Update, Sept. 8 — Sam Howell will have his WR1 in Week 1, as McLaurin practiced in full once again and has been removed from the injury report. Howell gets a nice boost against a weak defense.
Update, Sept. 7 — McLaurin was upgraded to a full practice participant on Thursday. If he can log another full participation on Friday, he may go into the weekend without an injury designation for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals.
Commanders WR Terry McLaurin (toe) was upgraded from a limited participant on Wednesday to a full participant in practice today. A good sign for his availability this Sunday.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 7, 2023
Update, Sept. 6 — McLaurin was officially limited, but told reporters he is “confident” that he’ll play.
Terry McLaurin (turf toe) said he feels good and is “confident” he’ll be able to play Sunday. Depends on how he feels as it gets closer, obviously.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) September 6, 2023
Update, Sept. 6 — McLaurin was dressed for practice on Wednesday, per JP Finlay. This is a good sign, but we’ll need to see how much he actually is able to do in practice before getting our hopes too high.
Update, Sept. 5 — McLaurin is being considered day-to-day, per the Washington Post. The Commanders wideout is progressing and there’s still hope that he can play in Week 1 vs. the Cardinals. McLaurin is dealing with turf toe, which can be tricky, particularly as a wideout.
Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin suffered a foot injury during the team’s preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, which was later diagnosed to be turf toe. Though he was fortunate to avoid any more serious injury, the latest reports have indicated that McLaurin could miss one or two games heading into the season as a precaution.
The Commanders Pro Bowl receiver was not seen at practice as late as Thursday, Aug. 31, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. Washington will release its first injury report on Wednesday, Sep. 6.
Don’t see Terry McLaurin (toe) or Dax Milne at practice.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 31, 2023
Fantasy football implications for Week 1
McLaurin led the Commanders in targets (120), receptions (77), and receiving yards (1,191), and was second in receiving touchdowns with five in 2022. His absence in Week 1 would open the door for Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel to be the primary targets for quarterback Sam Howell in the passing game. Backup Dyami Brown could see an elevated role in the short term as he’s listed behind McLaurin on the Commanders’ depth chart.
Arizona allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing receivers last season (18.2 ppg), however, they did allow the ninth-most passing yards (230.3 ypg) to opponents in 2022. As a franchise that is entering a clear rebuilding year, Dotson, Samuel, and Brown could reap the fantasy benefits of facing a struggling Cardinals defense in lieu of McLaurin’s possible absence.