Notable Players- Sam Howell, Jacoby Brissett

Sam Howell is probably going to get a shot as the starter for the entire season. That allows the Commanders to get a real look at whether or not he can be the future of this franchise. I’d somewhat be surprised if Brissett is more than just an injury backup. If Brissett plays due to poor performance on Howell’s part, he might win the Commanders too many games to be in contention in the Caleb Williams sweepstakes. Howell is a great dart throw for Dynasty leagues, but in Redraft, it’ll be hard to put much faith in him right away.

Notable Players- Brian Robinson, Antonio Gibson, Chris Rodriguez

This team has clear and defined roles out of its backfield. Brian Robinson is the two-down thumper and Antonio Gibson is the pass-catching back that will get a handful of carries here and there to spell Robinson. That unfortunately makes Robinson very touchdown dependent since he won’t be able to rely on a lot of receiving volume. It does give Gibson a higher ceiling, but probably more volatility since he won’t be able to rely on getting carries to level out his production. 

If Robinson goes down, Gibson could have a ton of handcuff value, but if Gibson goes down, I’m not sure I see Robinson taking over that pass-catching role. Right now, they are both flex players in a probably low-scoring offense. And Rodriguez is only a handcuff that probably isn’t worth rostering outside of very deep leagues.

Notable Players- Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown

Terry McLaurin continues to be one of the more talented wide receivers in the league that is stuck in quarterback purgatory. This starting wide receiver core is extremely talented with the likes of Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and Curtis Samuel. The question is whether or not Howell is the quarterback that can just get them the ball. With tempered expectations, McLaurin is probably at best matching what he did last season as Dotson is sure to take a step forward. Dotson should continue to grow as he did throughout the season last year. But until either Howell proves he’s that guy in this offense or the Commanders make a significant upgrade at the position, McLaurin is a talented WR2 and Dotson is probably a young WR3 who is bursting with potential.

Curtis Samuel is a fun gadget player, but probably better for the Commanders than for your fantasy teams. He may have a boom week here or there, but won’t be consistent enough to be worthwhile in fantasy as he competes with both McLaurin and Dotson for targets. And behind the starting three in this offense, there is a significant drop-off to guys like Dyami Brown, Dax Milne, and Marcus Kemp. Even with an injury, none of them are probably worth rostering.

Notable Players- Logan Thomas, John Bates, Cole Turner

This is quite the wasteland at the tight-end position. The only player I’m really interested in here is Cole Turner. Logan Thomas is aging and has had one relevant season that was three years ago now. John Bates is probably just a guy and even if he starts will probably be irrelevant. But then there is Cole Turner who wasn’t very relevant as a rookie in 2022 but has an impressive college resume. Out of Nevada he was an above-average athlete at the position and put up back to back 600+ yard receiving seasons to finish out his career. He’s dirt cheap in Dynasty and worth a stash. In Redraft leagues, he is a guy to keep an eye on as a dart throw closer to the season.