Commanders’ Veteran Playmaker Named Surprising Fantasy Sleeper

The Washington Commanders are entering a new era with Jayden Daniels at quarterback, but the question is whether or not Daniels will have enough viable weapons to utilize during his rookie campaign.

One key pass-catcher could be tight end Zach Ertz, who the Commanders signed during the offseason.

Ertz was once one of the best tight ends in football, but his production has drastically slipper over the last several seasons.

The 33-year-old caught just 27 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown in seven games with the Arizona Cardinals last season before being waived.

However, Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus has Ertz listed among his biggest sleeper tight ends in Fantasy Football for the 2024 season.

Jahnke even goes as far to say that there “is a path” for Ertz to become a top-six fantasy tight end. He does list some caveats, such as his age, his injury history and the fact that Washington selected fellow tight end Ben Sinnott in the second round of the NFL Draft.

Since 2020, Ertz has really only had one truly impressive season, which came in 2021 when he hauled in 74 receptions for 763 yards and five scores. The Cardinals acquired him in a midseason trade with the Philadelphia Eagles that year.

The Stanford product made three straight Pro Bowls with the Eagles between 2017 and 2019, topping out at 1,163 yards in 2018.

The Commanders will have an interesting offense in 2024

The Commanders may not have a great offense this coming season, but it will certainly be an intriguing one.

Daniels will presumably be the starting quarterback. Washington does have a legitimate No. 1 receiver in Terry McLaurin, but beyond that, the Commanders’ weapons are questionable.

Jahan Dotson has been somewhat of a disappointment thus far, but he does have potential and could end up being a solid No. 2 option for Daniels.

Then there are the two tight ends in Ertz and Sinnott, who should comprise a rather interesting duo. It stands to reason that Washington may end up getting very scarce production from those two, but there exists a world in which the tight end tandem can surprise some people.

The biggest problem for the Commanders is that they probably still have the worst offensive line in football, which can potentially sabotage anything positive Washington hopes to do offensively in 2024.