Retirement rumors circulated around Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz for much of last season after he played just 17 total games across his two full seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. On the surface, the rumors made sense; at the age of 34, he’s the second-oldest tight end in the league this season. But he’s shown no signs of his age, catching 20 of his 27 targets for 192 yards and three touchdowns through six weeks after posting a 66-654-7 line last season. His 63.0% success rate is actually the second-highest mark of his career, trailing only the 63.7% he posted last season. So far, he’s TE13 by DraftKings’ fantasy scoring, though his production is hindered by a win over the Los Angeles Chargers in which he was targeted just once.
In general, the Commanders weren’t hurt too much by starting backup Marcus Mariota while Jayden Daniels was injured. They won one of the two games that Mariota started, and he posted a solid 99.6 passer rating and threw three touchdown passes, but none of them went to Ertz, who totaled five catches and 59 yards. Ertz particularly benefits from Daniels’ play style: last season, he attempted 72 passes of intermediate depth in the center of the field, his third-most prominent and third-most productive zone on the field, and so far this season, he has also disproportionately thrown between the numbers. Ertz has been most productive in those zones. Plus, Daniels is a more conservative passer than the gunslinging Mariota, and of the six Washington receivers with 10 or more targets this season, Ertz’s targets have had the second-shortest average depth.
He should especially continue to be fantasy-viable because of his prowess in the red zone. Though he only ranks second on the team behind Deebo Samuel in red zone targets, his six-foot-five frame and generally steady hands make him a threat on jump balls in a way that the six-foot Samuel is not. He’s also had a 60.0% or greater snap share in three of the four games that Daniels has started, which is more or less on par with the 66% mark that he posted last season, when he finished as TE7. Besides, it’s not like he has any competition; he’s the only Commanders tight end who’s received more than one target this season.
He should be a must-start this week against a Dallas Cowboys defense that has been among the worst in the league by virtually any metric, but Dallas isn’t the only favorable matchup for Washington moving forward. The Commanders still have remaining games against the Miami Dolphins (who have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends), Seattle Seahawks (seventh), New York Giants (16th), and, of course, another game against the Cowboys. After a somewhat slow start to the season, Daniels’ team should prove that last season’s NFC Championship appearance was no fluke.
