Fantasy Football News

Commanders WR Terry McLaurin delivered a 6-77-1 receiving line on 9 targets in Sunday's win over the Seahawks. He led the team in each of those categories and rebounded from a 30.8% catch rate through the first two weeks. McLaurin remained the Washington leader in pass routes, though WR Stefon Diggs caught up in Week 3. He ran 27 to McLaurin's 31, after trailing his teammate by 11 routes in Week 2 and 10 routes in the opener. Diggs caught four of 7 targets for 33 yards against Seattle.

If you've got Commanders WR Terry McLaurin on any fantasy team, then you're probably not a huge fan at the moment. He followed a 2-14 receiving line from Week 1 with another 2-catch day in Sunday's primo matchup with the Cowboys. But Week 2 brought more promise than his quiet opener. McLaurin drew a team high 9 targets including three end-zone looks. He caught none of those, of course, leaving two more TDs for WR Stefon Diggs. McLaurin led Washington with 50 receiving yards but ranked just fifth on the team in receptions.

Commanders TE Chig Okonkwo (hamstring) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Cowboys. No surprise after he hurt his hamstring in the opener. Okonkwo could end up missing multiple games. His absence leaves Ben Sinnott and John Bates as Washington's top TEs and likely pushes more targets to WRs Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs.

New Commanders OC David Blough said shortly after his promotion that he planned to build his offense "around how do we get Terry [McLaurin] 10 targets a game." First time out we instead got 4 targets, 2 catches, and just 13 yards in Sunday's loss to the Eagles. WR Stefon Diggs and rookie WR Antonio Williams tied for the team lead with 4 catches apiece and easily outpaced McLaurin in yards per catch. Diggs more than doubled McLaurin (and any other teammate) with 9 targets.

Following the Commanders' joint practice with the Ravens, just a few weeks before opening weekend, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic says this is the worst she's seen the Commanders' offense in years. She even went as far as to say the offensive line appeared 'inoperable'.

Fox Sports' Ralph Vacchiano came away from the Commanders' joint practice with the Dolphins believing that WR Stefon Diggs will play a big role this season. "His skills and reliability seem as good as ever," Vacchiano wrote. "It also looks like he could be a high-volume receiver for the Commanders. Yes, they still have Terry McLaurin, too. But Diggs could be a [Jayden] Daniels favorite, running a lot of underneath routes that he could potentially turn into big plays."

We read rosy reports earlier this week about TE Chig Okonkwo and WR Treylon Burks at Commanders camp, but the team clearly believed it needed a pass-catching upgrade. So Wednesday brought an agreement with veteran WR Stefon Diggs, according to multiple reports. ESPN's Adam Schefter says it's a one-year deal worth "up to $12 million."

Commanders QB Josh Johnson will start Thursday's game vs. Cowboys, HC Dan Quinn said. QB Jeff Driskel will be the backup, with QBs Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota ruled out. Johnson has been bouncing around the NFL since 2009 but hasn't started a game since 2021 with the Ravens. He's 39 years old. Despite the plus matchup against Dallas' 32nd-ranked QB defense, Johnson isn't a recommended start in any fantasy format. The matchup keeps Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel in WR3 range in the Week 17 rankings.

Commanders WR Treylon Burks made just 2 catches for 30 yards in Saturday's loss to the Eagles, but it was still an encouraging outing for a guy who's had a rough career to date. Burks led Washington with five targets and ran just two fewer routes (22) than Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel.

Commanders QB Marcus Mariota injured his right (throwing) hand in the third quarter of Saturday's game vs. the Eagles and did not return. He was also checked for a concussion but was cleared. QB Josh Johnson replaced Mariota, completing 5 of 9 passes for 43 yards and an INT. We'll look for further updates on Mariota's injury. Washington already said QB Jayden Daniels won't play again this season, so we could be looking at a Johnson-led offense for the final two weeks of the season. That'd be a big downgrade for the pass catchers.

Commanders QB Jayden Daniels (elbow) will start this weekend's game vs. the Vikings, HC Dan Quinn confirmed on Friday. Daniels returned to practice last week and then graduated to full participation on Thursday. The left elbow injury won't impact his passing, but it's possible that Daniels' rushing production is limited, at least in his first game back. That knocks him a bit below his usual spot in the weekly QB rankings, but Daniels is still in the mix as a risk/reward QB1 play this week. QB Marcus Mariota has played well this season, but consider Daniels' return an upgrade for Washington's pass catchers.

After playing in only one game since Week 3, Washington WR Terry McLaurin returned to the Commanders' lineup and absorbed a team-high 14 targets in Washington's 27-26 overtime loss to Denver. McLaurin's presence made an immediate impact on Washington's offense. The Commanders racked up 419 yards of offense on Denver's elite defense, but it wasn't enough as the Broncos won their ninth straight.

Commanders WR Terry McLaurin (quad) is off the final injury report and will play vs. the Broncos on Sunday night. It’ll be McLaurin’s first game since Week 8 -- and it comes against a Denver defense that’s ranked first in adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs and gets CB Pat Surtain back for this one. It leaves McLaurin as a shaky Week 13 fantasy start.

Commanders WR Terry McLaurin (quad) got in a limited practice on Wednesday. HC Dan Quinn spoke optimistically about McLaurin's status earlier this week, so we're tentatively expecting him back for Sunday night's game vs. the Broncos. But McLaurin would be no better than a WR3 in that one coming off a lengthy layoff against the league's top-ranked WR defense.

Commanders WR Terry McLaurin (quad) was on the field for Monday's post-bye-week practice and seemingly has a shot to return for Sunday night's game vs. the Broncos. "I’ll have a better answer later," HC Dan Quinn said when asked about McLaurin's Week 13 status. "I will say that I’m excited about the possibilities, because of his speed and how he’s moving. Those are big steps." We'll keep you updated on McLaurin's status throughout the week. If he does play on Sunday, he'd be no better than a WR3 against Denver's second-ranked WR defense.