Commanders WR Terry McLaurin enters Year 5 seeking his 4th straight 1,000-yard season. McLaurin’s underlying numbers looked strong last fall, with 2.04 yards per route run, 5.1 yards after catch per reception, and a 3.8% drop rate. The former Ohio State star also played 17 games for the 2nd straight season. Washington will run it back with a WR trio of McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and Curtis Samuel. QB Sam Howell brings more questions than answers, but we’re confident in Eric Bieniemy as a major play-calling upgrade. Ultimately, McLaurin profiles as a low-end fantasy WR2.
The Commanders fired OC Scott Turner. Washington never ranked better than 20th in total yards or 23rd in points across Turner's 3 seasons, although QB play was seemingly a bigger problem than Turner's play calling. We'll see who the Commanders tab as their next OC -- and what they do at QB. Carson Wentz is set to count $26 million against the 2023 cap but can be cut with no dead-cap penalty.
According to Michael Phillips of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Commanders HC Ron Rivera said this week that he'll play WRs Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel for "at least a portion of the game" Sunday. The notion here is that the coach will give rookie QB Sam Howell some time to work with the team's top options in his NFL debut. Of course, the fantasy read is that Rivera likely doesn't plan to play McLaurin or Samuel the entire game. That could change if Howell delivers and the team stays tight with the Cowboys. But the uncertainty -- including that brought by a 5th-round rookie QB in his 1st pro action -- should make you wary of starting McLaurin in Week 18 fantasy football lineups. We'll keep updating our Week 18 fantasy football rankings for anything else we learn on this and other situations.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that the Commanders are expected to start QB Taylor Heinicke against Dallas in the season finale. But he adds that rookie QB Sam Howell "is also slated to play." Take this news as an admission from HC Ron Rivera that he was wrong to start Carson Wentz in the Week 17 loss to Cleveland. With Washington now eliminated from playoff contention, though, it would seem to make more sense to just play the rookie the whole way. The reported plan, of course, makes both QBs unusable in fantasy football lineups. And the whole situation adds risk to Washington pass-catchers. We're not changing our outlook for RB Brian Robinson Jr., though. Check out the adjusted Week 18 fantasy football rankings.
Commanders TE Logan Thomas hauled in 6 of 7 targets for 56 yards on Sunday vs. the Browns. This effort led all Commanders' pass-catchers in what was a rather poor offensive showing in the Week 17 loss. WR Jahan Dotson only managed to rope in 3 of 7 targets for 37 yards. WRs Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel combined for 3 catches between them and did not provide much fantasy value on Sunday. It'll be interesting to see if Commanders HC Ron Rivera hands the reigns back over to QB Taylor Heinicke for Week 18 vs. the Cowboys. That might be the only hope fantasy managers playing beyond this week have for this bunch.
The Commanders will start QB Carson Wentz on Sunday against the Browns. According to multiple reports, HC Ron Rivera told the team his decision Wednesday morning. Wentz relieved Taylor Heinicke in Saturday's loss to the 49ers, completing 75% of his throws for 123 yards (7.68 per attempt) and a TD. His last start came in the Week 6 win at Chicago in which Wentz broke a finger and required surgery. Washington threw the ball a lot more with Wentz behind center, averaging 42 pass attempts across his 5 healthy outings compared with 30.1 over Heinicke's 8 full games. Of course, the offense also barely had RB Brian Robinson Jr. for that stretch. We'd expect more of a rushing lean vs. those 1st 5 weeks -- but also likely some more willingness to throw. It's not an exciting fantasy offense either way. Wentz's time this season has been bad for WR Terry McLaurin's target share. He drew just 16% over the 1st 6 games, compared with 27.8% in Heinicke's full outings.
Commanders WR Jahan Dotson led the team with 9 targets in Saturday's loss to the 49ers. He caught 6 of them for 76 yards and a TD. Dotson beat WR Terry McLaurin in targets a game after he tied McLaurin for the team lead. TE Logan Thomas followed Dotson in this one, catching 6 of 8 targets for 35 yards. WR Curtis Samuel added a 5-52-1 receiving line on 5 targets. McLaurin went 4-77-1 on 5 looks.
