We’ve already profiled one Washington tight end in this series, are you ready for number two?
This week’s edition of Dynasty Sleeper of the Week features a rookie tight end out of Boise State who has shown life in his first opportunities in the NFL.
John Bates (TE – WAS)
SLEEPER HISTORY
Before John Bates became a Boise State Bronco, he was a high school state champion in both the 110 Meter Hurdle and Javelin, along with being a two-time all-state pick in football. Talk about a hectic schedule for a high school kid! Bates’ football aptitude may be in question but he’s an elite athlete nonetheless. For as good an athlete as he is, he had a modest career for the Broncos. His best season consisted of 22 receptions for 273 yards and a touchdown as a Junior. He returned as a senior in a likely attempt to improve his on-field production as he looked forward to a future in the NFL. Unfortunately, Bates played just three games due to a lingering hamstring injury, finishing with just 12 receptions for 112 yards.
It’s no surprise, given his athletic background, that he posted a significantly high agility score (11.20) landing him in the 88th percentile among qualifying tight ends. That said, his nauseatingly low 4.89 40-yard dash is certainly a head-scratcher that shows up on film as well. Bates exhibits the desired size and quickness that typically succeeds at the NFL level. That said, he struggles with crisp route running and lacks speed in and out of breaks. While he measures in at 6’6” 259 pounds, he allows defenders to manhandle him at times and clearly has a ways to go as a blocker
SLEEPER HERE AND NOW
Bates was selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the Washington Football Team and only recently received significant playing time, mainly due to multiple injuries at the tight end position including Logan Thomas and Ricky Seals-Jones. This series also featured Washington Football Team tight end Sammis Reyes. However, Bates’ combination of size, quickness, and football experience appears to have given him the advantage and he’s literally done everything he could with the opportunities he’s received in the passing game.
Bates has caught each of the three targets thrown his way over the last two weeks for a total of 48 yards and has secured all eight targets he’s received this season. 100% catch rate is pretty damn good, even on just eight targets. It’s also noteworthy that his offensive snaps eclipsed 60% for the first time in Week 10 and he played 99% of the offensive snaps in Week 11.
DYNASTY ANALYSIS
John Bates has really capitalized on his opportunities in the absence of Washington’s top tight ends. However, Logan Thomas’ return is inevitable so we can’t even expect any rest-of-season production from the rookie tight, let alone long-term production. Regardless, Bates has been a solid special teamer all season so he’ll likely stick around and that bodes well for his future outlook. We know tight ends take years to break out, sometimes three or four. So, as always, we must be patient with tight end dynasty assets.
The good news is this acquisition requires little to no cost. He’s presumably still sitting on waivers. So, if you have a free roster spot, take a shot and stash him on the taxi squad in hopes he defines a clearer role by the time you’re forced to call him up to your active roster or drop him for another sleeper.
Thank you for reading. If you have any thoughts or questions and would like to discuss them, you can reach out to me on Twitter @WillieBeamanDFF.
You can read previous articles in this series here: Pharaoh Brown, Demetric Felton, Mekhi Sargent, Jaelon Darden, Derrick Gore, Tyree Jackson, Kylen Granson, Sammis Reyes, Eno Benjamin, Kene Nwangwu
