John Bates Injury Update

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John Bates’s current injury designation is shown in the live status box above, which updates automatically from the official NFL injury report. He was added to Washington’s injury report with a shoulder issue the week of Nov. 2, carried a Questionable tag through midweek, then was cleared off the report entirely by Friday’s Week 9 report; he has no prior-season injuries in our sources.

Bates is primarily a blocker who signed a three-year, $21 million extension in the 2026 offseason largely for his run-game work. In the Week 1 opener he played 34 snaps (49%) and caught two of three targets for 13 yards, per Commanders.com and Fantasy Football Calculator.

Fantasy Action: Leave Bates on waivers even in two-tight-end leagues; extra snaps for a blocking tight end rarely turn into targets. Chig Okonkwo is Washington’s receiving tight end.

Injury timeline — 2026

Nov 2	Added to Washington’s injury report Questionable with a shoulder injury, his first designation of the season.
Nov 6	Cleared off Washington’s injury report entirely; no designation for Sunday’s Week 9 game.

Earlier seasons

Season	Injury	Games missed
—	No prior-season injuries found in our sources.	—

Caught 11 passes for 103 yards and 1 TD in 15 games in 2025, per Fantasy Football Calculator.

Sources

• Commanders.com: Week 1 stats and snaps
• Commanders.com: Week 3 injury report
• Fantasy Football Calculator: John Bates news

John Bates news

Frequently asked about John Bates

Is John Bates injured?

His current official designation is shown in the live status box at the top of this page, which updates automatically from the NFL injury report.

Is John Bates worth adding in fantasy?

Not usually. He is a blocking tight end with modest receiving numbers, even as a starter.