Luke

McCaffrey

McCaffrey fielded the opening kickoff to start the game and immediately left the field after being tackled. The second-year receiver, who has caught 11 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns this season, will likely miss the remainder of the year, in what has become a season to forget for the now 3-6 Commanders. Assuming his recovery goes as expected, McCaffrey should be back in time for training camp.

McCaffrey was injured on the opening kickoff as a defender landed with all his body weight on the receiver’s shoulder. He was tended to on the sideline before being ruled out for the remainder of the game. Veteran journeyman Chris Moore is likely to be asked to step up considering the team is already playing without top wide receiver Terry McLaurin.

Are we so bereft of ideas that we need to bring back the antiquated notion of Robbie Chosen? Kliff Kingsbury said yes. Chosen only played 33 snaps to Luke McCaffrey’s 36, but out-targeted the second-year receiver by two as McCaffrey bageled. Even if Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin are both out again in Week 8, it’d be hard to recommend Chosen in fantasy leagues.

McCaffrey took advantage of a busted coverage to walk into the end zone and give the Commanders a 24-16 lead. The second-year wideout has an impressive 41.5 yards per reception over the last two weeks, but it’s hard to be too excited about that when you’ve touched the ball twice. He’ll be off the radar for Week 7 against the Cowboys.

McCaffrey is good for one touchdown or big play per game. In his last month, he has either scored a touchdown or caught a 40-plus yard pass in four straight games. Unfortunately, that’s all he is good for, as his season line is now seven catches on nine targets in the four games where he’s played more than a handful of snaps. Somehow Ed’s lineage has created not a possession PPR guy, but the next Rashid Shaheed. McCaffrey’s more fun to think about than an actual good fantasy football play at the moment, but he does have opportunity to grow into if he wants to seize it.

For the second straight week, a Commanders beat reporter declared an injured player had returned to practice after seeing them trot out to a side field for individual work with the training staff. In this case, it was Samuel. Unfortunately, this does not constitute a return to practice. The Commanders’ No. 2 wide receiver remains sidelined. Nos. 1 and 3 WRs, Terry McLaurin (quad) and Noah Brown (groin/knee), have been ruled out, leaving slot receiver Jaylin Lane and No. 4 WR Luke McCaffrey with a path to potential FLEX-relevance.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported yesterday that McLaurin “could need another week or two” before returning. He was right. The Commanders’ receiving corps is in rough shape. No. 2 WR Deebo Samuel (heel) failed to practice on Wednesday and Thursday and No. 3 WR Noah Brown (groin/knee) has been ruled out. Youngsters, WR Jaylin Lane and WR Luke McCaffrey, could creep into FLEX territory before kickoff.

McCaffrey has now found the end zone in back-to-back weeks. The second-year receiver saw a normal offensive workload this week despite Terry McLaurin (quad) being sidelined, but made the most of his limited work by finding the end zone on a five-yard strike in the second quarter. He also returned a kick for 58 yards in the second quarter that immediately put the Commanders in scoring range. Whether McLaurin returns or not in Week 5 shouldn’t impact how fantasy managers view McCaffrey. The volume simply hasn’t been there to make him a viable fantasy option against the Chargers.

One of the league’s healthiest teams in 2024, Washington is dealing with a string of injuries to important players, including Austin Ekeler (Achilles), Jayden Daniels (knee), and now McLaurin, who left Sunday’s win against the Raiders with a quad issue. That McLaurin, 30, is seeking additional opinions on the injury could mean that he’s in for a multi-week absence. If McLaurin is out for Week 4, Luke McCaffrey could have some deep league appeal after catching three passes for 56 yards and a touchdown against the Raiders. McCaffrey was targeted on a strong 30 percent of his routes.

McCaffrey’s unconverted look was his first of the entire postseason. The third-rounder ended up having an extremely disappointing rookie year for an undermanned receiver corps in a nevertheless ascending offense. He caught only 18 balls, just six of which came after Nov. 1. There will remain targets for the taking in 2025 as Washington looks to add playmakers and depth behind Terry McLaurin, but it’s a bad sign for McCaffrey’s NFL future he couldn’t command more looks in a 2024 setup that was ripe with opportunity.