of work overall but just didn't strike me as a "star." 

Nothing other than that. 

 
socrates said:
I think Bateman compares pretty favorably to Kennan Allen or Michael Thomas, on the high end of the spectrum, from what I have seen.  Bateman does not appear to have elite speed, but he does so many things really well, and his speed is at least adequate.  Bateman has strong hands and possesses that "my ball" mentality which should serve him well as he transitions to the pros.  Draft destination matters, of course, but, at least as it stands now, I would feel pretty good about getting Bateman at 2.01.
Click to expand...
Bateman won 't be there at 2.01 in a standard / non-superflex dynasty league.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
socrates said:
I think Bateman compares pretty favorably to Kennan Allen or Michael Thomas, on the high end of the spectrum, from what I have seen.  Bateman does not appear to have elite speed, but he does so many things really well, and his speed is at least adequate.  Bateman has strong hands and possesses that "my ball" mentality which should serve him well as he transitions to the pros.  Draft destination matters, of course, but, at least as it stands now, I would feel pretty good about getting Bateman at 2.01.
Click to expand...
Interesting observation. Mine is different.

I am mostly just comparing Bateman to Tyler Johnson. Johnson is more similar to Allen or Thomas in my view than Bateman is. In my opinion Tyler Johnson was better than Bateman at everything except top end speed.

 
I am almost certain Bateman gets drafted higher than Johnson was. So how do I square that with my personal opinion of the players?

Bateman is a bit taller and perhaps more of an NFL prospect than Johnson because of the speed.

 
Biabreakable said:
Interesting observation. Mine is different.

I am mostly just comparing Bateman to Tyler Johnson. Johnson is more similar to Allen or Thomas in my view than Bateman is. In my opinion Tyler Johnson was better than Bateman at everything except top end speed.
Click to expand...
I ranked Tyler Johnson pretty highly last season in what was an even more loaded receiver class, and I think Johnson is still a dynasty buy.  However, I believe Rashod Bateman has a much higher ceiling than Tyler Johnson.  Obviously, it depends on who drafts him, but I could see Bateman developing into a team's WR1 (and I do not really see that in Tyler Johnson).

 
socrates said:
I ranked Tyler Johnson pretty highly last season in what was an even more loaded receiver class, and I think Johnson is still a dynasty buy.  However, I believe Rashod Bateman has a much higher ceiling than Tyler Johnson.  Obviously, it depends on who drafts him, but I could see Bateman developing into a team's WR1 (and I do not really see that in Tyler Johnson).
Click to expand...
Yeah I can see that too although I am less skeptical of Johnson being a high volume WR than you are perhaps. Maybe they both end up being useful fantasy players at some point. The draft position will tell us a lot about what kind of opportunity a team envisions for Bateman, we already know Johnson was not drafted very high and as such will always have players to compete with that NFL teams have invested more into being producers for them.

I prioritize skill over upside when comparing players but the NFL does value more what a player could become I think than what the players have done when making their decisions.

I was just talking to my cousin (who is a Gophers fan) about this thread a bit ago and he said he thinks Bateman will have trouble beating the jam. That he doesn't have good enough footwork with his releases and also getting open on the crossing routes was a struggle for him at times compared to Johnson, it would take longer for Bateman to get open on these than it did Johnson because of less sharp breaks even though he has better speed.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Biabreakable said:
Yeah I can see that too although I am less skeptical of Johnson being a high volume WR than you are perhaps. Maybe they both end up being useful fantasy players at some point. The draft position will tell us a lot about what kind of opportunity a team envisions for Bateman, we already know Johnson was not drafted very high and as such will always have players to compete with that NFL teams have invested more into being producers for them.

I prioritize skill over upside when comparing players but the NFL does value what a player could become I think than what the players have done when making their decisions.

I was just talking to my cousin (who is a Gophers fan) about this thread a bit ago and he said he thinks Bateman will have trouble beating the jam. That he doesn't have good enough footwork with his releases and also getting open on the crossing routes was a struggle for him at times compared to Johnson, it would take longer for Bateman to get open on these than it did Johnson because of less sharp breaks even though he has better speed.
Click to expand...
Bateman is a lot more talented than Johnson.  You will see that the NFL thinks the same way when he’s drafted in the 2nd round, with an outside chance at the 1st round.    There will be a huge draft capital difference between the two players.

 
It's also quite possible that the truth is somewhere in the middle, and that Johnson should have been drafted higher and Bateman has flaws heretofore unseen that should cause his stock to drop. That's certainly a possibility. Johnson probably, given how he performed in his limited time this year, should have been drafted a bit higher.

 
Biabreakable said:
I was just talking to my cousin (who is a Gophers fan) about this thread a bit ago and he said he thinks Bateman will have trouble beating the jam. That he doesn't have good enough footwork with his releases and also getting open on the crossing routes was a struggle for him at times compared to Johnson, it would take longer for Bateman to get open on these than it did Johnson because of less sharp breaks even though he has better speed.
Click to expand...
That is an interesting observation.  Bateman is not a twitchy receiver; nor does he have especially loose hips or the ability to generate space with shiftiness.  However, Bateman does create space with an excellent release off the line of scrimmage, he is an advanced route runner, and he possesses the physicality to beat press coverage. I have seen no evidence of Bateman being a "body catcher".  Rather, I have seen him pluck the ball with excellent hand strength, which allows him to beat defenders in tight coverage.  

 
socrates said:
That is an interesting observation.  Bateman is not a twitchy receiver; nor does he have especially loose hips or the ability to generate space with shiftiness.  However, Bateman does create space with an excellent release off the line of scrimmage, he is an advanced route runner, and he possesses the physicality to beat press coverage. I have seen no evidence of Bateman being a "body catcher".  Rather, I have seen him pluck the ball with excellent hand strength, which allows him to beat defenders in tight coverage.  
Click to expand...
Just relaying what he said, not sure about his releases, something I will look for when I watch him again.

As far as the body catching and drops, I know he did this in the game vs Purdue which I think you said you watched. On my phone but I will link it later.

 
JohnnyU said:
Bateman is a lot more talented than Johnson.  You will see that the NFL thinks the same way when he’s drafted in the 2nd round, with an outside chance at the 1st round.    There will be a huge draft capital difference between the two players.
Click to expand...
Having watched Bateman and Johnson through their Gopher careers, I don't agree Bateman is more talented. I just haven't seen a basis for a statement like that. I think the NFL will be proven to be wrong if he's drafted that high. He was a good, not great, Big 10 receiver. Not even in the same area code as Michael Thomas (prior post), who I enthusiastically ranked as a top 5 rookie pick. (ETA: To be clear, I meant dynast rookie pick, not overall draft)

 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Faust
WR Quez Watkins, PHI
Replies
25
Views
2K
FGITLOTR
F
Biabreakable
WR Tyler Johnson, HOU
2 3 4
Replies
181
Views
10K
Insein
Insein
whole-show
Isaiah Coulter- WR Houston Texans
Replies
10
Views
921
The Frankman
The Frankman

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Top