Washington Commanders Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Commanders WR Jahan Dotson tallied 3 catches, 40 yards and 2 TDs against Jacksonville. The rookie saw only 5 targets — a 12.1% share — but made them count alongside a surprisingly effective Carson Wentz. Both scores came on end zone targets, including one that was in particularly tight coverage along the sideline. Encouragingly, Dotson ran a route on 90% of Wentz’s drop-backs — not far behind Terry McLaurin’s 94%. Dotson has the talent to stick as a useful fantasy option in the right matchups. Week 2 turns up a matchup with a burnable Lions secondary.

Falcons QB Marcus Mariota was Atlanta's 2nd-leading rusher in Sunday's narrow loss to the Saints, taking 12 rushing attempts for 72 yards. That trailed Cordarrelle Patterson's 22-120-1 rushing line, but no other Atlanta player carried more than twice. Mariota even scored from 2 yards out in the 3rd quarter. That strong rushing line accompanied just 215 passing yards with no TDs. So Mariota will need to do more on the passing side to make him truly fantasy viable. But the rushing will be key if he is to work his way to starter consideration.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz (calf) is active for today’s game vs. the Chiefs. Still dealing with a calf injury he suffered back on August 4, Ertz got in just limited practices on Wednesday and Friday. And HC Kliff Kingsbury hinted Friday that Ertz could be on a snap count in this one. But rookie TE Trey McBride is a healthy scratch, which might suggest optimism about Ertz’s health.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Commanders RB Brian Robinson has a "realistic chance" of returning when he's first eligible in Week 5. Robinson is recovering from a pair of gunshot wounds sustained to his lower body on August 28. There was no structural damage, though, and Robinson is already off crutches. He's expected to pick up his conditioning work this week, per Schefter. Robinson looked like Washington's lead ball carrier before the shooting and could reassume a significant role once he's close to 100%.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport calls Cardinals TE Zach Ertz "likely" to play against the Chiefs today, "assuming no issues warming up." Ertz got in just limited practices on Wednesday and Friday this week, and HC Kliff Kingsbury hinted Friday that Ertz could be limited if he does suit up. He's a shaky Week 1 fantasy play -- although there is upside in what should be a high-scoring game.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz (calf) is listed as questionable for this weekend's opener vs. the Chiefs. Still dealing with a calf injury he suffered back on August 4, Ertz got in just limited practices on Wednesday and Friday. HC Kliff Kingsbury said Friday that he "hopes" Ertz can contribute in "some manner" on Sunday. It sounds like there's a good chance he's limited even if he ends up active. Ertz is shaping up as a shaky Week 1 fantasy play.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz (calf) did not practice on Thursday. That followed a limited workout on Wednesday. This was either a planned day off -- or Ertz suffered a setback. We'll have a better idea of his status when we get Arizona's final injury report tomorrow, but fantasy owners need to be lining up an alternative for Week 1.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz (calf) put in a limited practice on Wednesday. We suppose it's good news that he was able to get in some work, but he's been dealing with this calf issue for over a month now. We'll get another update on his status tomorrow.

Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury labeled TE Zach Ertz (calf) "day to day" on Monday. Ertz remains sidelined after injuring his calf way back on August 4. He seems genuinely questionable for this weekend's opener vs. the Chiefs. We'll get Arizona's first official injury report of the year on Wednesday.

The Commanders placed RB Brian Robinson (leg) on the reserve/non-football injury list. While he’ll miss the first 4 games of the season, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says there's a "chance” Robinson suits up for Week 5. Note that Washington's bye isn't until Week 14.

Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury said Wednesday that he's hoping to "get something out" of TE Zach Ertz (calf) early next week. There's been very little talk of Ertz's injury, but he's been dealing with it since August 4. Kingsbury insinuated that Ertz isn't a lock to be available for Week 1. We'll continue to keep an eye on this, but Ertz carries added risk in fantasy drafts over the next few days.

The Commanders kept RB Brian Robinson on their 53-man roster Tuesday. It's not yet clear when Robinson will be ready to play, and he could still be a candidate for short-term IR. Washington cut RBs Jaret Patterson and Reggie Bonnafon on Tuesday. The team kept Jonathan Williams as the 4th RB with Antonio Gibson, J.D. McKissic and Robinson. We'll see how Robinson's situation develops. At the least, Gibson and McKissic should be in for early-season touch boosts.

