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.
Logs full practice Friday
TEWashington Commanders
October 10, 2025
Bates (shoulder) was a full participant in Friday's practice.
ANALYSIS
Bates likely tweaked his shoulder during the Commanders' Week 5 win over the Chargers. He opened the week as a limited practice participant Thursday, but his ability to participate without restrictions Friday indicates that he should be good to go against the Bears on Monday. Bates played 41 snaps (30 on offense, 11 on special teams) and caught his first pass of the regular season for nine yards in Week 5.
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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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Advanced NFL Stats
How do John Bates' 2025 advanced stats compare to other tight ends?
This section compares his advanced stats 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. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
  • Air Yards Per Game
    The number of air yards he is averaging per game. Air yards measure how far the ball was thrown downfield for both complete and incomplete passes. Air yards are recorded as a negative value when the pass is targeted behind the line of scrimmage. All air yards data is from Sports Info Solutions and does not include throwaways as targeted passes.
  • Air Yards Per Snap
    The number of air yards he is averaging per offensive snap.
  • % Team Air Yards
    The percentage of the team's total air yards he accounts for.
  • % Team Targets
    The percentage of the team's total targets he accounts for.
  • Avg Depth of Target
    Also known as aDOT, this stat measures the average distance down field he is being targeted at.
  • Catch Rate
    The number of catches made divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Drop Rate
    The number of passes he dropped divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Avg Yds After Catch
    The number of yards he gains after the catch on his receptions.
  • % Targeted On Route
    Targets divided by total routes run. Also known as TPRR.
  • Avg Yds Per Route Run
    Receiving yards divided by total routes run. Also known as YPRR.
Air Yards Per Game
0.5
 
Air Yards Per Snap
0.02
 
% Team Air Yards
0.1%
 
% Team Targets
0.6%
 
Avg Depth of Target
2.0 Yds
 
Catch Rate
100.0%
 
Drop Rate
0.0%
 
Avg Yds After Catch
7.0
 
% Targeted On Route
4.0%
 
Avg Yds Per Route Run
0.36
 
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Washington CommandersCommanders 2025 TE Snap Distribution
#% of Team Snaps

24064%
13456%
10628%
6025%
10628%
9540%
4111%
3615%
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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
25 routes   1 target
← More Blocking
% Routes Run
More Receiving →
25%
158 routes   27 targets
71%
23 routes   1 target
23%
9 routes   0 targets
24%
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 Cowboys 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.
DAL
@ Cowboys
Sunday, Oct 19th at 4:25PM
Overall QB Rating Against
117.9
 
Cornerbacks
126.5
 
Safeties
80.6
 
Linebackers
100.2
 
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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
Pops up as limited Thursday
TEWashington Commanders
Shoulder
October 9, 2025
Bates (shoulder) was limited in Thursday's practice.
ANALYSIS
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All set for Week 5
TEWashington Commanders
October 1, 2025
Bates (groin) was a full participant at practice Wednesday.
ANALYSIS
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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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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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