Leap To Elite: Jahan Dotson Is Primed To Escape His Rookie Class' Shadow

Jahan Dotson was picked ahead of some glossier names in last year’s stacked WR class, and it raised some eyebrows. While he battled injuries during his rookie year, as well as shaky QB play, he still put forth a quality first season that was overshadowed by his bigger-name counterparts. Questions remain about Dotson’s surroundings, but he just might be able to put his own name in bold in Year 2.

Playing for the Commanders, Dotson entered the season well behind Terry McLaurin in the pecking order, as well as Curtis Samuel, who occupied Dotson’s natural position in the slot. He also was fighting for a seat at the table with RBs Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson in an offense that was determined to establish the run. In fact, Washington tallied the fourth-most rushing attempts in the NFL last season. So with all those mitigating factors, and injury costing Dotson five games, he still caught 35 passes for  523 yards and seven touchdowns. Dotson’s seven touchdowns led the team, and after a three-week stretch pos-injury where he seemed to have lost his standing, he closed out the year with 5+ targets in four of his final five games.

McLaurin is probably still the alpha receiver on this team, but Dotson is capable of murdering defenses from all over the place. Despite profiling as a slot guy, Dotson was lined up on the outside for almost 70% of his snaps, and was impressive. He beat zones 80.1% of the time and man just about 70% of the time. Most impressively, despite his small stature, Dotson demolished press coverage to the tune of a 78.9% success rate, landing him in the 87th percentile of WRs per Reception Perception. Dotson is small, but he does it all, and the touchdown numbers are no fluke. He entered the league as a “fast guy,” following a 4.43 40-yard dash, but that can sometimes have a negative connotation. The fast guys can also be put in boxes such as “limited route tree,” or straight line burners. Dotson disproved all those potential limiting labels, running a varied route tree and excelling outside of the slot.

The burners were on display at times, as he caught three touchdown passes from 19+ yards out, but he also hauled in four touchdowns from the 10-yard line or closer. Typically, small guys aren’t considered red zone beasts, so Dotson’s seven TDs might seem like a candidate for big regression. Don’t be so hasty. Per Reception Perception, he succeeded on 81.8% of his contested catch situations, which made up 22% of his opportunities. Dotson is a dog out there, able to win one-on-one battles, while also dusting defenders for 80%+ success rates on curls, digs, posts and corner routes. Dotson is an all-around stud, and even if he can’t supplant McLaurin as the alpha receiver in Washington, he should blow past Samuel and become a clear-cut No. 2, if not a 1A.

What can hold him back? Ron Rivera’s offense, for starters. Rivera has always leaned heavily on the run game, and an offense helmed by Sam Howell this season isn’t likely to morph into the Greatest Show on Turf. Additionally, Howell is a wildcard. Howell really had his ups and downs in college at UNC, and we only saw him for one game last season, in which he performed adequately. Howell certainly has the arm to help Dotson be impactful down the field, and even though accuracy is a bit of a question mark for Howell, Dotson getting open with such frequency should turn him into a primary target.

While I fear the offense might delay his ascendance into the upper crust of the WR position, Dotson definitely has the tools to get there in Year 2 and be a major part of winning fantasy rosters.