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 Commanders wide receiver Luke McCaffrey is ...
When the Washington Commanders spent a third-round pick on ...
Washington Commanders wide receiver Luke McCaffrey ...
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.
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.
Late in the fourth quarter of a blowout game against the Seattle Seahawks, star quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered a significant arm injury, which turned out to be a dislocated elbow. This season has been a nightmare for the Commanders and fantasy managers alike as Daniels has now had three separate injuries.
While admitting that his quarterback shouldn’t have been on the field after the game was out of hand, head coach Dan Quinn reiterated that surgery on the elbow was not necessary. He stopped short of saying that Daniels would not potentially be shut down for the season, depending on how the Commanders fare in the coming weeks. Fantasy managers would be wise to settle on a replacement in the case that he doesn’t return.
Reports have stated that the injury was a dislocation and not a fracture, which could leave the door open for a return this season. Be on the lookout for more news regarding Daniels on Wednesday or Thursday as the team runs more tests. The silver lining from the injury was that it was not on his throwing arm; however, he will still be placed on the injured reserve. Marcus Mariota will return as the starter in Week 10 to face the Detroit Lions. Still, he will be without the services of Terry McLaurin (quad) and now Luke McCaffrey, who left the game against the Seahawks with a broken collarbone.
Author: Dane Madoche (@FF_DaMaddog)
Rice University’s WR Luke McCaffrey beats Christian’s 40 Yard dash time. McCaffrey comes from quite the pedigree where his dad was a Superbowl winner and his brother seems to be the consensus RB1 year after year. McCaffrey should garner some attention from NFL teams in need of a physical receiver that wins in the intermediate routes, and also wins in contested catch battles.
McCaffrey came in just shy of 6’2, and weighed in at 197 lbs, his 40 yard dash came at 4.46, which is great news for his size. With McCaffrey’s mix of size, speed, contested catch success, and with his name recognition, there should be plenty of teams looking to take a gamble on him. With a strong showing at the Senior Bowl, and testing well this weekend at the Combine, McCaffrey has positioned himself to be a steal if he is drafted in the middle rounds of this year’s draft.
