Washington Commanders DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

The Washington Commanders and Las Vegas Raiders have made preliminary inquiries on free-agent running back Austin Ekeler, according to a source. CBS Sports' Josina Anderson writes that Ekeler's situation remains fluid at this time, but he could choose his next landing spot relatively quickly after Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard have all agreed with new teams on Monday. The Commanders lost Antonio Gibson and the Raiders lost Jacobs, so they have obvious needs in their backfield right now. The 28-year-old Ekeler is coming off one of the worst years of his career in 2023, with 628 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground after scoring a career-high 13 TDs in 2022. A change of scenery could easily lead to a bounce-back campaign, but fantasy managers probably aren't going to treat him as the high-end RB1 like they did in 2023 drafts.

Three-time Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz is signing with the Washington Commanders on a one-year deal worth up to $5 million on Wednesday, according to a source. It will be a reunion for Ertz and new Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. When Ertz was with the Arizona Cardinals in Kingsbury's offense, he saw a ton of targets, so this has the 33-year-old's fantasy stock on the rise again after he played in only seven games in the desert in 2023 due to injuries, catching 27 of his 43 targets for 187 yards and one touchdown. Logan Thomas is now out of the picture in Washington, paving the way for Ertz to serve as the team's top pass-catching tight end if he's healthy, but he could also be taking passes from whichever quarterback the Commanders with the second overall pick in the upcoming draft.

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels and wide receiver Malik Nabers both opted not to take part in the measurements portion of the NFL scouting combine on Saturday with their respective position groups. Daniels will do his measurements at LSU's pro day on March 27, with Nabers expected to do the same. Daniels, 23, is one of the top QB prospects in this year's draft, alongside USC's Caleb Williams and North Carolina's Drake Maye, and he could end up going as high as second overall to the Washington Commanders in April. Daniels also didn't do any throwing drills at the combine in Indianapolis this week. Nabers, 20, didn't do any testing at the combine, either. He's in contention to be the second receiver to come off the board in this year's draft behind Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr.

The Los Angeles Chargers are expected to let impending free-agent running back Austin Ekeler explore free agency in 2024, according to league sources, which means they won't use the franchise tag on him. Ekeler was one of the biggest early round fantasy busts in 2023, as the 28-year-old finished with 628 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 179 carries in 14 games in his seventh year with the Chargers. He also had 51 receptions (74 targets) for 436 yards and one touchdown through the air. Ekeler has never had 1,000 yards rushing in his career and could face an uncertain future if he leaves LA. He's not going to be a first-round fantasy pick in fall drafts, but Ekeler has bounce-back potential if he's healthy and in a significant role, whether it be with the Chargers or another team.

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, one of this year's top draft prospects, plans to throw at his pro day on March 27 instead of at this week's NFL scouting combine, according to sources. Daniels will be in Indianapolis this week for interviews and meetings with teams, but he will not work out at all. USC's Caleb Williams, the consensus top overall pick for the upcoming draft, also will not throw at the combine this week. The 23-year-old won the Heisman Trophy last year, which has vaulted him to No. 3 behind Williams and North Carolina's Drake Maye in the QB rankings for the upcoming draft. Daniels has plenty of upside at the next level, but his fantasy value for the long term will all depend on where he lands in the draft.