The Washington Commanders entered this season with the intention of building off last year’s NFC Championship loss. But the injury bug has emerged as a hurdle to clear in the early parts of the season, with Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin each ruled out for the team’s Week 4 matchup against the Falcons.
Daniels missed last week’s game as he recovers from a knee sprain that was suffered in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers. Washington is wisely being cautious with its franchise quarterback, despite the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year not being shy about his desire to get back on the field.
This will be the first game that Terry McLaurin has missed since Week 16 of the 2020 season. He suffered a quad injury last week against the Raiders, which left him as a non-participant in practice this week. He is being considered week-to-week with the injury, and McLaurin’s status is worth monitoring moving forward.
It is also worth noting that Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt did practice today for the Commanders, and head coach Dan Quinn was more positive in his chances of getting on the field on Sunday.
Washington Commanders’ Fantasy Football Outlook
Washington will face off with the Atlanta Falcons this week. Atlanta enters with a 1-2 record and is coming off a blowout 30-0 loss to the Carolina Panthers last week. Plenty of these issues were self-inflicted, but Atlanta enters this week ranked 13th in opponents’ points allowed.
Marcus Mariota stepped in during Daniels’ absence last week and impressed. The Oregon product completed 15 of his 21 pass attempts for 207 passing yards and a touchdown, as well as adding 40 rushing yards and a touchdown with his legs, although he did suffer a fumble. This was good for 21.3 fantasy points based on DraftKings scoring, which ranked sixth among quarterbacks. Mariota should be in line for a similar level of production and should be on the table as a fantasy football option for Week 4. Mariota holds a $5,000 price point in DraftKings $3 Million Fantasy Football Millionaire competition, which is tied for 18th among quarterbacks, and this is great value.
Outside of the quarterback spot, Deebo Samuel Jr. leads the team in fantasy football production with 44.9 total fantasy points on the season, or roughly 15.0 per game. Samuel can make an impact in both the running and passing game. Through the opening three weeks, he is second on the team with 20 touches and has added 132 receiving yards and a touchdown, as well as 37 yards and a touchdown on the ground. With Croskey-Merritt banged up and McLaurin out, expect plenty to be on Samuel’s plate this week. Washington brought him in to be a key part of this offense, and this is the type of chance he should be looking for. Samuel’s $6,000 price point in DraftKings DFS contests is also worth playing this week.
Beyond these two names, there is a bit more risk for the rest of the Commanders’ roster. Zach Ertz is averaging 12.3 fantasy points per game based on DraftKings scoring, which ranks ninth among tight ends. However, he had three receptions for 38 yards last week and failed to reach the end zone for the first time this season. Based on how variable the output has been league-wide at the tight end position, it is fair to keep Ertz in your lineups. But the quarterback change has made me less bullish on his outlook compared to the names mentioned above.
There is a case to be made for Luke McCaffrey and Chris Rodriguez, but expect the Washington offense to hit its full form once Daniels returns from injury and has his top wide receiver along with him.
