Knowledge is power and the greatest asset you can acquire in order to compete for a fantasy football championship.
Here’s your 2023 preview of the Washington Commanders, the 16th of 32 team profiles during draft season:
2023 Fantasy MVP: Commanders D/ST
The first rule of fantasy football in 2023 is streaming the defense playing against the Arizona Cardinals and the Commanders D/ST (ADP: 189) happens to open up at home against the “tanking” birds. But I believe Washington’s defense will have staying power after the matchup. The Commanders feature one of the fiercest defensive lines in the NFL and have added playmakers to an already solid secondary. They already finished as a top-three run defense and top-12 defense in 2022, but were held back by a bad offense. I expect more stability on offense this season which could unlock one of the best defenses in fantasy — they’re currently going undrafted in most leagues.
2023 Fantasy Sleeper: Antonio Gibson, RB
Gibson (ADP: 88) should benefit from new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s system. Bieniemy could use him similarly to the way he used Jerick McKinnon in Kansas City — Gibson is a significantly better receiver than Brian Robinson (ADP: 92). He has finished as the overall RB14 (RB13 in PPR), RB10 and RB35 (RB28 in PPR) in his three seasons in the NFL.
2023 Fantasy Bust: Terry McLaurin, WR
I believe Sam Howell will be good for McLaurin (ADP: 52), but his turf toe injury concerns me and Jahan Dotson (ADP: 86) offers similar upside at a lower cost.
2023 Fantasy Rookie to watch: Chris Rodriguez, RB
Speaking of Robinson, it’s interesting the Commanders used a sixth-round pick on another power-back in Rodriguez. He averaged 7.2 yards per carry in the preseason on 17 attempts and garnered praise for his receiving ability during OTAs from the coaching staff. Bieniemy was very high on the former Kentucky running back during the draft process.
