Fantasy Football Player Notes

With a final tally of 79 receptions on 132 targets, Terry McLaurin accrued 1,002 receiving yards, averaging 12.7 yards per reception. His longest reception was a 48-yard catch, contributing to his total of 23 catches of 20+ yards. He found the end zone 4 times, finishing the season with 163.7 fantasy points in half-PPR scoring, which placed him at 32nd overall among wide receivers and 41st in points per game with 9.6. McLaurin's utilization in the offensive scheme was reflected in his air yards metrics - he held the 23rd spot in air yards share with 35%, emphasizing his role as a deep threat in the team's offense. His total air yards exceeded 1500, ranking him 13th league-wide, a testament to the Commanders' trust in him to stretch the field. While his touchdowns could see an uptick with better quarterback play or offensive scheme changes, his steady reception and yardage totals make him a reliable WR2/3 at worst in 2024.

Brian Robinson's overall stat lines don't portray how good he was last season. Robinson was the RB14 in fantasy points per opportunity and the RB22 in fantasy points per game. He also stood out in efficiency categories, ranking 22nd in explosive run rate and 13th in yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). In the 12 games in which he played at least 40% of the snaps, Robinson averaged 15.5 touches and 77.9 total yards per game. He quietly displayed a three-down skillset last season, proving that he can play on passing downs, ranking fifth in yards per route run and 12th in PFF's pass-blocking grade (minimum 20 targets and 50 pass-blocking snaps). Robinson will have to fight Austin Ekeler for passing down snaps and red zone work as he settles into the RB3 zone for 2024.

The Washington Commanders selected this dynamic run-pass threat with the No. 2 pick in the draft and are hoping they've found a long-term answer at quarterback. Daniels won the Heisman Trophy last year, throwing for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns at LSU, with only four interceptions. He also ran for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns. Daniels completed 72.2% of his throws in his final college season and averaged an outrageous 11.7 yards per pass attempt. Daniels probably won't be able to replicate that sort of passing success in his first exposure to NFL defenses, but Daniels' rushing ability should make him immediately playable in fantasy leagues.

Austin Ekeler's 2023 season was a letdown, no matter how you look at it. Ekeler suffered an ankle sprain in Week 1, which led to three games being missed and possibly muted production for the rest of the season. Once he returned from injury, he averaged 16.1 touches and 69.2 total yards as the RB28 in fantasy points per game. It was a dramatic fall from grace for a back that had not finished outside the top-nine running backs in fantasy since 2018 (RB28). Ekeler retained some of his pass game prowess as he ranked eighth in target share and 19th in yards per route run (among 60 qualifying backs per Fantasy Points Data), but his rushing skills fell apart. Among 49 qualifying backs, Ekeler ranked 38th in yards after contact per attempt and 46th in missed tackles forced per attempt. Landing in Washington with Anthony Lynn was one of the better-case scenarios this offseason. He likely forms a frustrating committee with Brian Robinson in an Antonio Gibson-plus role for Washington.

Curtis Samuel is a free agent and could leave in free agency. This is important, because it suggests that we could have live for Jahan Dotson in Year 3. Dotson broke out as a rookie, but was a TOTAL BUST in 2023. And he ran all the routes you could possibly ask for. Garrett Wilson and teammate Terry McLaurin were the only guys who ran more routes than Dotson did in 2023. He was brutally inefficient - as was the entire Commanders passing game that was more volume over efficiency - finishing bottom-10 in yards per route run. But Samuel missed or played very little in 3 games in 2023 - Weeks 8,9, and 11. These were by FAR Dotson's best games. 15.2 points per game with a TD scored in all 3 contests. Still was narrowly out targeted by McLaurin as the No. 2 WR. McLaurin and Dotson need a C.J. Stroud-esque rookie QB impact for them to take any leap for fantasy football. Don't hold your breath.

The Commanders spent a second-round draft pick on Kansas State TE Ben Sinnott, signaling that they see him as their tight end of the future. Washington signed Zach Ertz in the offseason, but Ertz turns 34 in November and has lost 17 games to injury over the last two seasons. Sinnott had 49 catches for 676 yards and six touchdowns at K-State last season. Keep an eye out for news on the Commanders' TE competition in early August. If Sinnott can win the starting job, he might be able to offer high-end to midrange TE2 value.

Luke McCaffrey's brother was the final pick in Round 3 by the Washington Commanders. They were in need of a slot WR, and the younger LMC can fill that void in Kliff Kingsbury's offense. McCaffrey has not been playing WR for very long, but possesses elite athletic bloodlines that have helped him make the switch.

Usually, you don't chase the draft capital of WRs that go well ahead of consensus, but McCaffrey's Day 2 draft capital needs to put fantasy managers on notice.

In his final season at Rice, he commanded a 30% target share (5th) and ranked 9th in total unique routes run.