RotoViz Newsroom is a new series of articles dedicated to offering concise analysis on current NFL storylines, with a focus on actionable data for the present fantasy football landscape.
Much has been made recently about Dan Quinn’s comments concerning the Commanders’ competition for the team’s WR2 spot.
#Commanders HC Dan Quinn clears up who the WR2 and WR3 are, time to adjust the rankings pic.twitter.com/38vJuwESAU
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) August 18, 2024
Jahan Dotson was a first-round pick two years ago. It’s not encouraging to hear him lumped in with a rookie and career role players. On Thursday, the other shoe dropped.
A rare in-division trade: Washington is sending former first-round pick Jahan Dotson and a fifth-round pick to the Eagles in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick and two seventh-round picks, per sources. pic.twitter.com/ieDX8EvH0s
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 22, 2024
Getting back a third-round pick is no small return, but Schefter’s tweet points out one significant detail: rarely do teams trade a difference maker to a division rival if they believe the deal will come back to haunt them. With a new franchise quarterback in tow, if the team thought Dotson could be an asset to Jayden Daniels’ professional growth, they would have made it a priority to keep him.
Philadelphia Eagles
Dotson now finds himself buried behind A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith on the Eagles’ roster. Both are superior talents to Terry McLaurin — Dotson’s biggest target competition in Washington. The Eagles’ offense will inevitably change under new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, but Brown and Smith have never earned less than a combined 51% target market share in their two seasons together. Tight end Dallas Goedert also saw target shares of 14% and 16% despite missing at least three games in each of the past two seasons. It looks like there may only be around 30% to 35% of the available targets left to split up among the rest of the team, including some talented running backs.
Washington Commanders
If there is any excitement about this trade, it is on the Commanders’ side. The departure of Dotson removes a considerable amount of the uncertainty in Washington’s WR corps, and provides a clear runway for some of the team’s young playmakers to ascend.
Dyami Brown kicked off Week 1 of the preseason on the receiving end of a signature 42-yard deep ball from Daniels. He then had a 60% route participation with the starters in the Commanders’ second preseason game, coming in behind only Dotson and McLaurin. During his time with the first unit in the team’s second preseason game, Brown tied McLaurin for the team lead with a 27% target share.
As a true early declare from North Carolina in 2021, Brown received plenty of positive buzz in his first offseason. Unfortunately, it never materialized into consistent production on the field in his first three seasons. Sometimes all it takes is a new coaching staff to extract a player’s unrealized potential, and this might be Brown’s opportunity. His air yards per target that has never dipped below 15.2 yards in his three seasons. His strength, deep speed, and explosion could form a connection with Daniels similar to the one the QB shared with Brian Thomas Jr. at LSU last season.
Quinn’s recent comments also provide some optimism for another one of the Commanders’ young WRs.
#Commanders HC Dan Quinn on the WR depth chart behind Terry McLaurin:
“Not everybody will have the same exact role. We gotta try to find them and put them into the spaces of things they do well… contested catches, beating man-to-man, those are things that you have to be able to… pic.twitter.com/KWmUZmaYQt
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) August 19, 2024
After Dotson dominated the slot routes with the starting offense this offseason, the newly vacated role presents a huge opportunity. Veteran Olamide Zaccheaus will likely start the season as the team’s primary slot receiver, but there is no guarantee that he holds onto the position. For a player who was looking hopelessly buried prior to Dotson’s departure, Quinn’s comments concerning Luke McCaffrey are encouraging. If McCaffrey’s work ethic and elite agility transfer over to production on the field, he could find himself in a starting role on an ascending offense before his rookie year is over. The decreased target competition could also lead to RotoViz-favorite Ben Sinott getting more opportunities to see the field early in his debut season.
All Washington WRs outside of McLaurin are currently on the borderline of the draftable range in best ball leagues. We could see a significant rise in both Brown’s and McCaffrey’s FFPC and Underdog ADPs as draft season comes to a close.
Brown and McCaffrey are both players I have no problem chasing up best ball draft boards over the final weeks of draft season. Brown in particular represents an intriguing play as a low-owned option that could hit in a big way, and provide uniqueness in the playoff weeks of best ball tournaments. He is also an interesting pick in the final round of (deep) home league drafts, with big-play potential that could either provide some utility in the flex or trade value to WR-needy league mates who stayed glued to highlight reels.
