Is Rashod Bateman playing today? Ravens injury update vs. PIT and fantasy replacements

It's been a tumultuous week for the Baltimore Ravens at wide receiver with the release of trade deadline addition Diontae Johnson. But heading into the Week 16 showdown with the AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday afternoon, things could get even more hectic. There's a chance that Lamar Jackson could be without his another pass-catcher as Rashod Bateman is listed as questionable for this game with a foot injury.

Bateman has endured a brutal career in recent years when it comes to injuries, both with the minor and major varieties. This foot injury appears to be no different but the questionable label is quite a bit concerning, especially as you unpack the details. To make matters worse, he's been one of the most consistent receiving options for Jackson this season outside of Zay Flowers. So not having him in trying to finally topple Pittsburgh again would be a tough blow.

So is the Ravens wide receiver going to play in Week 16? Let's dive into the latest information available for Bateman regarding his injury before taking a dive into what fantasy football managers can potentially do based on if the receiver plays or not.

Is Rashod Bateman playing in Week 16 against the Steelers?

It's trending toward Rashod Bateman not playing on Saturday in the divisional matchup against the Steelers based on the latest injury update. The wide receiver didn't come into the week with an injury designation but has seemingly gotten worse as the week went on. Bateman missed practice on Thursday after being just a limited participant on Wednesday. He was also reportedly seen walking around the Baltimore facility in a walking boot, which is never a good sign given the rest of the context.

Not having Bateman is the last thing the Ravens need in this matchup. Jackson and the Baltimore offense have been stifled routinely over the past several years when matching up against the rival Steelers. So to go into that without Bateman when Johnson is also already out of the picture is bad news for the Ravens and their chances of potentially retaking the AFC North.

Fantasy football managers would also likely consider it pretty bad news considering we're in the playoffs.

Rashod Bateman fantasy replacements for Week 16

The good news for fantasy managers is that we're looking at this for the Saturday game, meaning there's plenty of time to pick a replacement up off of the waiver wire. Here are three players who could be reasonable fill-ins if Bateman can't actually play in Week 16.

Jalen McMillan should be the top addition you look to make to replace Bateman in youre fantasy lineup for Week 16. The Buccaneers receiver has produced 16.0 fantasy points or more in the last two weeks for a total of 35.6 points over that span. He's emerged as the true No. 2 option for Baker Mayfield that they've looked for since Chris Godwin's injury and now he gets a matchup against a shorthanded Cowboys secondary in Dallas, where the 'Boys have stunk it up all season.

If McMillan isn't an option or you don't trust it, Tim Patrick could be worth a look. The Lions have started to rely on him a bit more as of late, leading to double-digit fantasy points in half-PPR formats in each of the past two weeks. More importantly, he's had seven and eight targets in those games as well. Malik Washington is far more of a dart throw option but, with Jaylen Waddle set to miss Week 16 for the Miami offense, the shifty rookie could be in line for far more usage against San Francisco.