QB Jayden
Daniels
(2025 QB Rank: No.34, 19.3 FPts/G)
Drafting Jayden Daniels in 2026 is one of the most boom-or-bust
quarterback situations you can have in fantasy football.
His rookie year was a giant tease, full of huge performances
and a top-five finish at the position for the year. Then the sophomore
slump came. Daniels was in and out of the lineup, playing seven
games before a final injury in Week 14 took him out for the remainder
of the season, leaving fantasy managers scrambling for the playoffs.
But when he was out there, we saw exactly why fantasy managers
are so obsessed with his ceiling. He cleared 50 rushing yards
in three of those first seven starts while throwing just three
interceptions all year. That combination is rare and it can translate
into pure fantasy gold. While he exceeded 200 passing yards in
his first four games, he never once hit 250 yards and finished
under 200 in each of his final three contests.
We’ve seen the good and the bad, but ambitious managers are now
drafting him in the early rounds, expecting a return to fantasy
superstardom. While the potential is certainly there, remember
that missing games wasn’t the only concerning factor for fantasy
managers in 2025. His 19.3 points per game average was only 19th
among quarterbacks. Many are treating his floor like a sure thing
when it is actually surprisingly shaky given his injury history
and volatility.
The pre-hype train for Jacory Croskey-Merritt came to a screeching
halt last year. Bill, a rookie in 2025, got all kinds of buzz
right before the start of the season, then he proceeded to stumble
his way to a boring RB31 finish. To be fair, the entire ceiling
for the Washington offense fell off a cliff the moment Jayden
Daniels got hurt. We saw two true ceiling performances out of
Bill, and it took him getting into the end zone twice in each
of those contests to produce a real difference-making fantasy
performance.
The lack of stability in the Commanders’ offense in 2025 makes
it tough to tell if Croskey-Merritt is actually a good player
stuck in a bad environment or just a replacement-level running
back. The numbers show a typical two-down grinder as he averaged
4.6 yards per carry but was almost completely invisible in the
passing game, catching a pathetic eight passes all year. While
we’ve seen that type of profile produce fantasy numbers in the
past, it can be tough to predict where and when the scores will
come, especially on a team that doesn’t have a lot of offensive
firepower. Croskey-Merritt’s lack of versatility is likely why
the team went out and signed Rachaad White this offseason, so
don’t expect him to suddenly make big strides as a pass-catcher.
Bill still has that young player appeal that makes people want
to gamble on him in the double-digit rounds, but his absolute
lack of a pass-catching floor makes him a risky weekly start.
He could easily end up on the wrong side of a committee or lose
his starting job entirely if White outplays him in August.
RB Rachaad White
(2025 RB Rank: No.32, 8.4 FPts/G)
Bringing Rachaad White in from the Buccaneers gives the Commanders
a backfield element they completely lacked last year. White spent
2025 playing second fiddle to Bucky Irving in Tampa Bay, which
dragged his receiving numbers down to a career low 40 catches.
Even with that drop off, he instantly fixes the versatility problem
Washington had with Croskey-Merritt. White is also elite in pass
protection, so the coaches will want him on the field to protect
their fragile franchise quarterback.
The real hurdle for his fantasy value is Jayden Daniels. Dual
threat quarterbacks rarely throw to their running backs because
they prefer to scramble when things break down. White has often
been criticized for having a lack of vision as a runner, but he
averaged 4.3 yards per carry last year, meaning he may be closer
to Bill (4.6 yards per carry) as a pure runner.
Between the two backs, White offers a safer weekly floor because
of his hands. There’s also the potential that he wins the training
camp battle and takes the lead role. If that happens, White will
easily destroy his current draft price, making him an interesting
late-round option, particularly for those who go with a Zero-RB
strategy.
WR Terry McLaurin
(2025 WR Rank: No.55, 11.4 FPts/G)
Last season was an absolute trainwreck for Terry McLaurin. He
finished as the wide receiver 55, easily the lowest mark of his
career. He missed a ton of time with injuries and barely got to
play with a healthy version of Daniels. It wasn’t just a lack
of efficiency, either -- he finished the entire season with just
one double-digit target game.
Despite the ugly stat line, McLaurin is actually prime for a
massive bounce back. The front office seemed to ignore the receiver
market this offseason. They signed former Titans draft bust Treylon
Burks, traded for another Titan in Chig Okonkwo, and used a mid-round
pick on a rookie receiver. None of those guys are going to take
targets away from McLaurin. There were rumors of Brandon Aiyuk
potentially landing here, but that rumor seems to have come to
a screeching halt, leaving McLaurin as the undisputed alpha on
this depth chart.
If he and Daniels can stay on the field for a full schedule,
McLaurin has a clear path back to solid WR2 numbers. Do not let
last year's weird injury season trick you into passing on a proven
target hog at a discount.
Rookie wide receivers taken in the third round usually don’t
do much for fantasy teams, but Antonio Williams enters a wide-open
situation with real potential. He is stepping into a camp battle
with the likes of Treylon
Burks and fellow past disappointments like Dyami
Brown and Luke
McCaffrey for playing time.
Beyond McLaurin, this depth chart has zero proven talent on the
outside. It is worth remembering that McLaurin himself was a third-round
pick who instantly produced in Washington, so the precedent has
been set.
Williams probably won't do much for your lineup in September
while he learns the speed of NFL coverages. However, he’s an interesting
late-round stash for your bench. The lack of depth ahead of him
means he could easily secure a starting role by midseason. We’ll
have to wait to see how the target volume shakes out.
TE Chigoziem Okonkwo
(2025 TE Rank: No. 21, 7.3 FPts/G)
Finding a tight end who actually stays on the field is tough,
and Chig Okonkwo has been a model of health. He has played every
single game through four NFL seasons.
Now in Washington after a disappointing run in Tennessee, Okonkwo
brings real athletic upside and 4.5 speed to the tight end room.
He caught over 50 passes in each of his last three years but could
never quite reach that 60-catch milestone. We’ve seen glimpses
of greatness, but he’s never been able to put it together and
produce difference-making fantasy numbers. Perhaps a fresh start
with a talented young quarterback will be just what he needs to
finally break out.
Okonkwo does have some competition from sophomore Ben Sinnott.
Fortunately, Sinnott did almost nothing as a rookie to earn the
job. Fellow tight end John Bates is purely an inline blocker,
so Okonkwo should get the bulk of the routes on passing downs,
at least to start the season. He is dropping into low end TE2
territory in drafts because people are bored of his ho-hum stats.
That makes him an excellent late round value for those in TE premium
formats. His physical traits and clear path to snaps give him
a high floor and he should easily outproduce his current draft
cost.
|
