The Washington Commanders have been without starting quarterback Jayden Daniels for each of the last two weeks, but the second-year QB returned to practice fully today after receiving clearance. Will he be ready to return Week 5 against the Chargers? Let’s take a look at the latest and break down his fantasy football outlook.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Commanders are 2.5-point road underdogs in Los Angeles against the Chargers with the point total set at 47.5 points.
Jayden Daniels says he will play
After putting in a full practice on Wednesday, Daniels seemed confident he would be able to play Sunday in L.A.
After leading the Commanders to the NFC Championship game last season, he started this year strong with a win over the Giants. He threw for 233 yards and a touchdown in that win while rushing for 68 yards on 11 carries. In Week 2, he threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns against the Packers while adding 17 rushing yards on seven carries.
Not only did the Commanders lose that game in Green Bay, but Daniels also suffered a sprained knee that has forced him to miss the team’s win over the Raiders and loss to the Falcons.
The impact of Daniels’ return
Marcus Mariota filled in while Daniels was sidelined and did decently, but he doesn’t bring the dynamic upside that Daniels does, especially in the run game.
The entire Commanders’ offense has been hit hard by injuries with Austin Ekeler (Achilles) done for the season and Terry McLaurin (quad) missing Week 4. McLaurin still wasn’t at practice Wednesday, but on Monday, Dan Quinn said he was trending in the right direction. It isn’t clear if he’ll be ready for Week 5, but he doesn’t look headed for a long absence.
Deebo Samuel Sr. is operating as the team’s top receiver while McLaurin is out, while Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Jeremy McNichols are rotating in the backfield.
The Bottom Line
Daniels’ dynamic dual-threat potential always gives him a high ceiling and makes him a QB1 whenever he is active. If he’s in a brace that limits him, it will make him much more high-risk, though, especially against a tough Chargers defense.
His presence would raise the ceiling of the entire offense, especially if McLaurin is back as well. Right now, it looks like he’ll play, but be sure to check back for his official status and availability updates as we get closer to game time.
Daniels is expensive at $7,000 in one-week DFS contests, like this week’s NFL $2.75M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st] but if everyone doesn’t expect much from him, he could be a source of leverage with low ownership for GPP contests. If you do play him, stacking him with Samuel at $6,300, McLaurin at $5,800 (if healthy), and even TE Zach Ertz at $3,800 are options worth considering.
