We can’t remember a 1st-round rookie WR getting less fantasy love than Dotson. His ADP is sitting outside the top 60 WRs in Round 14 of 12-team PPR drafts.
Draft capital alone makes him a strong bet at that price. Dotson was the 16th overall pick of this spring’s draft. There were 13 WRs picked between 11th and 21st from 2012 to 2021. Three of those guys topped 7 targets per game as rookies; 7 topped 6.5. For perspective, 6.5 targets per game last year would have ranked 43rd among WRs.
All reports out of Washington suggest Dotson is set to play a big role right out of the gate. He’s repped with the 1st-team offense since the start of training camp. And, in the preseason opener, he was on the field for all 22 snaps with QB Carson Wentz and the starters. Dotson played 15 of those snaps out wide and the other 7 in the slot.
Dotson doesn’t look like a high-upside prospect to us as an undersized 4-year college player. But we had him as 1 of the most NFL-ready WRs in this year’s rookie class. Dotson has refined technique to beat press coverage, is a strong route runner and possesses reliable hands.
He’ll get the chance to flash all those skills early and often this season.