When to target Washington Commanders in your fantasy football draft
By Hunter Noll
Washington tight ends (Zach Ertz, Ben Sinnott)
Zach Ertz was brought in this offseason as part of a roster overhaul. Ertz will bring veteran leadership and playoff experience. He should be a big help to rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.
That being said, his fantasy football stock is weird. He had two not-so-great seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. His production wasn't great, and he couldn't stay on the field (17 games combined between 2022 and 2023).
Ertz isn't nearly the threat he was back in 2018, but he could be a fantastic safety blanket for Daniels. This is where some of the question marks come into play.
Will Daniels check down to Ertz often? If so, he could rack up the receptions and pick up a decent amount of touchdowns. But what if Daniels doesn't use him often? We haven't seen Daniels in the NFL yet, so we don't know his tendencies.
Then there's the second-round pick (who we'll talk about in a minute). When does he start to take snaps and targets away from Ertz?
Zach Ertz could still be a viable fantasy football tight end. But injury worries and an uncertain role means you shouldn't view him as a starter. Ertz should be a late-round pick who you only need to play in an emergency.
Zach Ertz: TE #37
Ben Sinnott is the rookie TE and we don't know what his role will be. However, the Commanders used the 53rd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on him. It feels safe to assume they have big plans for the Kansas State product.
What I love about Sinnott is his versatility. He can play multiple positions, which will keep him on the field and give him a lot of different looks and opportunities. It's easy to see him quickly becoming a big part of the offense.
Not only is Sinnott a better option than Ertz, I think he's a better option than quite a few starting tight ends. Sinnott can become that security blanket, and his ability to play out of the backfield will give him even more potentially easy targets. Don't be all that shocked if he hauls in plenty of receptions in year one.
Ben Sinnott: TE #21