With new ownership, a new GM, and a new Head Coach (Dan Quinn), Washington comes into 2024 hopeful that their playoff fortunes will change soon. More important is how their new rookie QB, Jayden Daniels, assimilates into the NFL. If Daniels can be the playmaker he was in college, he will give the Commanders a chance to be competitive in short order.
Daniels may be The X Factor in every fantasy league this year. There are many analysts who think he can be a Lamar Jackson-like talent who runs for 600-700 yards and throws for another 3000. There are other analysts who think that he stares down his top receiver too much and is not yet ready for prime time. Daniels is highly risky, but the upside is so immense that you can win your league with him as your starter if he adapts quickly.
A lot of people are going to overlook Robinson because they feel that Ekeler’s presence is going to take away from what Robinson can do, but I think it’s just the opposite. Robinson is going to get all the 1st and 2nd down work he can handle, as well as a lot of short-yardage situations. He even showed that he could catch the football out of the backfield. There’s a good chance that he could also get about eight or nine TDs this season and be a mid-round steal.
Ekeler looked dramatically slower last season, which scares me. I know he’s great in pass protection and has excellent hands out of the backfield, but if you can’t get away from tacklers, you’re not going to last long in the NFL. The arrow feels like it’s pointing down on Ekeler, and he is more name than game at this point of his career.
Daniels made a star out of Malik Nabers at LSU, and I think he’s going to do the same for McLaurin. Daniels has a cannon for an arm, and he’s going to take advantage of McLaurin’s speed downfield and find some mismatches against slower cornerbacks. In previous seasons, McLaurin has been inconsistent as a WR2, but this year, I think he’s going to have WR1 upside if Daniels turns out to be a stud.
McCaffrey is still learning the position after initially going to college as a quarterback. However, in his last two seasons at Rice University, he showed an aptitude for the position and was able to make some tough catches. What I love about McCaffrey is that he has an incredible football IQ. Between his father and his brother, he knows where to be on the field and how to get open. The Commanders took him in the third round and are going to give him every opportunity to succeed as a rookie. I think he can have about 40 to 50 receptions this season.
For the last couple of seasons, Ertz has been the mentor to Trey McBride. Now he comes to Washington, and he will mentor Sinnott, who was a second-round pick out of Kansas State. If I’m playing for this season, I think Ertz has some late-round value for the first six or seven games of the season. However, Sinnott is a tremendously talented receiver and blocker, which should get him on the field soon. The commanders took him with a second-round pick because they know how good he can be, and they want to pair him with Daniels for the next decade.
This should be a growth season for Washington. Look for them to be more exciting than they have been in years under Ron Rivera. Dan Quinn always gets his players to play at a very high level and ownership will no longer be meddling in team decisions.
