Jayden

Daniels

According to Rapoport, Daniels’ elbow injury was re-evaluated today, and he was not cleared to play. Given this, and the fact that the Commanders will face the Cowboys on a short week in Week 17, the team has decided to shut him down for the season and ride with Marcus Mariota the rest of the way. In the way everything seemed to go right for Daniels in 2024, the exact opposite could be said of his 2025 season. Daniels didn’t get to work much with his no. 1 receiver in training camp due to a contract dispute, and his on-field play took a noticeable step back when healthy. The real story, however, is injuries. Daniels appeared in only seven games for the Commanders this season due to a knee sprain he suffered in Week 2, a hamstring injury he sustained in Week 7, and a dislocated elbow he suffered in Week 9. He was knocked out of Week 14’s game against the Vikings when he attempted to return from his elbow injury, and is now officially out for the season. There was always fear that Daniels’ slender frame would leave him susceptible to injuries at the pro level, and he didn’t beat the allegations this season. Hopefully, a fully healthy offseason, coupled with revamped tools in the passing game, will yield better results for the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Rodriguez was a game-time decision with his groin injury, and the Commanders have decided to not have the tailback go after testing the injury in pre-game. Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Jeremy McNichols will get the touches with Rodriguez unavailable.

There seems to be no real plan for how to handle Daniels in the final weeks of a disastrous season for Washington. Daniels, after aggravating his elbow injury in Week 14 against the Vikings, has been ruled out for Week 15’s game against the Giants. Quinn said Daniels will practice this week for some reason. Marcus Mariota, who has a higher drop back EPA than Daniels this season, will draw another start and becomes a viable streaming play in 12-team leagues.

Daniels did not suffer structural damage to his injured left elbow last week against the Vikings, Quinn added. It appears the listless Commanders are intent on protecting Daniels from further setbacks in a lost season. Mariota, who has a higher drop back EPA than Daniels through Week 14, would profile as a superflex option against the soft Giants defense allowing the league’s fifth highest rate of yards per play this season.

Quinn then deftly declined to say if Daniels would play on Sunday. Never a good sign when the coach won’t even offer a comment on the plausibility of that happening on Monday. Marcus Mariota could be in for a smash streaming spot against a left-for-dead Giants defense in Week 15. We’re sure this is the first of many Daniels blurbs this week either way.

The Commanders trailed 14-0 at the time of Daniels’ injury. Despite the game being well within reach at that time, Quinn opted to play it safe with his franchise QB after a brief injury scare involving the same elbow he dislocated in Week 9 against the Seahawks. The fact that it was Quinn’s decision to sideline Daniels for the remainder of the game somewhat suggests he could return in Week 15 against the Giants. That said, the Commanders are 3-10 and simply playing out their schedule at this point. After Sunday’s close call, we’ll see if the team still thinks it’s best to roll out Daniels for what is a meaningless final four games.

Daniels’ return from a dislocated elbow went about as bad as one could imagine. Daniels completed 5-of-9 passes on the Commanders’ opening drive, but saw things stall out on the Vikings’ two-yard line thanks to a dropped pass in the end zone by Deebo Samuel. Outside of that strong first drive, Daniels looked mostly out of sync with his pass-catchers. Disaster struck on the opening drive of the third quarter when Daniels saw a fourth-down pass batted in the air by Andrew Van Ginkel, who then caught the ball for his first interception of the season. Daniels took a hard block from cornerback Isaiah Rodgers on the play, landing on the same arm he injured in Week 9 against the Seahawks and was reportedly dealing with an elbow/shoulder injury. Now sitting on 3-10 and with their season effectively over, the Commanders have little reason to rush Daniels back for this season. If he’s unable to go in Week 15 against the Giants, Marcus Mariota — who went 2-of-4 for 30 yards and a pick in relief — would draw yet another start.

Daniels had a batted pass intercepted in the opening drive of the third quarter and was lit up on a block by cornerback Isaiah Rodgers on the return. Daniels was in visible pain and appeared to be grabbing at his elbow/shoulder — the same one he injured in Week 9 against the Seahawks. After sitting on the sideline for a bit, Daniels was seen heading to the medical tent.

Sunday will mark Daniels’ first game since a brutal elbow injury sidelined him in Week 9 against the Seahawks. The Commanders’ QB1 has appeared in just six games this season due to a series of injuries and will now hope to stay healthy through the final five games of what has become a lost season for the Commanders. Daniels returns just in time to play with his top two targets in Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel, something we haven’t seen since Week 2 against the Packers. Daniels logged back-to-back full practices to close out the week and will profile as a fringe QB1/QB2 in fantasy in his return against a stout Vikings defense.

That’s a pretty strong sign that he’s passed most of Dan Quinn’s tests on functional contact. We’ll see what Quinn has to say on Friday — it’s possible the Commanders just don’t want Daniels to play again this season given they’re all but eliminated from playoff contention — but fantasy managers should have some cautious optimism that he can play against the Vikings in Week 14.