Ben

Sinnott

Ertz left Week 15’s game with a brain injury and did not return. Head coach Dan Quinn told reporters after the game that Ertz is in the league’s concussion protocol. A DNP to start the week means we aren’t likely to see the veteran tight end on Sunday. Rookie Ben Sinnott could finally see some reps with Ertz sidelined, though his role is too ambiguous for fantasy managers to rely on in the semifinal round.

A darling of the fantasy community all offseason, Sinnott has more or less redshirted his rookie season through the first seven weeks. He finally got on the board with a three-yard catch in the third quarter, which also marked his first career touchdown. Sinnott would make for an interesting fantasy option if Zach Ertz were ever to go down, but he can be left on waiver wires for the time being.

Ben Sinnott, meanwhile, is listed as the TE3 behind Ertz and John Bates. Taken in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Sinnott appears to have a ways to go before he works as Washington’s primary pass-catching tight end. Ertz, 33, who has a long history with Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, should do most of the tight end route running to start the season.

The Commanders nabbed Sinnott with the No. 53 overall pick in the draft, making him the TE2 of the class. Sinnott is a versatile player who was a walk-on fullback for Kansas State before breaking out as a tight end later in his collegiate career. Zach Ertz, reunited with Kliff Kingsbury in Washington, should hold the starting tight end job for the Commanders, but Sinnott will see the field in a variety of roles as a rookie. He could emerge as a TE2 in the second half of the season but can be left off most redraft rosters for now.

Sinnott (6'4/250) was a walk-on at Kansas State who redshirted in 2020 and saw light usage as a fullback and tight end in his second season on campus. While still taking reps at fullback and on special teams, Sinnott broke out in 2022 with 31 grabs for 447 yards and four scores. He closed out his career with an even stronger season of 676 yards and six touchdowns on 49 receptions. Sinnott has reliable hands and his short-area quickness makes him hard to bring down after the catch, but he isn’t explosive and still lacks polish on his routes. He’s a willing blocker, though his modest stature and short arms for a tight end can cause him to struggle in the run game. Sinnott’s 4.68 40-yard dash and 9.72 RAS came as a surprise at the combine. The strong showing will give his NFL team hope that, with some technical refinement, Sinnott can leverage his athleticism to be a consistent pass-catching threat in the short and intermediate areas of the field. He could quickly vault to the top of an uninspiring Commanders tight end room.