Washington Commanders News

NFC EAST

Chig Okonkwo • TE • Commanders

Chig Okonkwo Could be Headed Towards Breakout Campaign

Washington Commanders tight end Chig Okonkwo is likely an afterthought for most fantasy managers, but he deserves a serious look this upcoming season. The Commanders signed Okonkwo to a three-year deal this past offseason. The assumption is that they gave him a long-term deal with the intention of him operating as the top pass-catching tight end. The 27-year-old was recently listed as the starter on the unofficial depth chart. Okonkwo has posted three straight seasons with 50 receptions or more. He'll now be in a better offense led by quarterback Jayden Daniels. If everything goes right, Okonkwo has legitimate top-12 upside with his new organization.

Yesterday

Antonio Williams • WR • Commanders

Antonio Williams' Path to Immediate Production May Be Blocked

A third-round pick out of Clemson this past April, Washington Commanders rookie wide receiver Antonio Williams appeared to have a chance to play a significant role in his team's offense at the start of the summer. However, the Commanders' addition of veteran wideout Stefon Diggs in early August may have eliminated Williams' path to high-end usage early on. Between Diggs and star wideout Terry McLaurin, Washington now has two wide receivers who should both easily clear 100+ targets if they are able to stay on the field in 2026. Commanders tight end Chig Okonkwo has recorded at least 50 receptions in three straight seasons and may also be more heavily featured in the Washington pass game than Williams. While Williams remains an intriguing option in dynasty leagues, his redraft value for 2026 could be limited without an injury to the wide receivers ahead of him on the Commanders' depth chart.

2 days ago

Jacory Croskey-Merritt • RB • Commanders

Jacory Croskey-Merritt Keeps Building His Case for More Work

Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt has made a stronger case for more work heading into Year 2. The rushing production was already there after he turned 175 carries into 805 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie, but the bigger development this summer has come without the ball. Washington senior writer Zach Selby called Croskey-Merritt's pass protection arguably the biggest thing that stood out during a good camp, and that matters after those struggles cost him snaps at times last season. Dan Quinn has also praised the progress he's made as a receiver. A late-August groin injury interrupted things for a bit, but Croskey-Merritt was back on the practice field Sept. 1 and spoke with reporters after practice two days later. Rachaad White still gives Washington another option, especially on passing downs, so this is not suddenly a one-back setup. Still, RotoBaller has moved Croskey-Merritt from RB43 earlier this offseason to RB37 in its Sept. 6 half-PPR rankings. He has done enough this summer to justify the bump.

2 days ago

Kaytron Allen • RB • Commanders

Kaytron Allen Faces an Uphill Battle to Earn Playing Time

Washington Commanders running back Kaytron Allen could struggle to earn meaningful snaps during his rookie season. The Commanders spent their sixth-round pick this year on Allen, who finished his collegiate career as Penn State's all-time leading rusher. Despite his impressive NCAA track record, he may struggle to carve out a significant role right away in the NFL. He's currently third on the running back depth chart behind Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Rachaad White. Croskey-Merritt made a great impression as a rookie last season with 805 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns, and White was signed this offseason as a perfect complement because of his prowess as a receiver. The Commanders have two very strong options for passing and receiving downs, leaving Allen in more of a depth role. He'll get some opportunities to handle change-of-pace snaps, and he'd presumably take on a bigger role if Croskey-Merritt or White get hurt. For now, though, he's likely off the fantasy radar in redraft leagues. His ADP of 231.3 confirms that he's an afterthought in most drafts at the moment.

2 days ago

Rachaad White • RB • Commanders

Rachaad White the Subject of Positive Reports During Camp

Washington Commanders running back Rachaad White drew positive reviews for his performance throughout training camp this summer. A minor hamstring injury sidelined White for the final two preseason games, but even though he didn't touch the ball in a game, he still flashed upside as a ball-carrier and receiver during camp. White is gearing up for his first season in Washington after four years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was the RB4 in PPR leagues in 2023 before falling to RB22 and RB32 over the last two years, respectively. White's exact fantasy outlook depends on how the Commanders distribute the volume. Right now, we'd assume Jacory Croskey-Merritt and White both get involved on early downs, with Croskey-Merritt seeing a slightly larger carry share. However, White is the far more productive back on receiving downs, so he should get on the field in passing situations and carve out a decent target share. White has logged 40+ receptions in all four NFL seasons and 50+ receptions in three of the four. As a result, managers in PPR leagues should consider snagging him as their RB3/flex this year. As it stands, he ranks as RotoBaller's RB40 in redraft leagues. He has an ADP of 116.1, which corresponds to the 10th round of fantasy drafts and makes him the 40th running back off the board.

