Jayden Daniels Arrived Ready for Fantasy Glory: How the Washington Quarterback Mirrors the Hope of a Decade Ago

A look at Daniels' historic first month and how it compares to the last great start a No. 2 pick had in Washington.

It’s a familiar story: Washington drafts a dynamic, Heisman-winning quarterback second overall with hopes he will be the quarterback to restore the franchise to former glory. It worked out initially the first time before injuries changed careers, and it seems to be working this time after the first month of the season.

In 2012, the Redskins took Robert Griffin III after an explosive season at Baylor in which he threw for nearly 4,300 yards with 37 touchdowns and six interceptions. He added about 700 yards and 10 scores on the ground, standing out as the most productive offensive player in college.

The Commanders mirrored their former namesake by grabbing Jayden Daniels after he blew up at LSU, racking up over 3,800 passing yards with 40 touchdowns and just four interceptions; he topped Griffin on the ground with 1,134 rushing yards and 10 TDs. Daniels played his way to the top of the draft in his final college season.

Griffin’s rookie season produced an Offensive Rookie of the Year award: 65.6% completion, 3,200 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, five interceptions, 815 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. Griffin looked set up to lead the team for the next decade-plus.

That first season was by far his best, though. He never had a better yards per pass, yards per rush or touchdown-to-interception ratio, and he only had a better completion percentage when he threw half as many passes in a nine-game 2014.

Griffin suffered an injury in the Redskins’ Wild Card Round loss to the Seahawks at the end of his rookie season. He was never the same. Griffin would fit perfectly into the running quarterback mold that is dominating the game today. Griffin’s first year matches up well with some of Lamar Jackson’s seasons, though not Jackson’s best.

RG3’s First Four Games

Since Daniels has played four games, it makes it easy to compare to Griffin’s first month in the league. The latter started strong:

• Griffin: 86/124 passing (69.4%), 1,070 yards (8.6 per attempt), 4 touchdowns, 1 interception, 41 carries, 234 rushing yards (5.7 per attempt), 4 rushing touchdowns

His season-long numbers were a little lower on the passing side and a little higher on the rushing side, but the overall impact was close to the same. Most importantly, the Redskins won 10 games and the division to make the playoffs.

• Daniels: 87/106 passing (82.1%), 897 yards (8.5 per attempt), 3 touchdowns, 1 interception, 46 carries, 218 rushing yards (4.7 per attempt), 4 rushing touchdowns

Griffin had a little bit more volume and efficiency in gaining yards, but the numbers are very similar. Daniels has been an accuracy master, putting up numbers so far that no one has ever kept going over a full season. Drew Brees has the record with a completion percentage just over 74% in 2019, so it’s unlikely Daniels will stay over 80% for the long haul.

Again, though, the most important thing for the team is winning games, and the Commanders have been successful in that department over the first month.

Can Washington Make the Playoffs?

Yes. They could win the division based on how things look right now. The season is young, and Daniels will inevitably run into bumps in the road. Teams will figure out how to attack him and take away what Daniels does best. It’s obvious he has the talent to win at this level, though, and that has the Commanders leading the NFC East.

The schedule isn’t easy; two games apiece against the Cowboys and Eagles, and matchups against Ravens, Steelers, Saints, and others will test the consistency of this group. Washington is in position to compete a quarter of the way through the season, though, and Daniels has answered a lot of questions before they even needed to be asked.

Outlook for the Rest of the Season

There’s no reason to expect a big drop from Daniels. He will have quieter games and experience rookie struggles, but Daniels’ running makes him essentially a weekly starter, and continued success throwing the ball will make him one of the best fantasy players in football.

I was really high on drafting Daniels in the later rounds; now I’m a proponent of trying to acquire the young quarterback. His trade value is super high, making it tougher to pry him away from other owners, but Daniels has a good chance to keep up something close to this level of fantasy production. That leaves the Washington quarterback as a must-start player who can lock down the position for your team.

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