Daron Payne

27-Year-Old Defensive TackleDT

Washington Commanders

2024 Defense Stats

TCKL

SACKS

3.0

INT

Rest-of-Season Projections

TCKL

SACKS

INT

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2024 Fantasy Outlook

Payne has missed just one game in six seasons since Washington took him 13th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, but the quality of his performance hasn't been as consistent as his availability. He's often received poor PFF grades for run defense, though in 2022 he made up for it with career highs in sacks (11.5) and QB hits (20) in the first season of his four-year, $90 million extension. Payne then dropped off to four sacks and 11 QB hits in 2023, with his 53 tackles being a career low. That said, he's at least been remarkably consistent with the tackle totals, landing between 53 and 64 each season. Read Past Outlooks

RANKS

#365

ADP

IDP

Bye Week 14

Height 6'3"

Weight 320

DOB 5/27/1997

College Alabama

Drafted 1st Rd 2018 #13 Overall

In for Sunday

DTWashington Commanders

December 15, 2024

Payne (back) is active for Sunday's matchup with the Saints.

ANALYSIS
The defensive tackle was listed as questionable after popping up on the injury report Friday with a back issue. Payne has yet to miss a game this season, recording 33 tackles (19 solo), including 3.0 sacks.

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NFL Stats

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2018

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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart

Snap Counts

Snap %

Commanders 2024 DT Snap Distribution See more data like this | See last season's snap counts

D.Daron Payne

J.Jer'Zhan Newton

P.Phidarian Mathis

J.Jonathan Allen

S.Sheldon Day

J.Jalyn Holmes

C.Carl Davis

C.Carlos Watkins

#% of Team Snaps

50565%

35245%

24832%

21628%

17222%

9512%

142%

30%

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#1 LDT

Commanders

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2024 Daron Payne Split Stats

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Measurables Review

How do Daron Payne's measurables compare to other defensive tackles?

This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.

Height

6' 3"

Weight

320 lbs

40-Yard Dash

4.95 sec

Shuttle Time

4.71 sec

Cone Drill

7.58 sec

Vertical Jump

28.5 in

Broad Jump

107 in

Bench Press

27 reps

Hand Length

9.38 in

Arm Length

33.00 in

Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Daron Payne See More

Week 15 Friday Injury Report: Walker Doubtful, Hall Looking Good, Irving Uncertain

2 days ago

Last week's fantasy superstar, Zach Charbonnet, is primed for another start after the Seahawks deemed Kenneth Walker doubtful for Sunday night's game against Green Bay.

Monday Free Agency Recap: QB Dominoes Falling, Ekeler Wants Out

March 13, 2023

It was quiet a day for RB/WR/TE signings, but Austin Ekeler made some noise with a trade request while the Raiders found their short-term answer at QB.

NFL Game Previews: Bills-Bengals Matchup

December 29, 2022

Erik Siegrist previews the Monday night matchup as Joe Burrow and the Bengals square off against the Bills in what could determine the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.

Wide Receivers vs. Cornerbacks: Week 15 Matchups

December 16, 2022

Mike Williams should climb the ladder against Tennessee CBs that lack reach.

Gameday Injuries: Week 5

October 9, 2021

Juan Carlos Blanco examines a busy Week 5 injury report and dishes the latest news on key players as of early Sunday morning.

Past Fantasy Outlooks

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

A 2018 first-round pick, Payne played out last season on a fifth-year option and ended up a big winner after logging career highs for tackles (64), QB hits (20) and sacks (11.5). He's missed only one game through five campaigns while doing solid work against the run and recording at least 54 tackles each year, but prior to 2022 he'd never had more than five sacks in a season. Payne signed a four-year, $90 million contract with $50 million guaranteed in March, staying in Washington alongside Jonathan Allen, Montez Sweat and Chase Young to form one of the best defensive lines in the league.

Payne is scheduled to play under a fifth-year option this season and isn't happy about it, presumably wanting a long-term contract. The 13th overall pick in the 2018 draft has never topped five sacks in a season, but he did have a career-high 13 QB hits last year, and he's recorded at least 54 tackles and 15 appearances in each of four seasons. That type of consistency makes him a bargain for Washington on the fifth-year option salary of around $8.5 million. Payne gets enough tackles to warrant consideration in some IDP formats, though a few more sacks would help too.

The 13th overall pick in the 2018 Draft, Payne has missed just one game through three seasons, including a 16-start campaign in 2020. He's solid as both a run defender and interior pass rusher, but perhaps not quite the superstar some might have hoped for in such an early draft pick. But Payne still is only 24, and he had a well-rounded stat line last season with 54 tackles, four pass defenses, three sacks and three forced fumbles. If he can add a few more sacks, Payne will start to make a name for himself in IDP formats.

Selected 13th overall in the 2018 draft, Payne is the biggest body on a defensive line loaded with first-round picks, checking in at 6-3, 320. He dropped off from five sacks as a rookie to only two last season, but he finished with 56 tackles for a second straight year, earning a 75.1 PFF grade against the run. Payne hasn't quite been the superstar Washington was hoping for, but he appears locked in as a starter at defensive tackle as the team transitions to a 4-3 base scheme under new defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio.

Payne is the second big name in the frightening Washington defensive line trio that includes Jonathan Allen and Matt Ioannidis, playing the nose tackle spot while the other two collapse the pocket from the end. It's rare for a nose tackle to rank highly as an IDP, but Payne is coming off a quietly brilliant rookie year, just missing 800 snaps and approaching 60 tackles as a 21-year-old. Payne's snap count is pretty close to maxed out, but his per-snap production is a threat to spike upward given his substantial developmental upside.

Surrendering a league-high 134.1 rushing yards per game is an effective way to miss the playoffs, and Washington is hoping that doesn't happen again after using its first-round pick on Payne at 13th overall. Although he wasn't expected to be taken that high, Payne was arguably the best run-stuffing interior lineman in the draft and shouldn't need any time to acclimate to the NFL before being inserted into the starting lineup. However, rookies in his position don't always see a full allotment of snaps off the bat, rendering Payne's IDP relevance largely dependent on how many snaps he ultimately receives.

More Fantasy News

Questionable for Sunday

DTWashington Commanders

Back

December 13, 2024

Payne (back) is listed as questionable ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Saints.

ANALYSIS
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Sacks Williams in Week 8

DTWashington Commanders

October 29, 2024

Payne logged four tackles (three solo), including 1.0 sacks, in Sunday's 18-15 win over Chicago.

ANALYSIS
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Upgraded to full participant

DTWashington Commanders

September 5, 2024

Payne (back) was a full participant in Thursday's practice session.

ANALYSIS
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Dealing with injury

DTWashington Commanders

Back

September 4, 2024

Payne (back) was a limited participant during practice Wednesday.

ANALYSIS
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Drops off to 4.0 sacks

DTWashington Commanders

January 23, 2024

Payne recorded 53 tackles (32 solo), 4.0 sacks, four pass defenses, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries across 17 games in 2023.

ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors

Opens contract negotiations

DTWashington Commanders

February 11, 2023

Payne has opened extension talks with the Commanders, Dov Kleiman of BroBible reports.

ANALYSIS
Payne is coming off the best season of his career, as he set new highs in both sacks and tackles for loss. The 25-year-old is one of four first-round picks on the Washington defensive line, and the team appears motivated to keep the core of its defense intact. If the Commanders are unable to get a deal done, it's possible the team could look to use the franchise tag on Payne, which would cost $18 million for next year.

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