Commanders RB Brian Robinson was released from the hospital on Monday -- just 1 day after being shot in the glute and lower leg. The rookie is set to meet with team doctors on Tuesday, according to ESPN's John Keim. We'll see if we get a timeline for Robinson's return, but the news on his status has been more positive than we expected. Washington reportedly expects Robinson to play this season. He's still worth considering late in fantasy drafts.

Commanders HC Ron Rivera said Monday that doctors are "optimistic" RB Brian Robinson will be able to return this season. Rivera added that it's a "fluid situation" and that the team is expected to get another update on Robinson's status later today. Washington will then decide whether to place Robinson on the non-football injury list, which would cost him at least the first 4 games. We'll continue to keep you updated on the situation. Robinson is just a later-round bench stash for now.

Per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Commanders RB Brian Robinson is in “stable condition” after being shot multiple times on Sunday. Robinson was the victim of an attempted robbery. We wish the rookie a quick recovery, and we’ll be sure to pass along an update when it becomes available.

Update: NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that Robinson was shot twice in the "lower extremities." He's hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries and remains in stable condition. It's completely unclear at this point when Robinson will be able to get back on the field. He's no more than a late-round bench stash at least until we learn more.

ESPN's John Keim believes RB Brian Robinson has emerged as the team's "main runner." That's sure what it looked like in Washington's 2nd preseason game, when Robinson drew the start and out-snapped RB Antonio Gibson with the starters. Keim adds that Gibson and RB J.D. McKissic "will have key roles." This looks like a 3-man committee on what figures to be an average offense, so don't get too aggressive with Robinson. But he should be the 1st Commanders RB off the board in fantasy drafts.

The Falcons rested WR Olamide Zaccheaus along with other starters in Saturday night's preseason finale. According to Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke, Zaccheaus "consistently" served as the 1st-team slot WR through the previous 2 exhibitions. Bryan Edwards, meanwhile, has split time with KhaDarel Hodge outside. Zaccheaus could very well be the #2 WR and 4th receiving option in Atlanta. That's not a high-upside spot but worth noting for the end of deep fantasy football drafts.

ESPN’s Jon Keim writes that Commanders WR Jahan Dotson “has been sharp since the spring.” Keim points out the rookie’s “veteran route-running savvy” and “excellent hands.” In addition, Washington reportedly believed that Dotson was one of the most “pro-ready players” in the draft. While a surprise pick at 16th overall, the team clearly has high hopes for the 22-year-old. Which version of Carson Wentz we get might ultimately decide Dotson's 2022 fantasy value.

Falcons QB Marcus Mariota played just 13 snaps in the 1st preseason game, attempting only 2 throws (he completed both). He then gave way to rookie Desmond Ridder for triple the playing time in that one. Mariota played just 15 snaps in Monday night's 2nd exhibition, against the Jets, but he went 6-of-10 passing for 132 yards, 1 TD and a 137.5 passer rating. “I’m pleased with Marcus,” HC Arthur Smith told reporters afterward, according to Pro Football Talk. “He got into a good rhythm. The only drive I thought wasn’t very good was where we tried to simulate a two-minute situation, we got backed up and it wasn’t really clean there, but other than that I thought he was really cleaned when he was in there. I think he got into the offense, got into a rhythm, made a big-time throw.” Expect Mariota to hit the regular season as the starter. We'll see about Ridder's progression and whether he's in for a shot this year.

The Washington Commanders had RB Brian Robinson in the backfield to open Saturday's 2nd preseason game against the Chiefs. Antonio Gibson worked in for 1 carry on the 1st drive, but his 2nd didn't come until Taylor Heinicke's 1st drive. Robinson carried 8 times before Gibson's 2nd rush. Washington also had Gibson back as kick returner to open the game. We'll see what coaches have to say afterward and whether anything changes for the final exhibition, but this is not great for Gibson's outlook. Expect Robinson to keep moving up fantasy football draft boards over the coming week.