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    McLaurin sees four targets in loss to Eagles

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    WAS Wide Receiver #17
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    Terry McLaurin caught 2-of-4 targets for 14 yards in the Commanders’ Week 1 loss to the Eagles.

    It was a forgettable first game of the season for McLaurin, who saw two of his four targets come on the Commanders’ final drive of the game. Those two targets resulted in his only two catches, as McLaurin picked up gains of eight and six yards on the drive, with his six-yard catch coming on a fourth-and-two. McLaurin and the Commanders faced stiff coverage from the Eagles all afternoon. Stefon Diggs, who joined the Commanders during training camp, led the way with nine targets and could prove to be a legitimate threat to McLaurin’s target share this season if today is any indication. It’s only one game, but McLaurin now totaled four or fewer targets in seven of his last 11 games dating back to last season. We expect him to have a more productive outing next week against the Cowboys, where he’ll profile as a fringe WR2/WR3.
Vikings can be 'pass-heavy' with Murray vs. Bucs
Patrick Daugherty and Denny Carter lay out their expectations for Kyler Murray's return to the Vikings offense and what his fantasy outlook is against the Buccaneers' struggling defense.

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  • WAS Wide Receiver #17
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    It could have been a much bigger day for McLaurin, who had a 20-yard touchdown overturned after it was determined he did not maintain possession. In the third quarter, McLaurin broke free down the field for what would have been an easy touchdown on a trick play, but fellow receiver Antonio Williams underthrew him, ruining another scoring opportunity. McLaurin’s nine targets are a nice bump from the four he saw in Week 1 against the Eagles, and he was targeted 20-plus yards downfield four times. He continues to look like a volatile fantasy asset, with Stefon Diggs now in town. Diggs caught five passes for 47 yards and two scores in Sunday’s game. McLaurin will settle somewhere in the WR3 ranks for next week’s game against the Seahawks.
  • WAS Quarterback #5
    In addition to Daniels, the Commanders are also expected to play Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs, giving us the first look at the team’s revamped passing game under new offensive coordinator David Blough, with most of its starters on the field. We wouldn’t expect Daniels and company to play more than a series or two, but this will be Daniels’ first game since Week 14 of last season.
  • WAS Wide Receiver #8
    ESPN’s Adam Schefter later added that the deal is worth “up to” $12 million over one year. Diggs has been tied to the Commanders by local and national reporters for weeks. After seeing their lack of receiving weapons in training camp for a few days, GM Adam Peters finally pulled the trigger. Diggs will immediately slot in as the team’s No. 2 receiver, ahead of Antonio Williams and a cast of uninteresting veterans. The Pats limited Diggs to a 68 percent route rate last year, but he still managed to hit 1,000 yards via impressive efficiency marks. With Terry McLaurin operating as the Commanders’ No. 1 receiver, Diggs is unlikely to hit four digits again, but he should still offer fantasy managers usable FLEX numbers on a weekly basis.
  • WAS Wide Receiver #17
    Unlike in recent seasons, McLaurin won’t line up strictly on the left boundary in Washington OC David Blough’s system, Jhabvala said. “I think the multitude of formations and route combinations is going to give all of us flexibility to move around the formation, keep the defense on their toes and have a lot of routes that may look similar at the stem but different at the top,” McLaurin said. “Just having those types of variations in your route tree is just an unbelievable weapon to have as a receiver.” Entering his eighth NFL season and coming off a disappointing 2025 campaign in which he had 38 receptions over ten games, McLaurin will look to bounce back as Washington’s clear-cut No. 1 wideout this season. Before 2025, he had six straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons and scored a career high 13 touchdowns in 2024 during Jayden Daniels’ rookie year.
