Who Should I Start? John Bates or Ben Sinnott

Sunday, June 28, 5:50 AM

Washington Commanders tight end Ben Sinnott was a popular sleeper pick after being drafted in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but through two years in the league, he's caught only 16 passes for 142 yards. While the final four games of his second season saw the most sustained involvement of his young career, following the season-ending ACL injury to veteran Zach Ertz, that usage uptick still amounted to only 1.8 catches, 18.3 yards, and 2.7 fantasy points per game. With an opening at the top of the depth chart heading into the 2026 league year, calls for a Sinnott breakout briefly resurfaced but were quickly silenced when the team signed former Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo to a three-year, $27 million deal in the opening hours of free agency. Already an early adopter of the league's growing trend toward multi-tight end usage, the Commanders could lean even further in that direction with first time offensive coordinator David Blough expected to borrow elements from the Ben Johnson offense he ran as a backup quarterback in Detroit, but veteran John Bates remains with the team and could continue to see the field ahead of Sinnott due to what he provides as a blocker. Still only 24 years old, the athletic tight end out of Kansas State wouldn't be the first of his position to see slow development before a third-year breakout, but Sinnott has fallen to RotoBaller's dynasty TE54 ahead of what is likely a make-or-break 2026 season.