When to target Washington Commanders in your fantasy football draft

Washington quarterback (Jayden Daniels)

The final position to talk about is quarterback, and there's only one name that needs to be mentioned. Jayden Daniels was the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and is the new hope for the Washington Commanders' franchise.

Daniels is tough to get a fantasy reading on for several reasons. First of all, rookie QBs are an unknown no matter what. We've seen first-round picks crash and burn, while a sixth-round pick turned into literally the greatest quarterback of all time.

Then, you have to look at the situation. The Commanders have a new coaching staff and multiple new weapons. Their offensive line isn't great (although it's improved). So what does all that mean? Will they be run heavy and try to keep Daniels from getting too much pressure? Or will they want him to have the ball in his hands as much as possible? And how will his weapons perform?

Truthfully, I think Washington's offense is built nicely to complement Daniels. And this is a much more competent coaching staff (yes, I will keep hammering this home).

Daniels is also an improvement from the recent QB situations in Washington, which gives the weapons something to be happy about.

Next is his running ability. Daniels is a massive threat there. It leads to injury concerns. However, it also greatly improves his fantasy football worth.

A QB that can run for 700 yards and eight touchdowns doesn't need to dominate the passing game to be a legitimate fantasy football starting quarterback.

The biggest positive for Daniels is those weapons around him, though. Terry McLaurin is a star wide receiver. He'll get open and make difficult catches in traffic when he doesn't. McLaurin will erase some mistakes from his quarterback.

Jahan Dotson has plenty of potential and has shown flashes of greatness. Meanwhile, Luke McCaffrey seems like a perfect slot receiver.

Brian Robinson can carry the load with the runs, and Austin Ekeler is going to give Daniels a lot of easy yards.

Finally, Zach Ertz and Ben Sinnott are great safety blankets who won't put up flashy numbers. However, they will give Daniels dump-off options.

Year one is always difficult to predict. That, mixed with the talent at the position, means Daniels won't be highly ranked just yet. But this could be a great build block season and a chance for people in keeper leagues to stash him for future years. Don't wait too long, though.

Jayden Daniels: QB #15