Rookie Report Card: Rashod Bateman and Josh Palmer
Each week throughout the season, I’ll cover at least two rookies in the Rookie Report Card and try to always include the biggest performers from that particular week. On top of reviewing my expectations for each player coming into the league and how well he’s lived up to those expectations at the NFL level to this point, I’ll grade the player in three categories. Those categories are performance to date, rookie season potential and long-term upside.
The series continues as we shine the light on a pair of rookie wideouts, Rashod Bateman and Josh Palmer.
Rashod Bateman, WR BAL
Week 14 Stats: seven receptions, 103 yards (eight targets)
As a fan of Big Ten football, I watched Bateman play countless times and nearly always came away impressed. Piling up 60 receptions for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns as a 20-year-old sophomore, he appeared to improve with every week that passed in 2019 – particularly as a route-runner and contested-catch playmaker.
Known for his ability to separate at the top of his routes, he makes changing directions look effortless at times. Subtle head turns and upper body jukes get defenders off balance which gives him leverage and space to break off his route and make the catch. Excellent hands and an underrated ability to make defenders miss after the catch make him a strong underneath option from the perimeter on crossing routes and slants but it is his ability to adjust to the ball downfield and make highlight-reel catches that gives him unlimited upside for dynasty managers.
Those who saw Bateman blaze through defenses with his sneaky speed – like on the one-handed touchdown grab against South Dakota State in 2019 that reminded fans of Odell Beckham – saw the playmaking ability he brings to the table, and the countless fades he caught for touchdowns showed exactly how dynamic he can be as a red zone threat. At the end of his 31-game college career, it was clear he was still an ascending talent.
With good size (6-0″, 192 pounds) and a pro-ready route running ability, it appeared all Bateman needed was a quality landing spot to make an immediate impact for dynasty managers. Ending up in Baltimore with Lamar Jackson, a good running game and a quality offense was exactly what most wanted for the former Golden Gopher but an unwillingness from Jackson to be a perimeter passer and sharing snaps with Sammy Watkins and Devin Duvernay has slowed him fantasy impact.
Although a groin injury which he suffered in training camp kept him off the field for the first five weeks of the season, Bateman has slowly incorporated himself into the Ravens offense, playing between 44% and 70% of snaps in each of his eight games and catching between three and seven passes in all but one. Although it took until week 14 to post a big game, his flashes of upside have kept dynasty managers at the edge of their seats.
Bateman showed a lot of his potential against the Browns on Sunday, setting career highs in catches (seven), yards (103) and PPR fantasy points (17.3), he made multiple catches on hitch routes for first downs including a slick run after the catch that made cornerback Greedy Williams look silly right before halftime but it was his work down the left sideline that rose eyebrows.
He skied over Williams on an underthrown go route in the fourth quarter which was originally called a 37-yard touchdown but after review was brought back out to the one-yard line. The play perfectly displayed the “above the rim” upside he provides. Late in the quarter, he hauled in a 30-yarder on a pretty throw that required his patented late speed to get to the ball, savvy route running to bend the route to the inside leaving enough room on the sideline for the quarterback to fit in the throw, excellent hands to secure the catch and a toe-tap to stay in bounds on the boundary.
Those two plays against Cleveland on Sunday (along with his red zone upside which has not yet been unleashed) are the reason dynasty managers were investing a mid-first round rookie pick in Bateman. Although it took a negative game script and backup quarterback to provide the highlights and production, it should be seen as a glimpse at what is coming in the future.
Currently the WR30 in average draft position, Bateman is a fringe fifth-round pick in startups but that is likely to go up in the coming months as dynasty managers expect a second-year breakout – especially if he has another big game or two down the stretch of the season. I expect him to be in starting lineups as a solid WR3 with top-15 weekly upside as soon as early 2022 so if you’re going to buy, the time to invest is now.
Josh Palmer, WR LAC
Week 14 Stats: five receptions, 66 yards, one touchdown (seven targets)
Having caught only 99 passes in 42 career games at Tennessee and never reaching 500 yards in a single campaign, Palmer went under the radar for many dynasty managers throughout most of the pre-draft process. When he posted a 4.51-second 40-yard dash and 10’-4” broad jump at his pro day though, many took a closer look at the former Volunteer receiver.
In college, Palmer showed flashes of playmaking ability, hauling in deep balls and making contested catches above the rim. His physicality is clear on tape, using size (6’-1”, 210 pounds) and strength to gain position against smaller defensive backs. Unfortunately, he lacks quickness both at the line of scrimmage and at the top of his routes to consistently create separation from talented cover men which – along with playing with inconsistent quarterbacks – kept him from reaching his collegiate upside.
When Palmer was selected as the 11th wideout taken in the 2021 NFL Draft, many dynasty managers were surprised. The higher-than-predicted draft capital wasn’t enough to move him from the mid-to-late third-round rookie ADP that he had throughout April and May, however.
Landing in Los Angeles behind Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, most assumed Palmer would take some time to become fantasy-relevant. In 12 games as a rookie leading up to Sunday afternoon he wasn’t a factor, with no more than 25 receiving yards in a game but with Allen unavailable due to Covid-19 on Sunday, things changed.
Palmer was targeted seven times against the Giants, catching five for 66 yards and a touchdown – all season highs. He set up a five-yard out route early in the second quarter perfectly with a stutter step and jab to the inside before darting to the edge, catching the ball and getting inside the pylon for a 12-yard touchdown but that wasn’t his biggest play of the day.
That came early in the third quarter off play action when he hauled in a slick 36-yard pass down the left side which required patience to sell himself as a blocker, enough speed to beat the defender across the formation and down the field, and leaping ability to high-point the football. He made it look easy – as he did many times in college.
At this point, Palmer can be seen by dynasty managers as nothing but potential. While it’s nice to see him take advantage of his first real chance at regular snaps, there is still a long way to go before he can be seen as anything more than that.
With that said, Williams is playing out the last year on his contract so there is a path to the Chargers needing to fill the downfield playmaker role and Palmer is the closest thing they have to that currently on the roster.
At the very least, Palmer is worth the roster spot in all dynasty leagues going into the off-season. His ADP of 170 (WR75) suggests he could be acquired as a throw-in during most trade negotiations. Attached to a quarterback like Justin Herbert and with an opportunity to see regular playing time as soon as week one next year, he’s certainly worth inquiring about.
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