Fantasy fallout of Jahan Dotson's trade to Philadelphia

After two years in Washington, Jahan Dotson will enter the second chapter of his professional career as he will begin the 2024 season as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.

As the Eagles announced on social media on Aug. 22, the team traded for the wideout and Washington's 2025 fifth-round pick in exchange for their third and two seventh-round picks of the same draft. Dotson is immediately listed as the third starter on the Philadelphia depth chart next to star receivers AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith.

While Dotson initially entered the league as the 16th overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, he has underwhelmed in his two years in Washington, though a lot of the blame was placed on subpar quarterback play. Dotson posted nearly identical stat lines in both seasons with 523 receiving yards in his rookie year and 518 in 2023. His touchdown count also took a noticeable decrease from seven scores in 2022 to just four in 2023.

The end-of-year totals do not tell the full story, however, as Dotson played in five more games in 2023 and still saw a regression across the board. Regardless, his inclusion on the Philadelphia roster adds depth at receiver that the team lacked behind Brown and Smith.

Jahan Dotson's updated fantasy outlook

Dotson's personal fantasy value takes a significant hit with the trade. He was set to be the No. 2 receiver in Washington behind Terry McLaurin, the same role he has had in both of his first two seasons. Instead, he will now become the No. 3 option for a team that attempted nearly 100 fewer passes than the Commanders did in 2023.

Of the 525 total targets the Philadelphia receivers saw in 2023, 270 of them went to either Brown or Smith, a whopping 51 percent. Behind Brown's team-leading 158 targets and Smith's 112, tight end Dallas Goedert was a distant third with 83 looks from Jalen Hurts. The third-most targeted receiver on the team was Olamide Zaccheaus with just 20 targets.

Obviously, Dotson is a significantly better receiver than Zaccheaus, but the offense is heavily predicated on the two top weapons on the team in Brown and Smith. With the combination of Philadelphia expected to pass significantly less than Washington and Dotson's decreased role on his new team, he falls out of the fantasy radar in 12-team leagues and becomes a mere bench stash in deeper leagues.

Impact on Philadelphia skill players

While Brown and Smith's values will likely remain unchanged, the addition of Dotson into the Philadelphia offense functionally puts an end to any hope Parris Campbell had of being relevant. Campbell was listed as the third starter on the depth chart throughout the summer but is now demoted to the bench after putting up an uninspiring total of just 104 yards in 2023 as a member of the New York Giants.

Campbell should not have been on any fantasy radars to begin with, but Dotson's insertion will likely slow the progression of rookie Johnny Wilson and impede any momentum John Ross had built. Britain Covey, Jacob Harris and the rest of the team's receivers will all also be given an additional roadblock to making the final roster.

Where Dotson's trade will be the biggest needle mover is in the value of Hurts, who is now given the best receiver trio of his career to work with. The trade was significant enough to cause Dan Orlovsky, amongst others, to believe that the Eagles now boast the best receiving corps in the league.

Hurts has never been considered one of the best passers in the league but has made discernible improvements to that part of his game each year as his passing yards and touchdowns have gradually increased. Hurts has simultaneously seen his pass attempts go up in each of his four seasons and while he was already our QB1 entering 2024, his profile only increases with Dotson.

Impact on Washington skill players

The Washington receiving room was already worth keeping an eye on entering their new era led by Jayden Daniels but became substantially more interesting following the trade. McLaurin should unquestionably retain his starting role along with rookie Luke McCaffrey but the team interestingly inserted Zaccheaus — whom they signed in free agency from Philadelphia — into the starting lineup over Dyami Brown.

While Dotson and Zaccheaus have essentially swapped roles, the latter recorded just 10 catches in 2023, the second-lowest total of his career. Even with the likely increase in his responsibilities with Washington, he is unlikely to be even a short-term solution for the rebuilding team.

Expect to see both McCaffrey and Brown see an uptick in usage with an emphasis on the 23-year-old rookie. As the younger brother of the San Francisco running back, McCaffrey has reportedly impressed during training camp, clearly enough to convince the front office that he has the skills to immediately be Daniels' WR2.

Behind McCaffrey, veterans Jamison Crowder and Byron Pringle will have a shot at growing their roles in 2024 while extra targets will be available for tight ends Zach Ertz and Ben Sinnott. Although unlikely, former Pittsburgh standout Martavis Bryant now also has a slightly clearer path to making the final roster and potentially completing his comeback story, even at 32 and last appearing in an NFL game in 2018.