John Bates

John Bates

27-Year-Old Tight EndTE
Washington Commanders
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Bates is staying with the Commanders on a three-year deal after playing 67 of a possible 68 regular-season games during his rookie contract. He caught just 61 passes during that time, and never more than 20 in a single season, mostly working as a blocking-focused No. 2 tight end. That'll likely be his role again in 2025, although there's some chance of losing snaps to 2024 second-round pick Ben Sinnott. Read Past Outlooks
Signed a three-year contract with the Commanders in March of 2025.
All set for Week 5
TEWashington Commanders
October 1, 2025
Bates (groin) was a full participant at practice Wednesday.
ANALYSIS
Bates has been sidelined for each of the team's last two games due to a groin injury, but he now appears to be ready to return to action in Week 5. The 27-year-old will be back in his role as a top reserve option behind Zach Ertz at tight end versus the Chargers on Sunday.
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NFL Stats
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.
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2025 NFL Game Log
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2021
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2024 NFL Game Log
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Washington CommandersCommanders 2025 TE Snap Distribution
#% of Team Snaps

17067%
7028%
4618%
3514%
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How often does John Bates run a route when on the field for a pass play?
This data will let you see how John Bates and the other tight ends for the Commanders are being used. Some tight ends may have a lot of snaps, but they're not that useful for fantasy purposes because they're not actually running routes. This data will help you see when this is the case.
John Bates
9 routes   0 targets
← More Blocking
% Routes Run
More Receiving →
21%
109 routes   20 targets
70%
15 routes   1 target
22%
6 routes   0 targets
18%
Receiving Alignment Breakdown
See where John Bates lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.
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This Week's Opposing Pass Defense
How does the Chargers pass defense compare to other NFL teams this season?
The bars represents the team's percentile rank (based on QB Rating Against). The longer the bar, the better their pass defense is. The team and position group ratings only include players that are currently on the roster and not on injured reserve. The list of players in the table only includes defenders with at least 3 attempts against them.
LAC
@ Chargers
Sunday, Oct 5th at 4:25PM
Overall QB Rating Against
47.9
 
Cornerbacks
38.9
 
Safeties
38.8
 
Linebackers
99.0
 
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2025 John Bates Split Stats
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Measurables Review View College Player Page
How do John Bates' measurables compare to other tight ends?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
* All metrics are from his Pro Day (not the combine).
Height
6' 6"
 
Weight
259 lbs
 
40-Yard Dash
4.82 sec
 
Shuttle Time
4.35 sec
 
Cone Drill
6.85 sec
 
Vertical Jump
31.5 in
 
Broad Jump
120 in
 
Bench Press
19 reps
 
Hand Length
9.38 in
 
Arm Length
32.25 in
 
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring John Bates See More
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring John Bates See More
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
2022
2021
A 2021 fourth-round pick, Bates has recorded 500-to-519 snaps and 14-to-20 catches in each of his three NFL seasons, missing just one game out of a possible 51. He's a reliable backup tight end who mostly blocks and also plays some special teams, but there's not much reason to expect a jump forward in receiving production for the final year of his contract. The Commanders signed Zach Ertz and drafted Ben Sinnott in the second round this offseason, putting at least two tight ends ahead of Bates in the pecking order for routes and targets.
A 2021 fourth-round pick, Bates mostly has worked as the blocking complement to Logan Thomas through two pro seasons, catching 34 passes in 33 games. There's perhaps some room for role growth with Thomas entering his age-32 season after an Achilles tear in 2021 and poor production last year, but Bates still figures to take most of his snaps as a blocker. It could be another young player, like Cole Turner who ends up benefitting if Thomas loses playing time.
A 2021 fourth-round pick, Bates played all 17 contests last season but didn't see more than 17 offensive snaps or one target in a game until Week 10. He started the final six outings of the year after fellow tight end Logan Thomas suffered an ACL tear, and while Bates never got much receiving volume, he did catch 20 of the 25 targets (80 percent) sent his way. The second-year pro isn't especially fast or nimble, but he could have some deep-league value if Thomas struggles to return from the severe knee injury.
Bates was a fourth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but he mostly profiles as a blocker after catching only 47 passes for 579 yards and two touchdowns in four seasons at Boise State. If he does get regular snaps as a rookie, he'll mostly play on early downs and goal-line/short-yardage situations.
More Fantasy News
Ruled out
TEWashington Commanders
Groin
September 26, 2025
Bates (groin) has been ruled out for Sunday's game at Atlanta, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
ANALYSIS
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Still dealing with groin issue
TEWashington Commanders
Groin
September 24, 2025
Bates (groin) did not participate at practice Wednesday.
ANALYSIS
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Ruled out for Week 3
TEWashington Commanders
Groin
September 19, 2025
Bates (groin) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Raiders, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
ANALYSIS
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Misses practice
TEWashington Commanders
Groin
September 17, 2025
Bates (groin) did not practice Wednesday.
ANALYSIS
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Unlikely to play Week 3
TEWashington Commanders
Groin
September 15, 2025
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said Monday that Bates (groin) is a "longshot" to play Sunday versus Las Vegas, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Commanders' top TE for Week 16?
TEWashington Commanders
December 21, 2024
Bates would be slated to serve as the Commanders' top tight end if Zach Ertz is unable to play against the Eagles due to a concussion and shoulder injury, Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports reports.
ANALYSIS
Ertz was diagnosed with a concussion during the Commanders' Week 15 win over the Saints. He managed to log consecutive limited practices to end the week, but he'll have to clear the league's five-step concussion protocols in order to play in Sunday's NFC East showdown. If Ertz is inactive, Bates would be in a position to serve as Washington's top tight end while rookie second-round pick Ben Sinnott would also see an uptick in offensive snaps. Over his last four games, Bates has caught four passes on five targets for 36 yards.
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