Who Should I Start? John Bates or Noah Gray

BENCH

Week 4 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
2.1 0.0 0.0 0.9 8.7 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.

START

Week 4 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
3.2 -0.0 0.0 1.4 13.9 0.1

Noah Gray News

Noah Gray to See Similar Usage to 2025 Season

Thursday, August 20, 7:31 PM

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray could see a workload similar to what he had in 2025. Gray had a down year in 2025, hauling in just 21 of 37 targets for 178 yards and no touchdowns in 16 games. Despite playing over 50% of the snaps in each of the last four seasons, Gray didn't match the impact he had during the first three years of his NFL career. With Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and third-string tight end Jared Wiley all back and healthy, Gray may have a tough time being fantasy relevant this season. Even if future Hall-of-Fame tight end Travis Kelce suffers an injury that costs him playing time, Gray still doesn't offer enough upside to be a starting player on fantasy rosters in 2026.

John Bates vs. Noah Gray

Still trying to decide between Bates and Gray? 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 2.1 points this week while Noah Gray is projected to score 3.2 points.