The Washington Commanders will be an intriguing team in 2024. Much of that intrigue surrounds rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall pick passed for 3,800 yards and rushed for over 1,100, while he was responsible for 50 touchdowns last season.
When you combine Daniels with innovative offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, you can certainly see why Washington’s offense has a high ceiling in 2024. While the Commanders have a high ceiling, they also have a low floor due to the unknown surrounding a rookie quarterback and a questionable offensive line.
Washington’s potential offensive line concerns were evident in Thursday’s joint practice against the Jets.
The uncertainty surrounding the Commanders offense could benefit fantasy football owners, particularly as it pertains to Daniels.
Jamey Eisenberg of CBS Sports recently named 12 NFL offensive players who can help you win your league in 2024. It’s no surprise Daniels is one of those 12 players.
In determining these 12 players, Eisenberg wrote these players would need to have an average ADP (average draft position) of No. 60 or lower.
It’s easy to tie in Murray and Daniels because the Commanders offensive coordinator is Kliff Kingsbury, who was the former head coach in Arizona. And Murray and Daniels have similar traits as running quarterbacks, which we love. The rookie from LSU and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner had 135 carries for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns in 12 games last season, and he rushed for 2,019 yards and 21 touchdowns in 26 games for the Tigers. That’s 77.6 rushing yards per game, which would be amazing if he does something similar for the Commanders. He’s also a solid passer, completing 72.2 percent of his throws at LSU last season for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and four interceptions. Daniels has solid weapons with the Commanders in Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Luke McCaffrey, Zach Ertz, Ben Sinnott, Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr., and Daniels should prove to be incredible value with an ADP of 101.9. He could be a surprise top-five quarterback by the end of the season
If Daniels stays healthy, he’s almost assured of outpacing his draft positioning. Even if he gets off to a slow start throwing the ball, his running ability makes him incredibly valuable.
As for the other Commander, it’s third-year running back Brian Robinson Jr.
Austin Ekeler’s ADP (87.3) remains slightly ahead of Robinson (88.7), but I like Robinson much more this season. I would have no problem drafting Robinson as a No. 2 running back, and he should be the best running back for the Commanders. Ekeler, 29, might be washed up after what we saw in 2023 with the Chargers, although he was dealing with a high-ankle sprain after getting injured in Week 1. Still, Robinson should prove to be the better rusher (178 carries for 733 yards and five touchdowns in 2023), and he averaged 13.2 PPR points per game last year. He also did well as a receiver with 36 catches for 368 yards and four touchdowns on 43 targets. Kingsbury and running backs coach Anthony Lynn should be beneficial for Robinson, and Daniels’ ability to escape the pocket should open up more rushing lanes. If Ekeler were to miss time then Robinson has top-15 upside. But even in tandem with Ekeler we should see Robinson have a big year.
We disagree with the assertion that Ekeler is washed up. However, Robinson has plenty of upside in 2024. Ekeler is known for his ability as a receiver, but Robinson is a vastly underrated receiver out of the backfield. He could’ve posted much bigger numbers last season had it not been for former OC Eric Bieniemy’s refusal to run the football.
Washington’s offense should be much more exciting this season than it has been in years.