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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Commanders' John Bates: Makes short catch in Week 15
John Bates played 42 of the Washington Commanders' 78 snaps on offense and hauled in his lone target for a six-yard reception in Sunday's 20-19 win over the Saints.Bates and fellow reserve tight end Ben Sinnott (42 snaps, 1-7-0 receiving line on one target) turned in nearly identical lines in Week 15 in terms of both playing time and production, with both seeing their roles expand after starter Zach Ertz (concussion) left the game early. If Ertz can't clear concussion protocol ahead of Sunday's game against the Eagles, another near-even timeshare at tight end between Bates and Sinnott could be in the offing. Sinnott profiles as the more fantasy-friendly option of the two, as the rookie second-round pick recorded 49 catches for 676 yards and six touchdowns during his final collegiate season at Kansas State.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Commanders' John Bates: Two catches vs. Philadelphia
John Bates caught two passes on three targets for 17 yards during Thursday's 26-18 loss to the Washington Commanders.Bates had gone catchless the last two games, but he finished Thursday's game third in both receptions and receiving yards behind Austin Ekeler (eight catches for 89 yards) and Zach Ertz (six receptions for 47 yards). Bates played on just 30 percent of the Commanders' offensive snaps, and he's been hovering around that rate as he operates as the Commanders' No. 2 tight end behind Ertz and ahead of Ben Sinnott. Through 11 regular-season games, Bates has played 295 snaps on offense and accumulated five catches (on eight targets) for 51 yards.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Commanders' John Bates: Goes catchless in second straight
John Bates failed to draw a target while playing 21 of the Washington Commanders' 59 snaps on offense in Sunday's 30-23 loss to the Ravens.Bates' 36 percent snap share was his second-lowest rate of the season while the Commanders leaned more heavily on No. 1 tight end Zach Ertz (80 percent share) and made less frequent use of two-tight-end formations. The 26-year-old still remains clearly ahead of rookie second-round pick Ben Sinnott on the depth chart, but Bates continues to function mostly as a blocker whenever he's on the field. Bates has been targeted just three times across his 173 snaps on offense in 2024.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Commanders' John Bates: Serving as No. 2 tight end
John Bates played 25 of the Washington Commanders' 72 snaps on offense in Sunday's 21-18 win over the Giants and reeled in his lone target for a five-yard reception.Bates has worked ahead of rookie second-round draft pick Ben Sinnott in both of the Commanders' first two games, but the presence of veteran Zach Ertz has kept Bates from playing more than half of the snaps on offense in either contest. If the Commanders fade from playoff contention, Ertz could take on a lesser role, but the coaching staff may be more inclined to expand Sinnott's playing time rather than taking a longer look at Bates. Through his first three seasons in the league, Bates didn't showcase intriguing upside as a receiver, finishing with between 14 and 20 catches in each year despite missing only one game during that span.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Commanders' John Bates: Catches two passes from Daniels
John Bates caught both of his targets for 20 yards in Saturday's 13-6 preseason loss to Miami.Both receptions came from QB Jayden Daniels, with Bates making the start and playing nearly all the first-team snaps for a second straight week. The fourth-year pro is unlikely to have an every-down role once the regular season begins, but it does seem Bates will start the year ahead of rookie second-round pick Ben Sinnott, serving as the blocking/inline tight end in a timeshare with Zach Ertz. It may not be long before Sinnott pushes for more snaps, however.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Commanders' John Bates: Catches 19 passes in 2023
John Bates caught 19 of 28 passes for 151 yards in 17 games during the 2023 season.The 2021 fourth-round pick has finished each of his three pro seasons with between 22 and 28 targets and 14 and 20 receptions, and around 500 snaps. Bates hasn't shown the pass-catching chops to make a fantasy impact, and he now faces some uncertainty entering the final year of his rookie contract as the Washington Commanders bring in a new coaching staff.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Commanders' John Bates: Pass-catching role trending down
John Bates failed to corral his lone target while playing 25 of the Washington Commanders' 55 snaps on offense in Sunday's 45-15 loss to the Dolphins.Bates has now been held without a reception over Washington's past two contests, after having previously produced a 7-48-0 receiving line on nine targets over the preceding five games. The third-year player continues to see snap shares over 40 percent most weeks, but he looks as though he'll function mainly as a blocker on the field while Logan Thomas operates as Washington's top pass-catching tight end.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Commanders' John Bates: Draws no targets Week 6
John Bates went without a target across 20 snaps on offense Sunday in the Washington Commanders' 24-16 win over the Falcons.Quarterback Sam Howell didn't look to involve his tight ends in Week 6, as the trio of Logan Thomas, Bates and Cole Turner combined for just one target across 69 offensive snaps. Thomas continues to dominate the playing time among the position group, and so long as he's healthy, Bates will be in store for a minor role. In the four games that Thomas has played without exiting early due to injury, Bates has drawn just three total targets.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Commanders' John Bates: Catches both targets
John Bates caught both his targets for 19 yards in Thursday's 40-20 loss to Chicago.Bates mostly works as a blocker even when starting tight end Logan Thomas misses time, with Cole Turner being the replacement on passing downs. Thomas played in this one and led the team with a 9-77-1 receiving line, as Sam Howell continues to pepper his TEs with short targets over the middle and in the flats.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Commanders' John Bates: Quiet in loss
John Bates caught his only target for six yards in Sunday's 34-31 overtime loss to the Eagles.Operating as the Washington Commanders' No. 2 tight end, Bates was not a big part of the game plan Sunday. The veteran played just 27 of Washington's 78 offensive snaps, far behind starter Logan Thomas who returned from a concussion and played 62 snaps in the contest. With Thomas healthy, Bates should remain far off the fantasy radar heading into a Week 5 matchup with the Bears.