3 days ago

Treylon Burks • WR • Commanders

Treylon Burks Faces a Tougher Road to Consistent Targets

Washington Commanders wide receiver Treylon Burks had a good enough summer to put himself back on the fantasy radar, but the receiver room changed around him. Burks was getting legitimate first-team work early in camp after catching only 10 passes for 130 yards and one touchdown in eight games last season. Washington then added Stefon Diggs, who is expected to handle the No. 2 role opposite Terry McLaurin. Burks now sits behind Diggs on the current depth chart, and the Commanders have talked about using him more as a specialized deep threat. That's a much different fantasy outlook than the possible starting job he was chasing earlier in the summer. Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane, Dyami Brown and rookie Antonio Williams only add more competition for whatever targets are left. None of this is really about Burks playing poorly. Dan Quinn praised his speed and work throughout camp, and he clearly earned a spot in the rotation. There just isn't an obvious path to enough weekly volume for Burks to matter outside of deeper leagues.

3 days ago

Stefon Diggs • WR • Commanders

Stefon Diggs Set for High-Volume Role in Washington

Washington Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs is set for a high-volume role with his new team. Diggs is coming off an impressive season with the Patriots, in which he caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns. He finished as the overall WR17 in PPR leagues and turned in his seventh 1,000-yard campaign in the last eight years. Now with the Commanders, Diggs finds himself in a slightly different role compared to last year. This year, he'll operate as the No. 2 receiver behind Terry McLaurin. While that could lower his ceiling and threaten his chance of another 1,000-yard season, it should also benefit him by taking away some of the defense's attention. In other words, he'll likely be covered by opponents' No. 2 cornerbacks, while the top corners lock onto McLaurin. As long as quarterback Jayden Daniels stays healthy for most of the season, Diggs has a great chance to be a low-end WR2 or high-end WR3 this year.

4 days ago

Terry McLaurin • WR • Commanders

Terry McLaurin Continues to Develop Chemistry with Young QB

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin was limited to 10 games in 2025, with only three of those outings started by quarterback Jayden Daniels. With limited time together, the pair was unable to build upon the chemistry they'd established in 2024, when McLaurin caught a career-high 13 touchdowns, and Daniels took home Offensive Rookie of the Year Honors. Despite playing most of the season with backups Marcus Mariota and Josh Johnson, McLaurin showed no signs of slowing when he was on the field, turning in one of his most efficient seasons to date. His 2.29 yards per route run in 2025 were the most since his 2019 rookie season and ranked 13th in the NFL, and with both McLaurin and Daniels healthy heading into 2026, the eighth-year veteran has the capacity to greatly exceed his current ADP of WR26.

4 days ago

Jayden Daniels • QB • Commanders

Jayden Daniels Primed for a Bounce-Back Season in 2026

Washington Commanders third-year quarterback Jayden Daniels, out of LSU, had a down season in 2025 after his rookie campaign, in which he finished as the QB5 while rushing for 891 yards and throwing for 3,568 yards, and led the Commanders to the NFC title game. His 2025 season was derailed by multiple injuries, and he played in only seven games. Daniels is healthy entering the 2026 season with an improved receiving group. The Commanders brought in Stefon Diggs over the Patriots, Chig Okonkwo from the Titans, and Terry McLaurin is healthy entering the season. Diggs remained efficient on a per-route basis with the Patriots last season, and McLaurin had a career year with Daniels in 2024, when he had 1,096 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns on 117 targets. Daniels still has elite rushing upside and should bounce back in a big way this season. RotoBaller ranks Daniels as the QB4 for the season and the 60th overall player off the board.

5 days ago

Antonio Williams • WR • Commanders

Antonio Williams' Outlook Negatively Impacted by Offseason Moves

Washington Commanders wide receiver Antonio Williams has seen his fantasy stock fall as a result of the team's offseason moves. The biggest move the Commanders made was the signing of veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who is coming off an impressive season with the Patriots in which he caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards. He has a firm grasp on the No. 2 receiver role alongside Terry McLaurin, dropping Williams to third on the depth chart. The rookie out of Clemson has upside, but it's safe to say that he won't jump to the top two spots on the depth chart as long as McLaurin and Diggs are healthy. Williams currently ranks as the WR98 in RotoBaller's latest fantasy football rankings for 2026. He's going undrafted in most leagues, with a current ADP of 229.9.

