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The Washington Commanders figured out one of the biggest question marks for the team this offseason, grabbing Carson Wentz to help lead the offense. Still, even with a quarterback locked in on the depth chart, that doesn’t mean there aren’t several other positions to keep an eye on as training camp gets rolling.
In this series, we will look at the most important fantasy football position battles for each NFL team. Opportunity is king in fantasy, as you can’t produce fantasy statistics without getting on the field. So, the first step when looking for value plays is to project — correctly — which players will win training camp battles.
Here’s a look at our picks to win the training camp battles for the Washington Commanders ahead of your 2022 fantasy football drafts.
WR battle
Curtis Samuel vs. Jahan Dotson vs. Cam Sims vs. Dyami Brown
Our pick to win: All of these guys are locks to make the roster and should each get regular playing time. But, the guy who will bring the most impact from a fantasy perspective should be either Curtis Samuel or Jahan Dotson. Samuel had a lingering groin injury that limited his action to just five games in 2021, but his body of work in previous seasons should give fantasy managers confidence. He scored 14 touchdowns in the previous four seasons, with zero in 2021 due to his injury. Dotson should be a good compliment and may come on strong as the season progresses, but the rookie will probably have some growing pains to start his NFL career where he will probably see far more press coverage than he ever did at Penn State.
RB battle
Antonio Gibson vs. J.D. McKissic vs. Brian Robinson Jr. vs. Jaret Patterson
Our pick to win: Antonio Gibson should be the guy for Washington. Brian Robinson Jr, a rookie third-rounder from Alabama, should give him a run for his money as the season goes on, but Gibson did too much last season to knock him off his starting role. The former Memphis Tiger notched 1037 yards and seven rushing touchdowns, five more than anybody else on the roster. He caught three passes for scores too, which is second on the team behind WR1 Terry McLaurin. He also averaged four yards per carry too, so virtually every time he touched the ball it was productive.