Who Should I Start? John Bates or Nate Boerkircher
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
John Bates News
Wednesday, December 24, 10:23 AM
Washington Commanders tight end John Bates was outsnapped 37 to 27 by second-year tight end Ben Sinnott in last week's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Bates has served as Washington's No. 2 TE for most of the season, primarily as a blocker. He posted his highest route share (50%) of the season in Week 15 with Zach Ertz (knee) out for the season, but that mark cratered in Week 16, falling to just 16%, his lowest since Week 2. Sinnott profiles as the better receiving option and is seeing his role increase in that area. He jumped to a season-high 56% route share last week. Bates seems to be trending back toward his typical role as the top blocking tight end and shouldn't be considered a fantasy option on Christmas Day against the Dallas Cowboys, especially considering Washington's starting QB is likely to be Josh Johnson with Marcus Mariota (hand, quadriceps) injured.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Nate Boerkircher News
Friday, April 24, 4:48 PM
The Jacksonville Jaguars have selected Texas A&M tight end prospect Nate Boerkircher with the 56th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. This was the Jaguars' first selection of the draft, and they spent it on a tight end despite already having Brenton Strange on their roster. We shouldn't be too surprised by the addition, though, as pre-draft reporting indicated that the Jaguars wanted to come out of the draft with an impact tight end to complement Strange on offense. After four years with Nebraska, Boerkircher transferred to A&M for the 2025 season and ultimately tallied 19 catches, 198 yards, and three touchdowns. Those are underwhelming receiving metrics, and while the Jaguars do plan to get him more involved in the passing game, he's a blocker first and foremost. He posted a 72.2 PFF grade in run blocking last season. Ranked as the consensus #162 prospect in the draft according to NFLMockDraftDatabase.com, some might say this was a bit of a reach for Jaguars general manager James Gladstone. The fantasy rankings would tend to agree, as Boerkircher falls outside the top 85 tight ends in RotoBaller's latest dynasty rankings.
John Bates vs. Nate Boerkircher
Still trying to decide between Bates and Boerkircher? 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 0.0 points this week while Nate Boerkircher is projected to score 0.0 points.
Latest Fantasy News
