Jayden Daniels was drafted by the Commanders second overall after winning the Heisman in his final year at LSU. While the Tigers offense had a lot of NFL talent on display, this fall is a chance for Daniels to show the league he can play and show fantasy owners he’s worth drafting.
2024 Fantasy Football Profile: Jayden Daniels
2023 in Review
Daniels finished up his college football career at LSU by throwing over 3,800 yards and 40 touchdown passes. He threw just four interceptions in his final year while also adding over 1,110 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. A touchdown-to-interception ratio of 10:1 is ridiculously good at any level of football, especially in the SEC.
Those numbers certainly get a nice boost to them when you’re throwing to two first-round wide receivers in Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. LSU’s offense was one of the best in college football last year with Daniels at the helm. While his passing numbers were assisted by those receiving numbers, his rushing stats are all him and his athleticism.
2024 Projection
One thing that is almost a given is Daniels won’t be throwing 40 touchdown passes again this year. Just like all rookies, there is going to be a regression based on jumping from college football to the NFL. There’s also going to be added pressure on Daniels as a quarterback to go out and perform at a high level right away.
Daniels has talented pass catchers though that are going to help make his job easier with Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Zach Ertz. Ertz may be older, but it doesn’t mean he’s not a good pass catcher anymore. He will be the safety net for Daniels while McLaurin and Dotson get the splash plays downfield.
His rushing ability is going to add lots of value for fantasy owners. His athleticism and vision are only going to get better by playing in the NFL, and the Commanders know they have a gem of a dual-threat quarterback in their hands. As long as Daniels is smart and protects himself on the field, his health certainly won’t be a question.
Jayden Daniels first NFL completion: pic.twitter.com/wnswqmSb4j
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 10, 2024
Jayden Daniels Fantasy Football ADP
FantasyPros currently has Daniels’ ADP at 107, but he has one of the widest ranges in terms of draft position. Some people are taking him as early as 58 while others are taking him as late as 254. Dynasty leagues are going to place a much higher emphasis on him as a rookie quarterback with lots of upside which explains him going in the top 60.
It’s easy to be hesitant about rookie quarterbacks after what happened with Bryce Young last year. However, for every Bryce Young there’s a C.J. Stroud that becomes a star in year one. Daniels certainly has the potential to do so despite competing in a division with the Cowboys and Eagles. Daniels is a player every fantasy team should draft, but you can have him start on the bench for the first couple of weeks if there’s still some uncertainty about a rookie quarterback.
Main Photo Courtesy of Lucas Boland – USA Today Sports
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