Chigoziem Okonkwo

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.

Commanders tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo will miss the upcoming divisional clash at the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2 because of the hamstring injury he sustained in the Week 1 season opener against the Eagles, where he recorded 2 receptions for 16 yards on 3 targets, prior to getting injured in the third quarter.

Okonkwo was expected to be Jayden Daniels’ second passing option behind WR Terry McClaurin, but the addition of veteran WR Stefon Diggs, and the sudden rise of stud rookie WR Antonio Williams, with his 29.2 (85th percentile) Burst Score and 10.86 (90th percentile) Agility Score has even further suppressed those expectations.

Okonkwo missing September disrupts any rapport he may have been developing with Daniels. His absence will leave the Commanders very thin at tight end. Blocking TE John Bates is next up on the depth chart along with third-year move tight end Ben Sinnott, who will step into Okonkwo’s featured role after running 10 routes in Week 1. ~Jason Diaz

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.

Washington landed Stefon Diggs on a one-year deal worth up to $12 million after thin training camp depth forced GM Adam Peters to act. He slots in as the clear WR2 behind Terry McLaurin and ahead of developmental options like Antonio Williams. Despite a capped 68-percent Route Participation rate in New England, Diggs managed a 1,000-yard season on strong efficiency metrics, solidifying his status as a viable weekly FLEX option for fantasy managers.

Hilariously, this news comes just hours after ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler projected Chig Okonkwo to be the “the de facto WR2” for the Commanders behind Terry McLaurin.