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Player Outlooks (2024)
QB Jayden Daniels: Daniels put up video-game numbers last year at LSU on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy and rising to be the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and the rushing upside immediately puts him in the low-end QB1 range as a rookie. There are still questions about the overall roster for Washington (particularly the holes at offensive tackle), but they have two really good wide receivers in Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, and we can’t overstate the damage Daniels can do on the ground. As the rookie stated himself after being drafted, those unfamiliar with his game should watch him last year versus Florida when he became the first player in FBS history to pass for 350+ yards and rush for 200+ yards in a single game. Similar to Anthony Richardson last year, the primary concern is about durability, but Daniels has huge upside in Year 1.
QB Marcus Mariota: The Commanders have at least created the impression of the starting quarterback not being a foregone conclusion, but Mariota—who we interestingly compared Jayden Daniels to—will probably be the veteran mentor barring injury. That said, Mariota can undoubtedly play at a high level if given a shot, and new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s offense is an ideal fit for his skillset.
RB Brian Robinson Jr.: Perhaps quarterback play or overall dysfunction was to blame, but Washington’s attack did not operate well under former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy last season, and Robinson did very well to reach 1,101 total yards and nine total touchdowns in 15 games. A big reason for his fantasy success was involvement as a pass-catcher, which is something he showed an ability to do at Alabama and capitalized on with four receiving scores. The presence of Austin Ekeler will likely hurt in that regard, but Robinson should benefit from more balance than there was in 2023 (even if Kliff Kingsbury wants to throw as well), and Jayden Daniels being a massive rushing threat should help open things up. Robinson is a strong low-end RB2/FLEX option.
RB Austin Ekeler: Ekeler signed a two-year deal with the Commanders this offseason, and there is a scenario where the hand-picked option by the new regime ends up outproducing incumbent starter Brian Robinson Jr.—particularly a challenger as decorated as Ekeler is. However, Washington targeting veterans this offseason seemed to be about establishing a culture as much as it was hopeful on-field contributions, and again, we are high on Robinson, who has an underrated three-down skillset and should be the clear favorite for early-down carries and goal-line work. We’d consider him a firm FLEX candidate.
RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.: Rodriguez was a favorite of Eric Bieniemy as a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and he showed well in limited action with 51 carries for 247 yards (4.8 YPC) and two touchdowns as a rookie. If Brian Robinson were to miss time at some point, Rodriguez—a physical, 224-pound runner—could carry some FLEX appeal as an early-down complement to Austin Ekeler.
WR Terry McLaurin: Wide receiver being loaded makes McLaurin tough to rank, but Jayden Daniels is expected to be the best quarterback he’s played with, and average to below-average play under center hasn’t really impacted Washington’s captain with four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons (after 919 yards in 14 games as a rookie). Daniels’ preference to throw outside the numbers fitting McLaurin’s role and skillset is another plus, and a season similar to DJ Moore last year—breaking through with a 96/1,364/8 line after years of living in WR20-WR25 territory—is within his range of outcomes.
WR Jahan Dotson: Dotson unfortunately didn’t build on a highly efficient rookie campaign and seemed to be an afterthought much of the time in Eric Bieniemy’s offense, and he also had a couple of costly downfield drops on the opportunities he did get. That said, Dotson showed sticky hands in 2022 and at Penn State, so a loss of confidence—not having the role he thought he should based on his talent—might have frankly affected him last year more than anything else. A new scheme and quarterback should get Dotson on the right track, and Jayden Daniels having a phenomenal deep ball fits well with the vertical ability should make Dotson an excellent late-round value.
WR Luke McCaffrey: McCaffrey was taken late in the third round to be the long-term slot receiver for Washington, and in addition to his NFL bloodlines (son of Ed McCaffrey and brother of Christian McCaffrey), Luke is a former college quarterback that is still relatively new to the position. He’s also a bigger target at six-foot-two, and the chances of making an impact as a rookie may be determined by the chemistry with Jayden Daniels and how much Zach Ertz has left in the tank.
WR Dyami Brown: It sounds like Brown is a trade candidate with a 29/476/3 line through three years, and the former third-rounder is still young as he enters his age-24/25 campaign. If he were to remain in Washington, Brown would have limited standalone appeal as a rotational deep threat, and Luke McCaffrey would probably see more work on the outside if Terry McLaurin or Jahan Dotson were to go down.
WR Olamide Zaccheaus: The top-heavy Philadelphia offense prevented Zaccheaus from making much noise with the Eagles (10/164/2 line in 2023), but he’s been very efficient throughout his career with 8.7 yards per target, so he’s a name to at least monitor in a new city. The best season for Zaccheaus came in 2022 with 40 receptions for 533 yards and three touchdowns with the Falcons.
WR Jamison Crowder: Crowder returned to Washington last year and was solid when called upon, but no one would mistake his outlook—entering his age-31 season—for what he did early in his career under Jay Gruden with lines of 59/602/2, 67/847/7, and 66/789/3 from 2015 through 2017. Being the primary punt returner will likely be the ticket for the veteran to make the team.
TE Zach Ertz: The Commanders signed Ertz in the offseason as the first move in their quest to add experience to the locker room, and he will play in a Kliff Kingsbury offense that he had plenty of success in with a season-long pace of 83 receptions (on 121 targets) for 793 yards and six touchdowns across 21 games in 2021 and 2022. But expecting that kind of production would be a mistake with Ertz—turning 34 in November—coming off a torn ACL, and Jayden Daniels is much more comfortable targeting pass-catchers outside the numbers based on what he showed at LSU. Despite his history of production, Ertz isn’t a must-own at this point in his career.
TE Ben Sinnott: Sinnott was considered somewhat of a tight end/fullback tweener based on his play at Kansas State, but Washington taking him with the No. 53 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft would seem to suggest they view him as a pure tight end—and the athletic testing boosted his draft stock with elite numbers in the vertical jump (40.0 inches) and 3-cone drill (6.82 seconds). Playing time, and in turn production, will be dependent on the effectiveness as a blocker, and it’s an area where Sinnott needs some refinement due to the inconsistency shown in college. We’d have him behind Zach Ertz for now.
TE John Bates: Bates is a player with no questions about his blocking, and it’s easy to imagine him establishing himself as the long-term complementary tight end in Washington. For this year, the Commanders will probably be wanting Zach Ertz and Ben Sinnott to play most of the snaps, but the duo being Sinnott and Bates by 2025 is very possible.
Other Notes
Best IDP value: CB Mike Sainristil
Sainristil was one of our favorite players in the draft, and he should immediately start in the slot for what will be a very aggressive defense under Dan Quinn. In his final season at Michigan, Sainristil—a former wide receiver—had six interceptions and two touchdowns, and he’s also unafraid to come up to tackle at 182 pounds.
Stat to know (via draft guide)
After averaging 14.9 yards per reception and scoring seven touchdowns on 61 targets as a rookie, Jahan Dotson averaged 10.6 yards per reception and scored four touchdowns on 83 targets last season.