Should I start Jalen Royals or Rashod Bateman in Week 7?

The market-based projections

Jalen Royals's market-based projection is 5.7 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 12 market sources. That is the 139th highest figure of the 212 players with a market-based projection.

Rashod Bateman's market-based projection is 4.7 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 12 market sources. That is the 149th highest figure of the 212 players with a market-based projection.

Where the draft room stands

Live drafts hold no current pick on Jalen Royals, and the board ranks him 162nd overall on the rest of his evidence.

Live drafts hold no current pick on Rashod Bateman, and the board ranks him 176th overall on the rest of his evidence.

This season through Week 6

Through Week 6, Jalen Royals has been on the field for 42 percent of KC snaps, drawn 7 percent of the targets and had 4 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 2 of the offence's 32 third down targets, had 2 of its 17 chances inside the five and seen 0 of its 15 two minute targets.

His 9 targets have averaged 5.3 air yards.

In Week 3 against MIA he caught 1 of 1 target for 11 yards and did not score.

In Week 4 against LV he caught 0 of 2 targets for 0 yards and did not score.

In Week 6 against LAC he caught 2 of 4 targets for 24 yards and did not score.

Through Week 6, Rashod Bateman has been on the field for 70 percent of BAL snaps, drawn 13 percent of the targets and had 5 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 3 of the offence's 46 third down targets, had 1 of its 25 chances inside the five and seen 9 of its 41 two minute targets.

His 22 targets have averaged 12.4 air yards.

In Week 4 against TEN he caught 2 of 2 targets for 46 yards and did not score.

In Week 5 against ATL he caught 5 of 6 targets for 62 yards and did not score.

In Week 6 against CLE he caught 0 of 1 target for 0 yards and did not score.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 Jalen Royals played 7 games and scored 2.4 PPR points, 0.3 a game.

He caught 2 of 3 targets for 4 yards and 0 touchdowns, with 0 red zone targets.

That came to 0.4 targets a game, a 67 percent catch rate and 2.0 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 9 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

In 2025 Rashod Bateman played 13 games and scored 55.4 PPR points, 4.3 a game, finishing WR102.

He caught 19 of 38 targets for 224 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 8 red zone targets.

That came to 2.9 targets a game, a 50 percent catch rate and 11.8 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 69 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

Rashod Bateman was available for 6 games more.

Head to head

In 2025 Rashod Bateman scored 4.3 PPR points a game and Jalen Royals 0.3, 3.9 a game between them.

Rashod Bateman had 35 more targets than Jalen Royals, 38 to 3.

Rashod Bateman had 220 more receiving yards than Jalen Royals, 224 to 4.

This season Rashod Bateman holds the bigger snap share, 70 percent against 42 percent.

This season Rashod Bateman holds the bigger target share, 13 percent against 7 percent.

Byes and availability

Rashod Bateman is off in Week 13. No bye is listed for Jalen Royals.

What would change the answer

1.0 points a game is the entire case. The market restates it every week, and a line that moves moves the order with it.

The draft market is the half that is missing: when live drafts hold these two again they can order them differently from the projection, and this page will follow the drafts rather than the market-based projection when they do.