Bates in questionable for Thursday's game against the Bears after he suffered a hamstring injury during warmups, Zach Selby of the Commanders' official sitereports.

EDGE Analysis

Bates was expected to fill in as the Commanders' starting tight end with Logan Thomas (calf) sidelined. He has tallied seven receptions combined across his last two games, so he could make an impact if he is able to suit up. If Bates is out, Cole Turner figures to step into more action.

Bates could make another start Thursday against the Bears with fellow tight end Logan Thomas (calf) ruled out for a second straight game.

EDGE Analysis

Bates handled a three-down role a few times late last season when Thomas was out, but in the Week 5 loss to the Titans, the Commanders often subbed in Cole Turner for obvious passing situations. As a result, Bates was limited to playing 59 percent of snaps, though he reeled in his three targets for 39 yards. Meanwhile, Turner finished without a catch on three targets and 32 snaps (51 percent).

Bates caught each of his three targets for 39 yards in Sunday's 21-17 loss to Tennessee.

EDGE Analysis

Bates filled in for Logan Thomas (calf) as the starter but played only 59 percent of snaps, slightly more than third-string TE Cole Turner, who logged 51 percent and finished without a catch on three targets. Turner got a lot of the playing time in obvious passing situations in his NFL debut, and he might get that chance again Week 6 against the Bears if Thomas isn't ready.

Bates secured four of six targets for 19 yards during the Commanders' 25-10 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday.

EDGE Analysis

Bates has struggled to get involved in Washington's passing game early in the 2022 campaign, but he drew a season-high six targets Week 4 and was tied with starting tight end Logan Thomas in terms of receiving yards. In spite of Bates' increased involvement Sunday, the 2021 fourth-rounder has been an unreliable fantasy option early this season.

Bates caught two of three targets for 15 yards in Sunday's 36-27 loss to the Lions, playing 32 percent of snaps on offense.

EDGE Analysis

Bates saw more snaps Week 1 (55 percent) but was targeted just once. He's unlikely to see many passes as the No. 2 tight end behind Logan Thomas, who played 62 and 73 percent of snaps the first two weeks (with 11 targets) after suffering an ACL tear in the middle of last season. With Thomas seemingly healthy, Bates figures to handle a minor role again Week 3 against the Eagles.

Bates (calf) was a full practice participant Wednesday, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bates missed most of the summer but now has a decent shot at the Week 1 start. Fellow tight end Logan Thomas (knee), who is working his way back from a torn ACL, was a limited participant Wednesday and said earlier this week that he hoped to be ready for the first or second game of the season. Even if Thomas suits up for the opener against Jacksonville, the 31-year-old isn't likely to jump right back into his three-down role of years past.

Bates (calf) could return to practice this week, Michael Phillips of the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.

EDGE Analysis

Head coach Ron Rivera said Saturday that expects Bates to be back at practice in the coming days. The 31-year-old may even enter Week 1 as the starting tight end as Logan Thomas (knee) has yet to return to full participation at practice.

Bates (calf) will not play in Saturday's preseason game against Kansas City, Sam Fortier of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bates is one of three tight ends ruled out for Washington, leaving Armani Rogers and Eli Wolf as the team's healthy options this Saturday.

Bates (calf) is on a side field at Monday's practice, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

The second-year tight end missed some time earlier in camp but then returned to action last week. He was held out of the Commanders' preseason opener, however, allowing Armani Rogers and Curtis Hodges to get the first-team work at tight end. Bates is the probable Week 1 starter in the likely event Logan Thomas (ACL) isn't ready, though none of the Washington tight ends looks especially appealing for fantasy purposes. Bates was a fourth-round pick last year, and while he did get involved in the short passing game, he wasn't much of a receiving threat in college and lacks the speed to be more than a short-area threat in the pros.

Bates finished his 2021 rookie campaign with 20 catches for 249 yards and a touchdown on 25 targets, starting eight of 17 games.

EDGE Analysis

The fourth-round pick never missed a game, but it wasn't until Week 10 that he saw more than 17 snaps or one target in a contest. From that point on, he played over half of Washington's snaps in each game, averaging 2.0 catches for 26.4 yards on 2.6 targets over the final nine games of the season. Bates may fall back to a reserve role in his second year, however, as Logan Thomas' season-ending ACL injury was a big factor in the rookie taking so many snaps. That could leave Bates as Washington's No. 1 TE for the offseason program, if nothing else, depending on the team's transactions this spring. Plus, the timing and severity of Thomas' injury mean he's no lock to be ready for Week 1 of 2022.