Projecting Commanders skill position depth chart and fantasy impact

The 2021 season for the Washington Commanders didn’t go quite how they planned. They brought in journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick in free agency and he suffered a season-ending injury in the first game of the year. Backup Taylor Heinicke stepped up and was able to lead the team to a 7-10 season. They barely missed out on the playoffs and took steps in the offseason to be more competitive in the 2022 season.

Quarterback

1. Carson Wentz
2. Sam Howell
3. Taylor Heinicke

Running back

1. Antonio Gibson
2. J.D. McKissic
3. Brian Robinson Jr.
4. Jaret Patterson

Wide receiver

1. Terry McLaurin
2. Jahan Dotson
3. Curtis Samuel
4. Dyami Brown

Tight end

1. Logan Thomas
2. John Bates
3. Cole Turner

Biggest offseason changes

The most notable change to their roster is that they traded for quarterback Carson Wentz. He most recently spent a year in Indianapolis and Washington must have liked what they saw enough to acquire him. Heinicke is still on the roster and in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Commanders drafted North Carolina QB Sam Howell with the first pick in the fifth round. This gives them some insurance to see what Howell has as well as see if they made a good investment in Wentz.

Washington still has running back Antonio Gibson on the roster and re-signed J.D. McKissic after his free-agent deal with the Buffalo Bills fell through. The curious thing is that Brian Robinson Jr. was the Washington draft pick in the third round. Running back was certainly not a team need and we will have to see how they plan on using him.

Biggest questions for fantasy football

Antonio Gibson is still going to be the lead back in this offense, but Washington had concerns about limiting his reps last season. This muddles the backfield for fantasy purposes because of the current wild card that is Robinson. Gibson will likely still be a fantasy asset, but if the Commanders decide to give Robinson goal-line work and McKissic passing downs, it could cap his upside.

Their first-round pick was Penn State WR Jahan Dotson. He will be used to take defensive attention away from their star wideout Terry McLaurin. Dotson should be second in line for targets because Curtis Samuel never has consistent fantasy production and has trouble staying on the field.

Staying healthy isn’t a guarantee. On the off chance everyone stays healthy, Wentz, Gibson, McLaurin, Dotson and tight end Logan Thomas could all have a share of fantasy relevance in the 2022 NFL season.