Start DeMario Douglas or Rashod Bateman? Week 8

Updated Oct 28, 12:01 AM ET. Locks at kickoff, graded after. Week 9 answer posts Tuesday.

Start DeMario Douglas over Rashod Bateman

Start

DeMario Douglas

WR · NE · at MIA

Market projects: 7.4; fantasy pts
MIA D vs WR: 23.8; 3rd fewest to WRs (2026)
Upside: Moderate; 41 of 100 at WR
Snap share: 55%; Through Week 7
Target share: 16%; Through Week 7

Sit

Rashod Bateman

WR · BAL · at BUF

Market projects: 6.7; fantasy pts
BUF D vs WR: 42.3; most to WRs (2026)
Upside: Rising; 72 of 100 at WR
Snap share: 70%; Through Week 7
Target share: 13%; Through Week 7

Should I drop Rashod Bateman for DeMario Douglas?

Yes, on the rest of the season. DeMario Douglas projects 67 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (7.4 a game over 9 games), Rashod Bateman 50 (5.6 a game over 9 games). For Week 8 the call starts DeMario Douglas over Rashod Bateman, 7.4 to 6.7 projected PPR points.

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Our Week 8 call

Start DeMario Douglas over Rashod Bateman in Week 8.

Market-based projections have DeMario Douglas at 7.4 points and Rashod Bateman at 6.7, a gap of 0.7. That is inside the noise of a single catch, so treat it as close to a coin flip.

What the market projects

Player markets imply 7.4 fantasy points for DeMario Douglas, with 100 percent of the markets a WR needs posted.

The market-based projection for DeMario Douglas is 32 receiving yards, 2-3 receptions and 0.3 touchdowns (5, 5 and 7 market sources).

Player markets imply 6.7 fantasy points for Rashod Bateman, with 100 percent of the markets a WR needs posted.

The market-based projection for Rashod Bateman is 27 receiving yards, 2-3 receptions and 0.2 touchdowns (6, 8 and 10 market sources).

That puts DeMario Douglas 0.7 points ahead of Rashod Bateman on the market projections.

Week 8 matchups

DeMario Douglas and NE visit MIA on Sunday at 4:25 PM ET.

MIA allowed 23.8 fantasy points a game to WRs this season over 6 games, the 3rd fewest in the league.

Receivers caught passes for 116 yards and 0-1 touchdowns a game against MIA.

Rashod Bateman and BAL visit BUF on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.

BUF allowed 42.3 fantasy points a game to WRs this season over 6 games, the most in the league.

Receivers caught passes for 174 yards and 1.8 touchdowns a game against BUF.

By points allowed to the position, Rashod Bateman has the softer matchup.

Injury status

DeMario Douglas is not on the injury report.

Rashod Bateman is not on the injury report.

Usage before Week 8

Through Week 7, DeMario Douglas played 55 percent of NE snaps, drew 16 percent of the targets, earned 18 percent of the air yards and had 7 percent of the red zone chances.

DeMario Douglas, Week 4 against BUF: 35 of 76 snaps, 3 targets and 2 catches for 15 yards.

DeMario Douglas, Week 5 against LV: 37 of 75 snaps, 5 targets and 4 catches for 65 yards, 2 touchdowns.

DeMario Douglas, Week 6 against NYJ: 40 of 68 snaps, 8 targets and 7 catches for 86 yards, 1 touchdown.

DeMario Douglas, Week 7 against CHI: 35 of 54 snaps, 4 targets and 3 catches for 23 yards.

Through Week 7, Rashod Bateman played 70 percent of BAL snaps, drew 13 percent of the targets, earned 22 percent of the air yards and had 4 percent of the red zone chances.

Rashod Bateman, Week 4 against TEN: 30 of 64 snaps, 2 targets and 2 catches for 46 yards.

Rashod Bateman, Week 5 against ATL: 61 of 76 snaps, 6 targets and 5 catches for 62 yards.

Rashod Bateman, Week 6 against CLE: 17 of 57 snaps, 1 target and 0 catches for 0 yards.

Rashod Bateman, Week 7 against CIN: 49 of 67 snaps, 4 targets and 2 catches for 33 yards.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025, DeMario Douglas played 17 games for NE and scored 95.8 PPR points, 5.6 a game, finishing WR65.

He caught 31 of 46 targets for 447 yards and 3 touchdowns, with 7 red zone targets and 233 air yards.

He was on the field for 26 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

In 2025, Rashod Bateman played 13 games for BAL 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 and 185 air yards.

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

Their other Week 8 calls

Locks at kickoff, graded after. When the start/sit engine grades week 8, the call and the result appear on the public record, wrong ones included.

Drop or keep

Should I drop Rashod Bateman for DeMario Douglas?
Yes, on the rest of the season. DeMario Douglas projects 67 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (7.4 a game over 9 games), Rashod Bateman 50 (5.6 a game over 9 games). For Week 8 the call starts DeMario Douglas over Rashod Bateman, 7.4 to 6.7 projected PPR points.
Should I drop DeMario Douglas for Rashod Bateman?
No. Keep DeMario Douglas: he projects 67 market-implied PPR points from Week 8 through Week 17 (7.4 a game over 9 games), Rashod Bateman 50 (5.6 a game over 9 games). For Week 8 the call starts DeMario Douglas over Rashod Bateman, 7.4 to 6.7 projected PPR points.