The Washington Commanders have sat tight most of the offseason with $43M in cap space in their back pocket. They were linked to wide receivers like Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and Keenan Allen. But they finally made their decision by signing former Viking/Bill/Texan/Patriot Stefon Diggs to a one-year, $12M deal. 

This move is one of the last big shoes to drop in free agency so let’s take a moment to look at what Stefon Diggs brings to the table as well as the potential impact on the rest of this Commanders offense. While we are at it, we can weigh in on the impact for Diggs himself as well as the fantasy football fallout in terms of winners and losers.

Stefon Diggs History and Statistics

At one point, Stefon Diggs was an absolute NFL powerhouse. With the Minnesota Vikings and the Buffalo Bills, he was the primary target lining up all over the formation. He routinely racked up seasons of 150+ targets and was the clear go-to guy, especially on third downs. He put together six straight 1,000+ yard seasons, including two north of 1,400 yards.

After a trade to the Houston Texans, he was once again on pace for 125+ targets before suffering a torn ACL midway through the season. He caught on with New England, where they deployed him more as a part-time guy, never playing more than 65% of the snaps. Even then, he garnered more than 100 targets and was a big part of New England’s run to an AFC Championship. We can't rule out him playing even BETTER than he did last year as he was coming off injury but, at 32 years old, the days of 150+ targets are likely over.

 

 

 

Fantasy Football Winners

Stefon Diggs, WR, Washington Commanders

There were a lot of places Diggs could have ended up where he would be the clear third fiddle. On a team like the Bengals or Cowboys, for instance, he would be the obvious WR3 and likely a part-time, slot only type player.  With the Commanders, he has a chance to be a top two target or even lead the team in targets if things break just right. Given some of the offseason drama surrounding him, this is about the best result you could have imagined if you were holding him in dynasty. The other teams with weak WR rooms like the Dolphins and Raiders don't have Jayden Daniels running the show. 

Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders

This one really goes without saying. But Jayden Daniels has not really had great intermediate options despite having Terry McLaurin out there on the boundaries. Now he has both Chig Okonkwo and Stefon Diggs, which should lead to some easier completions in that part of the field. 

Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders

This might seem counterintuitive. But I don’t think the signing of Stefon Diggs really has much of a negative effect on McLaurin. They operate in totally different parts of the field, as McLaurin is a full-time outside guy while Diggs is more of a part-time inside player. The existence of Diggs could actually make life easier for McLaurin, as it will be harder to double-team him or shade safeties. 

Plus the team might just flat out be better, leading to more scoring opportunities. The year before last McLaurin's upside was not really tied to target volume as he only got 117 but rather to his 13 touchdown. We actually were not super high on McLaurin as it stood but we aren’t moving him down with the news. If anything, he could get a slight bump. 

Commanders Running Backs

We don’t know who will get the bulk of the work between Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rachaad White, Kaytron Allen. But we often say that “running is the luxury of the winning team”. So improvements to the offense are generally a plus for the running back room. Picking the right running back from this backfield could be a boon in fantasy football - we gave our thoughts in this article on late round running backs to target. 

Fantasy Football Losers

Chig Okonkwo, TE, Washington Commanders

I have been a huge believer in Chig Okonkwo in dynasty leagues given his athleticism. His 4.52 forty time is the same as George Kittle - that's 98th percentile speed. And we still like the player in dynasty formats, as guys like Stefon Diggs and Terry McLaurin aren’t getting any younger. But this is not good news in the short term for Chig, plain and simple. 

As we wrote in the Fantasy Alarm Draft Guide, the hope was Chig would basically be a “big slot” receiver for Jayden Daniels. Adding a slot receiver to that mix that will take short to intermediate targets is a bad thing for Okonkwo no matter how you slice it. Chig is still athletic so he can probably still help in best ball drafts, especially if you pair him with Jayden Daniels. But now he's more of a contingent upside play where you are hoping one of the WRs gets hurt. It's super rare to have three players all get 100+ targets on the same team without the help of injuries. 

Antonio Williams, Luke McCaffrey, Treylon Burks, WRs, Washington Commanders

Obviously with the WR2 chair open, people were making big plans for their favorite option. That was especially true for rookie Antonio Williams. But giving Stefon Diggs a one-year $12M contract is a clear indicator that he’ll be the man in that role. So these guys are back to being stashes and contingent upside plays for this team.

Brandon Aiyuk, Keenan Allen, WRs, Free Agent

Brandon Aiyuk really shot himself in the foot here. Many, including himself on Instagram, had predicted he would end up with Washington one way or another. Instead, he’s still under contract with the 49ers and now has one less spot to go. Keenan Allen also has some ties to Washington (his former coach Anthony Lynn is on the staff), but that role is filled now.

 

 

 

How Does The Stefon Diggs Signing Affect the Fantasy Football Rankings?

With this news, we will be making updates to ALL of the rankings from redraft to best ball to dynasty. So make sure to pick up your copy of the Fantasy Alarm Draft Guide NOW to see where these guys rank and when you should jump in on guys like Stefon Diggs or Jayden Daniels (or how far down we have bumped players like Chig Okonkwo or Antonio Williams).