Who Should I Start? John Bates or Elijah Arroyo


Week 10 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
2.0 0.0 0.0 0.8 7.8 0.1

John Bates News

John Bates Could See a Larger Role in Commanders Offense

Saturday, September 26, 6:18 PM

Across his first two games of 2026, Washington Commanders tight end John Bates has recorded just two catches for 13 yards on three targets. However, the 28-year-old could see more playing time in his team's Week 3 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Commanders TE1 Chig Okonkwo (hamstring) is set to miss his second consecutive game with a hamstring injury. While Bates was not heavily utilized in Week 2, Washington got uninspiring production from the tight end duo of Ben Sinnott and Colson Yankoff. Bates has recorded just 74 receptions across 84 career games with the Commanders, so he's no guarantee to step in and provide fantasy-relevant production. Still, Bates could be a name to monitor in deep fantasy leagues coming out of Week 3.


Week 10 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Elijah Arroyo News

Elijah Arroyo Having Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery

Thursday, October 22, 10:17 AM

Seattle Seahawks tight end Elijah Arroyo (shoulder) is having season-ending surgery on Thursday, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN. The Seahawks were expecting Arroyo to miss an extended amount of time, but the entire season is the worst-case scenario. The 23-year-old will finish his second year in the NFL with just one catch on two targets for 17 yards in six games played after posting a 15-179-1 line on 26 targets through 13 regular-season games (four starts) as a rookie in 2025. Arroyo injured his shoulder in last Thursday night's overtime loss to the Denver Broncos. His absence for the rest of the season will definitely raise teammate AJ Barner's fantasy ceiling as a TE2. The 24-year-old Barner, a former fourth-rounder in 2024 from Michigan, has yet to score this year through six weeks and has 15 catches on 24 targets for 138 yards. He had a career year in 2025 with 52 receptions, 519 yards, and six receiving touchdowns in 17 starts.


John Bates vs. Elijah Arroyo

Still trying to decide between Bates and Arroyo? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that John Bates is projected to score 2.0 points this week while Elijah Arroyo is projected to score 0.0 points.