Bates caught each of his three targets for 25 yards in Sunday's 29-19 win over Tampa Bay, playing a career-high 47 snaps due to Ricky Seals-Jones' hip injury.
A rookie fourth-round pick, Bates has now climbed from third to first on the depth chart with Seals-Jones joining starter Logan Thomas (IR/hamstring) on the shelf. However, it isn't clear if Seals-Jones' hip injury is serious, nor is it certain that Thomas will miss additional time beyond Week 10. Bates was timed at 4.84 in the 40-yard dash and never reached even 300 yards in a season at Boise State, suggesting his receiving contributions won't match Seals-Jones' recent performance even if the rookie temporarily handles a three-down role in Week 11 at Carolina.