2022 Team Previews: Washington Commanders

Washington Commanders Fantasy Preview 2022

All ADP data is courtesy of Fantasy Pros.

** = target in drafts at this ADP

Top 120

Antonio Gibson, RB (ADP: 36): Gibson let fantasy managers down last season, despite some healthy final season numbers. He put together a campaign that included 1,037 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, but his 2021 ADP required dominance to justify it, and some factors stood in the way of that. Gibson ceded a lot of receiving work despite having the skill set to be effective in that capacity, and despite playing in 16 games, he had a tendency to get nicked up in games. Also, while his explosiveness jumps off the screen at times, Gibson was only PFF’s 50th-graded RB. The Commanders spent a third round pick on a RB, and retained J.D. McKissic, who stole Gibson’s passing downs role. Based on that, we could see Gibson simply repeat his 2021 season. At 2021 ADP, that’s not good enough, but at No. 36 overall I’m happy to roster him and enjoy a super solid RB2 and borderline RB1.

**Terry McLaurin, WR (ADP: 44): McLaurin has his contract dispute in the rearview mirror, and he’s ready to resume his WR1 duties in Washington with an upgrade at QB. While many view Carson Wentz as a below average passer, he represents a pretty massive improvement from Taylor Heinicke, who started 15 games last season. Heinicke ranked 33rd per PFF, while Wentz came in at 23rd. This upgrade is critical, because McLaurin is one of the NFL’s most talented receivers and he’s yet to have a competent enough passer to take full advantage. McLaurin ranks in the 94th percentile of WRs against both man and press coverage and dominated on every kind of route a receiver can run in 2021. He was successful vs. 68.1% of double teams and posted an 80.1% catch rate on contested catches. He also finished 2021 with 77 receptions, 1,053 yards and five touchdowns despite arguably the worst QB play in the NFL. Wentz may not be elite, but he’s better than you think and that could be enough to launch McLaurin into elite company at the position.

Fantasy Relevant (121-200 ADP)

J.D. McKissic, RB (ADP: 137): I’m sure J.D. McKissic is a great guy, but he’s one of the most annoying players in the NFL for fantasy managers. He’s a fantastic receiver out of the backfield, but he does not see the reliable volume necessary to trust him on a weekly basis. He does see enough volume to ding the value of Gibson, however, whom we all want to see thrive in a true three-down role. McKissic also isn’t a trusty handcuff, because he’s not going to see any increase in rushing work even if Gibson gets injured. This ADP is higher than I thought based on there being literally no path to a big workload for McKissic, so he will not be on any of my teams.

Jahan Dotson, WR (ADP: 147): Dotson was a bit of a surprise being drafted at No. 16 overall in this year’s draft, but he was a pretty prolific receiver at Penn State and he has a real path to playing time. Dotson caught 91 passes for 1,182 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior, and, like McLaurin, did that with suboptimal quarterback play. Dotson profiles as a zone beater out of the slot per Reception Perception, and does not drop passes. He will probably grow into this team’s WR2 at some point, but with Wentz at the helm it probably won’t be a pass-happy enough offense to make him fantasy relevant on a weekly basis. He gets a bump in my book in full-PPR formats.

Carson Wentz, QB (ADP: 182): Look, Wentz is the butt of a lot of jokes, but he’s really fine. He threw for 3,563 yards, tossed 27 touchdown passes, and only threw seven interceptions despite his horrible reputation. The MVP candidate days seem to have passed, but Wentz could be a solid streaming option in the right matchups. Unfortunately, while he represents a big upgrade for the Commanders skill players, being in Washington is not an upgrade for Wentz over the Colts. He isn’t an option to be a surprise QB1, and should be ignored on draft day.

Curtis Samuel, WR (ADP: 187): Samuel’s 2021 campaign was a complete waste, and while he should be healthy heading into this season, he now has stiffer competition for targets. While Samuel is an explosive player, he’s never posted a 1,000-yard season, nor has he scored more than seven total touchdowns in a season. He has spike week potential and is a fine lottery ticket in deep leagues, but Wentz isn’t likely to support any WR2s, and so I don’t see the upside I once did.

**Logan Thomas, TE (ADP: 194): Thomas is my second-favorite pass catcher in this offense for 2022, and his ADP makes him a tremendous value which I touched on here. Without rewriting the whole thing, Wentz has a history of making use of his TEs often, and unlike his prime in Philadelphia, the Commanders don’t have two TEs splitting up the work. Thomas is clearly atop the TE pecking order for this team, and when they’re near the end zone, McLaurin is going to draw all the defensive attention. Thomas’ numbers were hurt by a slew of injuries last year, but his role hasn’t changed, and he’s upgraded at QB, so for him to be the 23rd TE off the board makes no sense. Fantasy managers can safely punt the position until the end of their drafts, scoop him up, and have a decent shot at a TE1.

Sleeper Class (200 & later)

**Brian Robinson Jr., RB (ADP: 220): Robinson Jr.’s draft capital means you can’t ignore him, and he was highly productive at Alabama as a senior, rushing for more than 1,300 yards with 14 rushing scores. Even scarier for Gibson lovers, Robinson hauled in 35 passes for 296 yards and two additional touchdowns. At 6’1, 228 lbs. he’s built much more like a bell cow than Gibson is, and definitely poses a threat of eating into Gibson’s goal line opportunities, if not his overall role. Robinson Jr. is the handcuff to own if you’re into that kind of thing, and is a much better pick than McKissic, especially at this ADP.

Dyami Brown, WR (ADP: N/A): Brown only started six games last year, drew 25 targets, and dealt with atrocious QB play when he was on the field. It’d be silly to write him off entirely based on his lost rookie season, but it doesn’t inspire confidence that the Commanders spent a first rounder on Dotson. I’m not interested in drafting Brown, but he’s worth paying attention to in preseason just in case he flashes; he did average more than 20 yards per catch in his final two seasons at UNC and total 20 touchdowns in those campaigns.

Jaret Patterson, RB (ADP: N/A): Patterson’s days of relevance in Washington are likely numbered with Robinson Jr.’s arrival, but he was a guy who saw relevant volume when Gibson was out. If something happens to Robinson Jr. prior to the season or during, Patterson is in line for real work. But, until then, he can be ignored.