Jayden Daniels missed the last 2 weeks with a dislocated elbow and Stefon Diggs has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. Antonio Williams has an opportunity to establish himself after showing target earning ability in his first 4 NFL games.
Williams is currently the wide receiver 29 in target rate on the season. He’s been targeted on at least 26% of his routes in 3 of 4 games so far this year. He’s coming off an 8 target game against the Colts in which he had an 87 yard touchdown called back by penalty.
Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (knee) ...
Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin ...
Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin was ...
Commanders WR Terry McLaurin is officially inactive for Week 4’s game in London vs. the Colts due to his hamstring injury. McLaurin injured his hamstring in Friday’s practice.
Stefon Diggs becomes the primary target for Marcus Mariota, while Chig Okonkwo makes a timely return to the lineup for the Commanders. Rookie WR Antonio Williams should get the start at WR2, with Treylon Burks also seeing more work. Fantasy football managers will need to keep an eye on next week’s practice reports to see how McLaurin is progressing.
Tom Pelissero reports the Commanders are hopeful that Jayden Daniels will start next week after returning to practice this week. Daniels wore a brace on his non-throwing elbow this week in practice, and will offseason surgery isn’t off the table, it should allow him to play out this year.
This is trending in a much more positive direction than originally feared – a potential season-ending surgery. Terry McLaurin (likely out this week), Stefon Diggs, Antonio Williams, Chig Okonkwo all have much higher ceilings with Daniels at QB over Marcus Mariota. Fantasy football managers will need to keep an eye on next week’s practice reports.
Commanders superstar QB Jayden Daniels underwent imaging today and will consult with a variety of experts before deciding next step. It is the same injury that limited Daniels to 7 games a year ago. Daniels was off to a strong start in Dallas prior to the injury, completing 11-17 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown, while adding 69 yards on 7 carries.
This is obviously a blow for Daniels and the Commanders. He was looking primed to return to his 2024 form, where he ranked No. 3 in Total QBR and No. 4 in Fantasy Points Per Dropback on his way to 3568 passing yards, 891 rushing yards and 31 total touchdowns. Marcus Mariota now steps in as the QB for the foreseeable future. While he did an admirable job filling in for Daniels last year, this will hurt Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs and the ancillary pieces in Washington. Fantasy football managers should stay tuned for further updates.
ESPN’s John Keim believes Antonio Williams “will play early” for Washington, with the rookie stacking positive reports throughout training camp. Williams is expected to operate from the slot, but earning snaps is one thing and stealing targets from Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs and Chig Okonkwo is another.
PlayerProfiler’s prospect profile highlights Williams’ 130 receptions over his final two college seasons, but the crowded Washington target tree limits his immediate fantasy ceiling. Williams is worth monitoring, but managers should not confuse early snaps with immediate fantasy relevance. Williams is currently ranked as PlayerProfilers WR67.
Antonio Williams has surpassed third-year wideout Luke McCaffrey, but he faces a steep climb for Route Participation behind established starters. Terry McLaurin and newly acquired veteran Stefon Diggs will capture the high-leverage Target Share and Air Yards Share in this offense.
The upgraded pass-catching depth ultimately elevates the passing efficiency metrics and overall ceiling for Jayden Daniels. Since the Diggs signing, Williams has transformed from a high floor volume play to a fringier upside play in fantasy football redraft formats.