  • WAS Wide Receiver #17
    49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk obviously comes to mind, and multiple team sources tell Keim that the Commanders are “well aware” of Aiyuk’s “desire” to be reunited with his former college quarterback, Jayden Daniels, but Keim believes the Commanders are unlikely to trade for him. If Aiyuk were to be released, Keim thinks only a one-year, prove-it deal would be offered. Keim follows the Aiyuk section by saying the Commanders could also draft a receiver. Perhaps the team is negotiating through the media. Perhaps not. Hopefully, things will become clearer in the coming weeks and months. Keim adds that the front office would have pursued Colts WR Alec Pierce had he not re-signed with Indianapolis and, per Keim, Pierce “absolutely” would have signed with Washington in that scenario. The Commanders also pursued former Packers WR Romeo Doubs but lost out to the Patriots.
  • WAS Wide Receiver #17
    Blough is taking over as offensive coordinator after the Commanders fired Kliff Kingsbury. His first order of business will be to revive the passing game that thrived in 2024 and flopped in 2025. McLaurin probably won’t average 10 opportunities per game in the literal sense. His career-high in targets per game is 8.9. Still, it’s good to see Blough committed to getting the ball in the hands of his team’s best pass-catcher, even if he’s fudging the numbers a little. McLaurin missed most of the offseason last year in search of a new contract and couldn’t stay healthy when he finally rejoined the team. He appeared in just 10 games and posted a 38/582/3 receiving line on the year. Health permitting, McLaurin should return to the WR2 ranks in 2026.
  • WAS Wide Receiver #17
    Coming into the season, McLaurin dealt with contract disputes all the way up to late August, signing a three-year extension before the start of the season. He suffered a quad injury that caused him to miss four weeks prior to re-aggravating the injury in Week 8 and not returning until Week 13. Seeing under five targets in 6-of-10 games this season, McLaurin did not return on his fantasy draft capital, totaling 38 receptions for 582 yards and three touchdowns. It ends up as a lost season for the veteran receiver, dealing with injury with Jayden Daniels also hurt throughout the season. McLaurin will return as Washington’s WR1 for next season with strengths in contested catches and the red zone. He did not return WR3 value this season but will sit on the WR2 borderline with no contract disputes holding him out for the offseason.
  • WAS Wide Receiver #17
    It was a quiet afternoon for the entirety of the Washington offense, with the final box scores entirely underselling how poor the team performed against their divisional rivals. The team ran only 41 offensive plays and would have been handily blown out if not for a 72-yard touchdown by rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt and a 41-yard, catch-and-run gain by Deebo Samuel. McLaurin heads into a Week 18 meeting with the Eagles at the tail end of a disappointing fantasy season.
  • WAS Quarterback #14
    The well-traveled journeyman quarterback will get the nod against Dallas after Marcus Mariota sustained quad and hand injuries in Week 16 against the Eagles. Johnson represents a big-time downgrade for Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, and the rest of the Washington pass catchers, even in a matchup against the burnable Cowboys secondary. Look for the Commanders to go run heavy in Week 17, making Chris Rodriguez viable as a flex option in 12-team formats.
  • WAS Wide Receiver #17
    It just is what it is at this point. McLaurin and the Commanders’ passing attack was obviously affected by Marcus Mariota (hand) leaving the contest — not to mention Mariota was replacing Jayden Daniels (elbow) in the first place — but it’s not as if the 30-year-old was effective prior to those ailments. McLaurin will be a WR3 for a Week 17 showdown against the Cowboys, and this will go down as one of the most disappointing seasons for a wideout in 2025. If Josh Johnson is the starting quarterback on Christmas, it’d be fair to drop him down considerably lower.

