Injuries have been mauling the Washington Commanders. Jayden Daniels’ injury is the latest in a long line of blows to their roster, turning a once-promising season into a mess. But within that mess, there is still fantasy football value to be had. The injuries have hit Terry McLaurin hard this season, and you can add Luke McCaffrey to the list now. Does this launch Jaylin Lane into a fantasy-friendly role?
Analysis
For the first six weeks of his rookie campaign, Lane was mainly consigned to return-man duties with a smattering of reps with the offense. The Virginia Tech product played only 37.8% of the offensive snaps in the first six weeks while seeing 15 total targets. Mostly, he was relevant for his return upside, which is considerable.
But, as the injuries have piled up, Lane has taken on more of a role. He’s taken 59.5% of the offensive snaps over the last three weeks while seeing 13 targets. It’s certainly a step in the right direction. With the Commanders’ playoff hopes on life support, it behooves them to give Lane some extra targets. Not only can he give them a spark in the short term, but it helps them to figure out what this wide receiver core will look like next year and beyond.
But there is one significant dampener: Daniels’ absence. Washington’s pass offense loses a lot of efficiency when going from the former Heisman winner to his backup (and fellow Heisman winner) Marcus Mariota. But there is one number that favors Lane: Mariota’s average depth of target (ADOT) is higher than Daniels’ this season.
The verdict
The extra big-play appeal may give Lane a boost. However, this offense is in much worse shape overall. Still, he’s a worthy bench stash with this Commanders team destined to go off the rails, and more snaps leading to more targets down the road. However, I’m not recommending starting Lane in any format unless you’re extremely desperate.