7 days ago

Terry McLaurin • WR • Commanders

Terry McLaurin Has Clear Top-10 Upside if Injury Bug Stays Away

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin possesses the talent needed to be a top-10 receiver in fantasy football, and he's looking to shake off an ugly 2025 season marred by injuries. McLaurin caught 38 passes for 582 yards and three touchdowns across 10 games last year. He missed seven contests and quarterback Jayden Daniels missed 10 contests; they were on the field together for just three games. If both can stay healthy for most of the 2026 season, McLaurin should have no trouble re-establishing himself as a top-18 fantasy receiver, and perhaps even getting back to the WR1 range. Washington did sign Stefon Diggs in free agency, but McLaurin is clearly the No. 1 receiver here. In fact, Diggs' presence may actually help McLaurin by luring away cornerbacks, or at least reducing the rate at which McLaurin sees double coverage. We're very excited about the upside of McLaurin, who is somewhat of a steal at his current ADP of 53.0.

Sep 1

Jacory Croskey-Merritt • RB • Commanders

Jacory Croskey-Merritt Should Practice Next Week

Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (groin) was not participating in Monday's practice, but it sounds like he should return to the field next week, according to John Keim of ESPN. Croskey-Merritt is believed to be dealing with a minor groin injury that caused him to sit out of the team's final two preseason games. But as long as JCM is back on the practice field next week, he should be in line to play in the Week 1 regular-season opener against the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Sept. 13. Heading into his second year in the NFL, Croskey-Merritt is positioned to lead Washington on early downs, but his fantasy upside will be capped by the presence of newcomer and pass-game specialist Rachaad White (hamstring), who is expected to see most of the targets out of the backfield as a receiver. Both backs are a little banged up, though, so it is possible that rookie Kaytron Allen sees a bigger role out of the gates in Week 1. In season-long redraft leagues, Croskey-Merritt should be drafted as an RB3/flex with upside in his sophomore campaign. The former seventh-rounder from Arizona impressed with 805 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 175 carries in his first NFL season, adding only nine receptions for 68 yards through the air in 17 games.

Aug 31

Jeremy McNichols • RB • Commanders

Jeremy McNichols Opens Season on Injured Reserve

The Washington Commanders placed running back Jeremy McNichols (quadriceps) on Injured Reserve on Sunday on roster cutdown day, according to Zach Selby of the team's official website. The move leaves the Commanders with three RBs on their initial 53-man roster -- Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rachaad White, and rookie Kaytron Allen. The 30-year-old McNichols was designated to return in 2026, but he will not be eligible to make his season debut until Week 5 after injuring his quad earlier in August. The former fifth-rounder by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2017 NFL draft from Boise State is entering his third year in D.C. after combining for 99 carries, 482 rushing yards, and five touchdowns in 34 games (two starts) with Washington in the last two years. McNichols has added 34 receptions for 223 yards on 43 targets as a receiver. Once McNichols returns from IR, he will most likely factor in on special teams for the Commanders, leaving him off the fantasy football radar in all leagues.

Aug 31

Kaytron Allen • RB • Commanders

Kaytron Allen's Path to Early-Season Work Gets Clearer

Washington Commanders running back Kaytron Allen has a little more room to work with after final cuts. Jeremy McNichols (quadriceps) was placed on injured reserve with a designation to return, which keeps him out for at least the first four games. Washington also released Robert Henry Jr. and Craig Reynolds, while Jerome Ford had already landed on IR earlier in August. Allen is still behind Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Rachaad White, so this is not suddenly a path to starter volume. It does move the sixth-round rookie closer to regular-season touches, especially after he handled 36 preseason carries for 119 yards and a touchdown. Allen also got first-team work late in camp while Croskey-Merritt and White were banged up, though he split some of those reps with Henry. The finale was rough, with Allen losing a fumble on his first touch, and he averaged only 3.31 yards per carry during the preseason. Still, McNichols being unavailable for at least four games leaves Allen with a clearer early-season role than he had a week ago.

Aug 31

Justin Joly • TE • Commanders

Justin Joly Was a "Little Bit Behind" Before Being Cut

Denver Broncos rookie tight end Justin Joly was "just a little bit behind" throughout the offseason and training camp, general manager George Paton said during an appearance on Orange and Blue Today. "We knew when we drafted him -- we knew he was raw, and we still liked the player," Paton said. "We still like the player. We think he's going to have a nice career. You just gotta make tough decisions to build the best 53 you can make." He added that Joly had been improving lately, and he scored an 88-yard touchdown in Saturday's preseason finale, albeit on a play where the defense broke down. Paton hinted that if the preseason were one or two games longer, the outcome may have been different. Presumably, Denver will look to get Joly back on the practice squad so that he can continue to develop. However, with fifth-round draft capital, we wouldn't be surprised if any of the other 31 teams try to claim him off waivers.