Commanders WR Jahan Dotson roped in 4 of 6 targets for 105 yards and a touchdown in a loss against the Giants on Sunday. Dotson is starting to heat up again after a hamstring injury derailed his rookie season in October. The former Penn State product has now seen 15 targets in the Commanders' last 2 contests. Veteran Terry McLaurin also had a solid outing, hauling all 6 of his targets for 70 yards. Curtis Samuel saw muted success by comparison, though 3 receptions for 44 yards is a respectable stat line. The Commanders WR corps will face off against a 49ers defense that presents a middle-of-the-pack matchup in terms of adjusted fantasy points per game in 2022. That said, QB Taylor Heinicke's ability to deliver the ball will be diminished by the strength of the 49ers' stout defensive front, relegating all Commanders WRs into flex consideration at best with McLaurin being the favorite. It would be best to look elsewhere for WR help in Week 16 outside of deep leagues.
Commanders QB Carson Wentz (finger) has been activated from IR. We'll see about Washington's plan at QB, but we expect QB Taylor Heinicke to at least start this weekend's game vs. the Giants. He's been up and down over the past 7 games but has led the Commanders to 5 wins. Wentz went 2-4 over the first 6 games of the season. The biggest fantasy impact here is with WR Terry McLaurin, who's been much more productive with Heinicke.
Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirms that Wentz is returning as Heinicke's backup.
Commanders WR Terry McLaurin caught 8 balls for 105 yards and a TD in Sunday's tie with the Giants. His 12 targets led the team and constituted 29.3% of QB Taylor Heinicke's total pass attempts. WR Curtis Samuel followed with 6 receptions for 63 yards. WR Jahan Dotson added a 5-54-1 receiving line. The rookie's 9 targets ranked 2nd on the team. Washington now gets a Week 14 bye, then a rematch with the Giants.
The Commanders threw for just 138 yards in Sunday's win over the Falcons, running 37 times vs. just 23 dropbacks. WR Terry McLaurin led the team in targets (6), catches (4) and receiving yards (48), while no teammate exceeded 24 yards. TE John Bates checked in next with 3 catches for 24 yards on 4 targets. He and RB Brian Robinson Jr. caught QB Taylor Heinicke's 2 TD throws. Logan Thomas continued to lead TEs in routes but trailed Bates by 1 target and logged just 1 catch for 7 yards. WRs Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel combined or 0 catches on 1 target.
Commanders WR Jahan Dotson saw his playing time rebound in his 2nd game back from a hamstring injury Sunday. He matched WR Terry McLaurin in running a route on 82% of Taylor Heinicke's dropbacks. WR Curtis Samuel trailed them by just 2 routes, returning the trio's playing time to where it was at the start of the year. McLaurin still led the team with 7 targets, catching 4 for 55 yards. Dotson and Samuel finished with just 2 targets and 1 catch apiece. Samuel, though, scored the team's only offensive TD on a 10-yard run. A Week 12 date with Atlanta presents upside for everyone on offense.
Commanders WR Terry McLaurin led the team in targets for the 2nd straight game in Sunday's loss to the Vikings. He caught 5 of 9 for 56 yards. WR Curtis Samuel beat him in receiving yards, taking his 3 catches for 65 yards and a TD. His 49-yard score accounted for most of that, though, and came on an absurd play. QB Taylor Heinicke threw a deep ball into triple coverage. One of the Minnesota CBs ran into an official, while the other 2 misplayed the ball. That allowed Samuel to make a catch going to the ground and then roll into the end zone. Heinicke totaled just 149 passing yards for the game. His other TD pass went to WR Dax Milne. Washington visits Philadelphia next Monday night.
Commanders WR Jahan Dotson (hamstring) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Vikings. The rookie has yet to practice since re-injuring his hamstring on October 20. although HC Ron Rivera said Friday that he's hoping to get Dotson back on the field next week. Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel will continue to operate as Washington's clear top 2 WRs this weekend.
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