Zach Ertz Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Commanders WR Terry McLaurin (quad) is "very much in doubt" for Sunday's game against the Falcons, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "Would not be surprised at all if he missed the game," Rapoport adds. McLaurin is still seeking additional opinions on his injury, including from core-muscle expect Dr. William Meyers. "As of now, they believe it's a quad injury. But more tests coming," Rapoport says. We'll look for further details on McLaurin's injury, but he seems unlikely at this point to be ready by Sunday.

Commanders QB Marcus Mariota will start this weekend's game vs. the Raiders, HC Dan Quinn said Friday. It's been trending this way most of the week, with Washington erring on the side of caution with QB Jayden Daniels' knee injury. Daniels did return to a limited practice on Friday, which should have him on track to return for Week 4. But it'll be Mariota under center on Sunday, making him an intriguing fantasy spot starter.

Commanders QB Jayden Daniels (knee) won't practice until Friday at the earliest, HC Dan Quinn said. Quinn added that Daniels had a good rehab session with his knee on Wednesday. But as NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says, "Another sign that Marcus Mariota could very well be starting" vs. the Raiders this weekend.

The Commanders have agreed to a one-year deal with TE Zach Ertz. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that Ertz will get $6.25 million, with incentives that could push it to $9 million. That marks a big jump from the one-year, $3 million pact that brought Ertz to Washington in 2024.

The Commanders spent a second-round pick (53rd overall) on TE Ben Sinnott last spring, and then they tossed him just 5 targets across 17 games. He caught them all but managed only 28 yards (5.6 per catch). And Sinnott's lackluster playing time dwindled at the end of the year. He played no more than eight snaps in any of the final six contests, including the three playoff games. There's some 2025 hope for Sinnott with TE Zach Ertz and TE John Bates both set to hit free agency this month. But ESPN's John Keim says he "knows" Washington wants both guys back.

Commanders TE Zach Ertz (concussion, shoulder) is active for today’s game vs. the Eagles. His playing time shouldn’t be impacted by last week’s concussion, but Ertz draws a tough matchup against the No. 8 TE defense. See where he sits in the Week 16 TE Rankings.

Commanders TE Zach Ertz (concussion) is "trending toward playing" vs. the Eagles today, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Ertz is listed as questionable, but concussed players who won't get cleared in time to play are usually ruled out on Saturday. We'll get Washington's inactives around 11:30 am ET. Assuming he ends up active, Ertz will be a shaky TE1 play against Philadelphia's eighth-ranked TE defense.

Commanders TE Zach Ertz (concussion, shoulder) is questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Eagles. He got in limited practices on Thursday and Friday but still has work to do to clear protocol. We should get an update on Ertz’s progress on Saturday and will get Washington’s inactives around 11:30 am ET on Sunday.

Commanders TE Zach Ertz (concussion) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. That at least gives him a chance to be cleared for Sunday's game vs. the Eagles. We'll get another update on Ertz's progress tomorrow.

Commanders TE Zach Ertz (concussion) did not practice on Wednesday. He's unlikely to be cleared in time for this weekend's game vs. the Eagles. Rookie Ben Sinnott led Washington TEs in pass routes last week but is not a recommended Week 16 fantasy play against Philadelphia's eighth-ranked TE defense.

Commanders TE Zach Ertz is questionable to return to Sunday's game vs. the Saints with a head injury. He's presumably being checked for a concussion. We'll update Ertz's status when we learn more.

Update: Ertz is out with a concussion. It's his third documented concussion.

Commanders QB Jayden Daniels completed 25 of 30 passes for 206 yards and 3 TDs in Sunday’s blowout win over Tennessee. The rookie added his sixth rushing TD of the season.

Commanders WR Terry McLaurin caught five of six targets for 113 yards. He was third in targets behind Noah Brown and Zach Ertz, but was the major downfield target for QB Jayden Daniels.

Ben Standig of The Athletic writes that TE Zach Ertz "showed more speed than expected" in spring practices. He added that second-round rookie TE Ben Sinnott "might ultimately be more H-back or fullback than tight end."

The Commanders selected Kansas State TE Ben Sinnott in Round 2 of the NFL Draft. Sinnott was a no-star recruit and walked on at Kansas State. He totaled just two catches across his first two years on campus but earned a scholarship and significant role as a junior in 2022. Sinnott ranked fourth on that Wildcats team with 447 receiving yards and tied for second with four receiving TDs. 2023 brought new career highs across the board: 49 catches, a team-high 676 yards, and a team-high six scores. Sinnott ranked ninth in both Pro Football Focus receiving grade and yards per route among 81 qualifying TEs. The 6’4, 250-pounder boasts plus ball skills and fluidity in his routes and after the catch. He crushed the Combine with a 4.68-second 40 time, a 40-inch vertical, and elite marks in 3-cone and short shuttle to earn a 9.73 Relative Athletic Score. Sinnott also brings versatility, lining up in-line, in the slot, out wide, and in the backfield at Kansas State. The Commanders currently have Zach Ertz atop the depth chart, but he’s playing on a one-year deal. He also turns 34 next season. If Jayden Daniels hits, Sinnott could develop into a spot-start TE1 before the end of 2025.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that TE Zach Ertz has agreed to a one-year deal with the Commanders worth "up to" $5 million. We'll be curious to see more specific terms on the contract -- such as whether it even guarantees he'll even break training camp with the team. Ertz managed just 27 catches over six games for the Cardinals last year, coming off a 2022 ACL tear. He failed to reach another active roster after Arizona waived him Nov. 30. (He finished the year on Detroit's practice squad.) Ertz will turn 34 in November and has set career lows in yards per catch each of the past two seasons (8.6, then 6.9). He spent his pre-2023 Arizona time playing under then-HC Kliff Kingsbury, who joined Washington as OC this offseason. We'll see how much that factored into Ertz's signing and what Kingsbury might have planned. The Commanders have room on the TE depth chart after dumping Logan Thomas, with only Cole Turner and John Bates under contract. But the Ertz signing shouldn't exclude them from making any other moves at the position. You can consider Ertz as a third TE late in your best ball drafts, but we wouldn't chase him any earlier than that.

The Lions are signing TE Zach Ertz, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Ertz arrives as a fairly big name, but don't consider him a serious challenge to TE Sam LaPorta's outlook. Detroit suddenly finds weak depth at the position after losing Brock Wright to a forearm fracture in Sunday's win over the Buccaneers. The team previously placed TE James Mitchell on IR after he suffered a hand injury in practice ahead of the win over the Rams. Wright drew just 1 target before leaving Sunday's game, in which he played 30 snaps. No Lions TE besides LaPorta drew a target in the previous game, despite LaPorta being just a week removed from a knee injury.