Who Should I Start? Josh Oliver or John Bates

BENCH

Week 4 Projections

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

Josh Oliver News

Josh Oliver to Miss the Rest of the Season With Torn Biceps

Monday, September 28, 10:48 AM

Minnesota Vikings tight end Josh Oliver (biceps) suffered a torn biceps muscle in the Week 3 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday and needs season-ending surgery, a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Oliver will miss the rest of the 2026 regular season, and he will be a long shot to return if the Vikings have a deep playoff run. The 29-year-old former third-round selection of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019 from San Jose State was not on the fantasy football radar as a pass-catching TE, but he was extremely valuable to the Vikings' offense as a blocker. His 2026 season will end after just three games and three catches (five targets) for 46 yards. Oliver did have seven combined touchdowns for the Vikings in 2024 and 2025, but he has never surpassed 28 receptions or 258 receiving yards in a single season since making his NFL debut with the Jaguars in 2019.

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Week 4 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
2.2 0.0 0.0 0.9 9.2 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.

Josh Oliver vs. John Bates

Still trying to decide between Oliver and Bates? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Josh Oliver is projected to score 0.0 points this week while John Bates is projected to score 2.2 points.