Fantasy Football Player Notes
2024 Half PPR Draft Rankings
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54.
Terry McLaurin
WR - (at DAL)
Terry McLaurin demonstrated his reliability as a deep threat for the Commanders in 2023, tallying 79 receptions for 1,002 yards and 4 touchdowns. His 23 catches of 20+ yards underscored his big-play ability. While ranking 32nd among wide receivers in total fantasy points and 41st in points per game, McLaurin's 35% air yards share showcased his role as a deep threat. With over 1,500 total air yards, he ranked 13th league-wide. With Jayden Daniels now at QB, known for his great deep ball, McLaurin could see increased production, potentially breaking out of the fantasy WR2 category without commanding a WR2 draft price.
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82.
Jayden Daniels
QB - (at DAL)
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.
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84.
Brian Robinson Jr.
RB - (at DAL)
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 RB2/3 zone for 2024.
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111.
Austin Ekeler
RB - (at DAL)
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. Ekeler will factor in on passing downs for Washington this year, but I expect Brian Robinson Jr. to do the heavy lifting for the offense in 2024.
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214.
Ben Sinnott
TE - (at DAL)
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.
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252.
Luke McCaffrey
WR - (at DAL)
Luke McCaffrey's transition from QB to WR has been met with optimism, particularly given his impressive draft position in the third round by the Washington Commanders. Despite his relatively short time playing WR, McCaffrey's elite athletic pedigree and notable collegiate performance at Rice, where he commanded a 30% target share, suggest he could emerge as a valuable asset in Kliff Kingsbury's offense from the slot. While caution is often warranted with receivers drafted ahead of consensus rankings, McCaffrey's Day 2 draft capital should warrant attention from fantasy managers, especially given the potential opportunity in Washington's offense. The team moving away from Jahan Dotson via trade signals McCaffrey might be slated for a bigger Year 1 role from the slot.
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253.
Zach Ertz
TE - (at DAL)
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290.
Noah Brown
WR - (at DAL)
Noah Brown was released by Houston during roster cutdowns but immediately signed with the Washington Commanders shortly after.
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308.
Dyami Brown
WR - (at DAL)
The former third-round pick should seize the starting outside WR role for the Commanders opposite Terry McLaurin in 2024, after the team traded Jahan Dotson the Eagles. Brown hasn't seen more than 25 targets in any of his first three seasons in the NFL, maxing out at 12 catches for 168 yards last season. Don't get carried away with Brown, given that Olamide Zaccheaus has actually been more productive up to this point in his NFL career with 2 seasons of 400-plus yards, 50-plus targets and 3 TDs.
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315.
Chris Rodriguez Jr.
RB - (at DAL)
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352.
Olamide Zaccheaus
WR - (at DAL)
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413.
Jamison Crowder
WR - (at DAL)
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439.
Washington Commanders
DST - (at DAL)
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441.
Jeremy McNichols
RB - (at DAL)
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451.
Marcus Mariota
QB - (at DAL)
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476.
Cole Turner
TE - (at DAL)
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519.
John Bates
TE - (at DAL)
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605.
Michael Wiley
RB - (at DAL)
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726.
Michael Strachan
WR - (at DAL)
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767.
Colson Yankoff
RB,TE - (at DAL)
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807.
Jeff Driskel
QB - (at DAL)
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