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    Lions coach Dan Campbell said S Brian Branch (Achilles) “has a chance” to resume practicing sooner than S Kerby Joseph (knee), “but it won’t be this week.”

    Campbell spoke in a dejected tone when asked about the Lions’ safety duo returning to practice, particularly when discussing Joseph’s outlook. Campbell said Joseph did not suffer a setback, but stopped short of fully explaining the situation. It sounds like Joseph’s recovery stalled. The training staff was focused on strengthening Joseph’s knee, “but there was a little time there where we weren’t able to do everything we needed to do.” The Lions will not ask Joseph to play until he gets his knee as strong as it can possibly be, “and he feels comfortable.” Branch could return to practice in the coming weeks, but at this point, Joseph’s career status seems like it might be up in the air.
  • NYG Quarterback #19
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    FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano believes the Giants’ “best bet is to commit all their first-team reps” to backup QB Jameis Winston rather than trading for a potential fill-in starter.

    Vacchiano explores myriad trade options that the Giants could explore in a lengthy article, but ultimately determines that rolling with Winston, while QB Jaxson Dart (knee) is sidelined, is the team’s best course of action. According to Vacchiano, the Giants viewed Winston “as a solid veteran who was smart and talented enough to get them through a short stretch if Dart went down” when they signed him to a two-year, $13 million contract extension two weeks ago. “Their faith gets shakier when it’s a long-term proposition they were hoping to avoid,” but alas, this appears to be the situation the team is currently facing. If Winston can return to something resembling his 2019 Buccaneers form, when he posted a 5,109/33/30 passing stat line en route to an overall QB3 finish, he could facilitate usable outings for Giants pass catchers. Betting on that exact outcome is unwise, but Winston could be a QB1 streamer in the right situation.
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    NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said to “expect” Brock Bowers (knee) to play in Week 3 against the Saints.

    Rapoport wrote that “there is a good chance” Bowers returns this week as the caption for his NFL Network segment. He used stronger language in the actual segment, telling viewers to “expect” Bowers to be on the field when the Raiders travel to New Orleans for a date with the Saints this week. The Raiders’ top pass catcher should be treated as an elite TE1 upon his return.
  • KC Running Back #10
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    Chiefs coach Andy Reid said RB Emmett Johnson “will continue to get more snaps.”

    Johnson has turned 14 touches into 103 scrimmage yards thus far. Evidently pleased with his fifth-round rookie, Reid wants to keep “allowing Emmett to grow,” in turn taking “a little bit of load off” starting RB Kenneth Walker. Reid notes that Walker wants the ball on every play and is not asking for a lighter workload, but Reid is seeking “a nice balance with those two in there,” which “keeps them even more fresh as the season goes on.” Walker, of course, remains an elite RB1. Johnson, however, should be rostered in all 12-team leagues as a high-upside bench stash that could return standalone value before long.
  • SEA Quarterback #14
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    NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Seahawks QB Sam Darnold (glute) “has a chance” to play in Week 3 against the Commanders.

    To be clear, Rapoport’s tone was controlled and cautionary here. Darnold can only be considered questionable, at best. The Seahawks’ quarterback “is healing faster than anyone had imagined,” but Rapoport adds that the team wants to be “cautious” with him. Backup QB Drew Lock should probably be viewed as the presumptive Week 3 starter at this time, but it sounds like Darnold can reasonably be expected to play in Week 4 at the latest.
  • SF Wide Receiver #18
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    49ers signed WR Brandin Cooks, formerly of the Bills.

    According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Cooks is signing with the 49ers’ practice squad initially “to get up to speed for games.” Cooks, 32, posted a 24/279/0 receiving line in the regular season last year, before chipping in five catches for 78 yards in two playoff games. He is perhaps unlikely to be fantasy-relevant right away, but there is a real chance he could work his way into the 49ers’ wide receiver rotation, given their influx of injuries at the position.
  • FA Linebacker #35
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    Lions released LB Joe Bachie.

    Bachie logged 157 defensive snaps and 260 special teams snaps with the Titans last season. He has not played at all defensively for Detroit, but logged 32 special teams snaps. He could return via the practice squad.
  • GB Wide Receiver #11
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    Packers coach Matt LaFleur said “it’s way too early” to determine whether WR Jayden Reed (neck) resumes playing this season.

    Reports have varied as to whether Reed suffered a neck injury or a back injury. Today, the Packers’ head coach clarified that Reed indeed suffered a neck injury. According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Reed is back in Green Bay and is going through a series of tests. Reed is not practicing right now, and it sounds like it could be quite a while before that changes. Hopefully, he can resume playing next year at the very latest.
  • NYJ Tight End #85
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    NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Jets TE Mason Taylor (thumb) is considered week-to-week.

    Taylor suffered a thumb injury in Week 2 against the Packers, which will seemingly sideline him for Week 3 and potentially longer. Taylor currently leads Jets tight ends with 78 offensive snaps. Losing for any amount of time elevates rookie TE Kenyon Sadiq to a more prominent role. Sadiq is worth adding in 12-team leagues at this time.
  • GB Offensive Lineman
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    Packers OL Anthony Belton (elbow) was limited in Tuesday’s practice.

    Belton is Green Bay’s new starting right tackle, in theory, with Zach Bako-Bewele done for the season. Not ideal for him to be popping up on the injury report on Tuesday ahead of a TNF clash with the Falcons. We’ll see where this goes; midweek additions are always tricky to figure out the day of, but the Packers offensive line continues to be beset with injuries.