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Tuesday update: McLaurin’s MRI shows he should be back for Week 1. Good news for Sam Howell and company.
Good news out of the MRI: Sources say there is optimism for Week 1 for Terry McLaurin. More day-to-day than anything, with the scans showing no major injury. https://t.co/kvDlGf3x16
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 22, 2023
Tuesday update: The Commanders believe Terry McLaurin has suffered a toe sprain, also known as turf toe, per Ian Rapoport. They don’t believe it’s “overly serious”, but he will get an MRI on Tuesday to determine the full extent of the injury.
#Commanders WR Terry McLaurin is believed to be dealing with a toe sprain based on the initial diagnosis, sources say. The injury from last night’s game — also known as turf toe — is not thought to be overly serious, but he’ll have an MRI today to determine the full extent.
Washington Commanders WR Terry McLaurin was forced to leave Monday’s preseason game vs. the Baltimore Ravens due to a toe injury and was unable to return. His X-Rays came back negative. This is Week 2 of preseason and the Commanders and Ravens had a whole half of football left. This could be a scenario where the Commanders are being cautious with their top wideout with the regular season approaching.
McLaurin caught all three of his targets from QB Sam Howell for 39 yards before leaving the game. Washington will wrap up its preseason against the Cincinnati Bengals this week. Jahan Dotson has five catches on seven targets for 76 yards while Dyami Brown and Antonio Gibson have each caught a TD pass from Howell, who finished the half with a 123.4 passer rating.
In PPR scoring, McLaurin is being drafted as a top-25 wide receiver coming in at WR22. If McLaurin is to miss any time, Dotson is the main WR who will benefit. He’s already having a strong preseason and could be a good second-year breakout candidate. Even if McLaurin is OK and doesn’t miss time, Dotson could challenge for the WR1 role on Washington. Brown and Curtis Samuel would also be in line for more work should the injury force McLaurin to miss games.
Until we get an update, proceed with some caution on McLaurin. X-Rays coming back negative is a good thing. But a sprain could mean McLaurin might miss a game or two. The Commanders shouldn’t want to risk further injury of the toe. Any ligament damage could mean surgery which means a lost season for McLaurin. Not to scare you off drafting him; before this news he felt like a very strong value as a clear WR1. It really comes down to QB play. Howell could be Washington’s best QB since Kirk Cousins in 2017.
Assume McLaurin maintains his value and look to draft him if he drops a bit past his ADP. That would be around the fifth round in a 12-team draft, so if he falls to the sixth or seventh, take advantage. Also keep an eye out for any updates. Look to target Dotson and even reach on him since he’s going just inside the top-40 WRs and around the eighth or ninth round of your draft.