Aug 30

Van Jefferson • WR • Commanders

Commanders Release Wide Receiver Van Jefferson

The Washington Commanders have released veteran wide receiver Van Jefferson, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. He had been in camp as a depth option for the Commanders, who watched Deebo Samuel Sr. depart in free agency. His departure confirms that Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane, Treylon Burks, and Dyami Brown have made the team as depth behind Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs, and Antonio Williams. This preseason, Jefferson caught four passes for 48 yards. The 30-year-old will now look to join his sixth team in five years. He has finished as WR88 or worse in five of his six pro seasons, so even if he does end up on a different 53-man roster, it's unlikely that he would have any sort of fantasy relevance. He can be left on waivers in all leagues.

Aug 30

Stefon Diggs • WR • Commanders

Stefon Diggs Ready to Outplay His ADP in 2026?

Veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs enters his first season with the Washington Commanders as WR2 behind Terry McLaurin and the potential to be a sleeper in 2026. The four-time Pro Bowler signed a one-year deal with the Commanders on Aug. 5 and played a few series alongside starting quarterback Jayden Daniels in a 17-13 loss to the Detroit Lions on Aug. 22, although he didn't record any stats in that game. Diggs caught 85 of 102 targets for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns for the New England Patriots in 2025, marking his seventh 1,000-plus-yard season. Daniels dealt with an injury-hampered 2025 season and is anticipating a bounce-back campaign in 2026, which could further benefit Diggs as he joins first-year offensive coordinator David Blough's system. Diggs' ADP hasn't caught up to his potential yet, and he is listed at WR44 in RotoBaller's position rankings. He is a WR3 with a lot of projected upside if he stays healthy.

Aug 29

Kaytron Allen • RB • Commanders

Kaytron Allen Struggles in Limited Usage in Preseason Finale

Washington Commanders rookie running back Kaytron Allen played a limited role in his team's preseason finale against the Baltimore Ravens on Friday, logging three carries for four yards and losing a fumble. Allen's day was done after the first quarter, with veteran back Craig Reynolds and undrafted free agent Robert Henry Jr. handling Washington's backfield work the rest of the way. Allen's usage could be considered a positive sign for fantasy managers, as it could indicate that the team plans to rely on him for a heavy workload early in the year. Commanders backs Jacory Croskey-Merritt (groin) and Rachaad White (hamstring) are both currently dealing with injuries, although neither is expected to be sidelined long-term. However, Allen has not been particularly efficient in the preseason, averaging just 3.31 yards per attempt on 36 carries. Allen could be worth targeting as a late-round stash in deeper league formats, but fantasy managers may want to temper their expectations.

Aug 29

Rachaad White • RB • Commanders

Commanders Holding Rachaad White Out of Preseason Finale

Washington Commanders running back Rachaad White (hamstring) is not active for the team's preseason finale against the Baltimore Ravens on Friday, according to Commanders.com. It is not a surprise that White will not play in the final preseason game after injuring his hamstring in training camp practice last Wednesday. Jacory Croskey-Merritt (lower body) and Jeremy McNichols (quadriceps) are also banged up and will not play on Friday night, leaving rookie Kaytron Allen, Robert Henry, and Craig Reynolds to work out of the backfield against the Ravens. The 27-year-old White is entering his first year in D.C. in 2026 after rushing for 2,656 yards and 14 touchdowns and catching 205 passes for 1,450 yards and another 11 scores as a receiver in his four years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He should be ready for Week 1 of the regular season against the Cincinnati Bengals, where he figures to be the Commanders' top pass-catching back, giving him late-round sleeper appeal in PPR fantasy formats. White had at least 40 catches in all four of his seasons in Tampa and exceeded 50 catches three times.

Aug 28

Jacory Croskey-Merritt • RB • Commanders

Jacory Croskey-Merritt Not Playing in Preseason Finale

Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (lower body) is not active for Friday's preseason finale against the Baltimore Ravens, per the team's official website. Croskey-Merritt tweaked his lower body in training camp practice last Thursday, and although the injury is not believed to be serious, the Commanders have held the second-year back out as a precaution and will not have him suit up on Friday. In addition to JCM, Rachaad White (hamstring) and Jeremy McNichols (quadriceps) are banged up and will not play against Baltimore, leaving rookie Kaytron Allen, Robert Henry, and Craig Reynolds to man the team's backfield in the preseason finale. The 25-year-old Croskey-Merritt had a successful rookie season in 2025 after being taken in the seventh round out of Arizona, running for 805 yards and eight touchdowns on 175 carries to lead the team. Washington hopes to develop him into a three-down back, but the addition of White, a pass-catching specialist, could make that difficult to achieve in 2026. RotoBaller has Croskey-Merritt ranked as the No. 37 overall RB for his second NFL season.

Aug 28

Washington Commanders News

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