Who Should I Start? John Bates or Erick All Jr.


Week 9 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 9 Projections

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

Erick All Jr. News

Bengals Place Erick All Jr. on Injured Reserve With Torn ACL

Tuesday, October 27, 10:16 AM

The Cincinnati Bengals placed tight end Erick All Jr. (knee) on Injured Reserve on Tuesday with what is believed to be a torn ACL that he suffered in the Week 7 win over the division-rival Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, a source told Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. In a corresponding move, the Bengals signed tight end Cam Grandy off the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad. All, the team's fourth-round pick in 2024 from Iowa, finished Sunday's win by catching all three of his targets for 36 yards before injuring his knee. It is devastating news for the 26-year-old, who already tore the same ACL during his rookie campaign with the Bengals. He caught eight of his nine targets through six games this year for 56 yards and no touchdowns after he had a 20-158-0 line in nine games in his rookie season in 2024. All missed the entire 2025 campaign and now faces another long recovery before trying to get ready for the start of the 2027 season next fall. His season-ending knee injury opens up more playing time for Drew Sample the rest of the way behind starting TE Mike Gesicki, who has caught a touchdown pass in four straight games.


John Bates vs. Erick All Jr.

Still trying to decide between Bates and All Jr.? 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 Erick All Jr. is projected to score 0.0 points.