Washington Commanders Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz (calf) was a full participant in Thursday's practice. It was his 1st full practice of the season and suggests he's getting close to 100%. If Ertz is not listed on the final Week 2 injury report tomorrow, he'll be a solid TE1 option vs. the Raiders.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz (calf) did not practice on Wednesday. He seemed to make it out of last week's loss to the Chiefs without a setback, and we're tentatively expecting him to play vs. the Raiders on Sunday. But it's a reminder that he's still not at 100%.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler registered a 49% snap rate and 18 opportunities (carries + targets) in the Week 1 win over the Raiders. He played 58+% of the offensive snaps in all 14 of his healthy games last season. Ekeler averaged 19.1 opportunities across those 14 games, dipping below 18 just 5 times. We'll continue to monitor Ekeler's usage going forward. He remains an obvious must-start but might not be the elite fantasy RB he was last year if the Chargers are serious about scaling back his snaps and touches.

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.