Schefter: Daniels expected to play vs. Lions

It’s another rough blow for Washington’s No. 1 wideout, who will now have missed most of the last two seasons with injuries with the book closed on a 15-catch, 230-yard 2026 season in just five games. Entering his age-32 season in 2027, McLaurin will be a release or restructure candidate with a $34 million cap hit. The Commanders could save $16 million by releasing him without getting into post-June 1 antics. In the short term fantasy calculus, Stefon Diggs will slide in as Washington’s No. 1 receiver and Chig Okonkwo will also get a boost. Antonio Williams figures to see more snaps going forward as well.

Washington head coach Dan Quinn said after the team’s Monday night loss to the 49ers that there was “fear” McLaurin could be lost for the long-term after going down with a non-contact injury and was carted to the locker room. McLaurin has functioned as the team’s lone downfield threat for much of the season, and could be replaced with Treylon Burks, who on Monday night caught four balls for 66 yards before sustaining a late-game injury. Antonio Williams and Dyami Brown could also see an increase in routes and targets if McLaurin is sidelined for a while. Look for Chig Okonkwo to see an uptick in targets too. Okonkwo had seven grabs for 69 yards against the Niners.

Shipley mentions the Commanders and Rams as wideout-desperate teams who might be interested in trading for Thomas before the NFL’s trade deadline. The Jaguars have apparently soured on the one-time burgeoning star in recent weeks; against the Texans in Week 6, Thomas ran a pass route on just 28 percent of the Jags’ drop backs and saw two targets. The Commanders, meanwhile, lost Terry McLaurin to a potentially long-term knee injury on Monday night. Thomas, per Shipley, “is not a trade that would make a ton of sense for a Commanders team that might be losing a ton of games and needs their picks to rebuild ... but it would make sense for a general manager who needs to keep his job to give his quarterback a familiar and talented target. Daniels was Thomas’ quarterback during their final seasons at LSU, and the connection between the two could go a long-way toward solving some of Washington’s long-term issues at the wide receiver position.” BTJ’s fantasy prospects would get a big boost if he were to land in Washington in the coming weeks.

While the end line looks good in the box score, the fact that Diggs continued to operate in a situational role following the departure of Terry McLaurin in the first quarter was somewhat concerning for the veteran receiver’s upside potential in McLaurin’s absence, although the fact that he came into the game listed as questionable with a hamstring injury could have influenced his snap rate. Either way, Diggs continues to produce when on the field, returning significant value for fantasy managers that invested a middle-round pick for his services this summer. Diggs will be an upside WR3 when the Commanders take on the division rival Eagles in Week 8 following their bye.

The Commanders gained just 90 yards of total offense and ran just 17 offensive plays in the first half, taking a 20-3 deficit into the break. Two quick touchdown drives to end the third quarter and begin the fourth quarter had the team in position to pull off an improbable comeback but two critical errors from Daniels sank that effort. The first error occurred on fourth down in the red zone with just over two minutes to play, when the team was late to break the huddle and ended up taking their first timeout down by six. They would fail to convert but would get the ball back with no timeouts and 52 seconds left. Daniels then committed an intentional grounding penalty from the San Francisco 28 with 16 seconds left, which incurred a loss of down and a 10-second runoff on the clock. The game would end on the following play. That now makes consecutive contests with late-game clock mismanagement that cost the Commanders potential wins. Rumors continue to swirl about a potential coaching change as the Commanders limp into their bye at a 1-4-1 record.

The mechanism of the injury did not look promising, with the veteran receiver buckling to the turf in non-contact fashion. It’s a devastating development for the 31-year-old receiver in what was the first game since Week 1 where Jayden Daniels, McLaurin, and Stefon Diggs were healthy together. Expect further updates from the team as the game progresses, but it certainly appears as if McLaurin’s season could be in jeopardy. McLaurin caught his only target for 27 yards prior to departing. Rookie Antonio Williams and Treylon Burks are the most likely fill-ins for the remainder of the game, and, potentially, the season.

Diggs returns from a one-game absence due a hamstring injury. Although possible he sees his route participation curtailed, fantasy managers that made it this far are likely forced to ride with the veteran receiver in a solid schematic matchup against the zone-heavy 49ers. Inactive for the Commanders are QB Marcus Mariota, CB Fabian Moreau, CB Isaac Yiadom, OLB T.J. Magunranyanga, G Tanoa Togiai, and DE Charles Omenihu.

Diggs returned to the practice field Friday as a limited participant, following it with another practice with the same status a day later. The listed his as questionable for Monday Night Football against the 49ers as he attempts to return from a one-game absence due to a hamstring injury. Fantasy managers might be better off playing it safe considering the timing of the game.

The Commanders added a “rest” designation to McLaurin’s report, so fantasy managers should not be alarmed by today’s absence. The veteran wide receiver played through the injury last week and should be expected to do so again this week. McLaurin is a WR2 against the 49ers in Week 6’s Monday Night Football game.

After missing all of practice last week and being a DNP on Thursday, Diggs was back on the field Friday, which is a good sign for his Week 6 availability with one practice left to go in the week. The Commanders take on the 49ers on Monday Night Football this week and will likely announce Diggs’ availability sometime Saturday, but he could be on track to return in what is a must-win game for the 1-3-1 Commanders. Diggs has caught 18 passes for 170 yards and three touchdowns this season and would be in the mix as a fringe WR3/WR4 if active.