WR Luke McCaffrey Fantasy Impact
The Commanders selected Rice WR Luke McCaffrey (the younger brother of superstar RB Christian McCaffrey) with the 100th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. McCaffrey is an unconventional wide receiver prospect having played quarterback for the first three seasons of his collegiate career, but he is a natural athlete who was able to adjust once he made the switch to wide receiver, playing primarily out of the slot. There will certainly be growing and maturity to do as he tries to develop into an NFL-caliber wide receiver who can contribute every week, but with no elite talent out of the slot, McCaffrey could have plenty of opportunities to carve out a role quickly. Whether it’s fair or not the last name of McCaffrey will bring with it high expectations. Let’s dive in and see his path to fantasy success and what that could mean for 2024 and beyond.
Fantasy Value
At 6-foot-2, McCaffrey boasts impressive speed running a 4.46 40-yard dash. He is also a gifted route runner, which is somewhat surprising considering his late transition to the position. McCaffrey will join a receiving room that includes Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, both of whom are great outside threats, but there will be a clear opening for someone to make a mark as the primary slot receiver. Jamison Crowder, who turns 31 years old before the season, is there, but if McCaffrey proves effective then Crowder should not be a major threat to McCaffrey’s playing time. The bigger obstacle to fantasy production may be the fact that Washington is set to hand the reigns over to rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Even if that weren’t the case there is enough of a veteran presence with Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson as the presumed target hogs in this offense to wonder if there will be enough left for McCaffrey even if he does take over slot duties. Zach Ertz, rookie Ben Sinnott, and the dual-threat Austin Ekeler are also going to demand a piece of the pie making it even harder for McCaffrey to break through. Some believe that McCaffrey could challenge Jahan Dotson for the No. 2 role, but I’m not so sure. In redraft, he is only advisable as a wait-and-see bench stash, and that’s only in PPR formats. Otherwise, leave him on the waiver wire and pick him up later.
Dynasty Value
Dynasty leagues are where we really begin to see the value of a player like McCaffrey. It’s not often that a wide receiver with Day 2 draft capital can be had in the third or fourth rounds of rookie drafts, but that is exactly what we are currently seeing with McCaffrey. In Dynasty, young, talented wide receivers are always a solid investment. That becomes even more true when you don’t have to risk a high draft pick to land one. While there is going to be competition for targets, there may not be much competition for targets out of the slot, which is where I anticipate McCaffrey spending the majority of his time. Plus, new Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has a history of using four-receiver and three-receiver sets, which will provide plenty of opportunities for McCaffrey alongside McLaurin and Dotson. McCaffrey’s ability to separate with mature route running should eventually separate him from everyone else behind the top two guys. Names like the aforementioned Crowder, Olamide Zaccheaus, and Dyami Brown don’t exactly scream elite. There will certainly be growing pains as McCaffrey continues to develop and with a rookie quarterback throwing him the ball, expectations should be tempered in Year 1. But by 2025 we could see him cement his place in the pecking order, making him a great late-third or early-fourth-round pick in dynasty rookie drafts.
Conclusion
Luke McCaffrey is a fast-for-his-size solid route runner who could be thrown into the fire right away out of necessity. From a pure talent standpoint, he is, at worst, currently the third-best wide receiver on the team which could prove fantasy-relevant in a system that likes to deploy multiple receivers. While I’m still a believer in the talent of Jahan Dotson and find it hard to imagine McCaffrey overtaking him as the No. 2 wide receiver on this team, after a disappointing 2023 season from Dotson, it is within McCaffrey’s range of outcomes. In redraft, McCaffrey is best thought of as a bench stash or mid-season waiver wire pickup. In dynasty rookie drafts, he’s a solid late-third or early-fourth round-pick.
