August 23, 2025
Washington Commanders wide receiver
Luke McCaffrey racked up five receptions for 23 yards in a 30-3 loss against Baltimore in the team's final preseason game. McCaffrey rounded out the preseason with his most productive outing, catching multiple balls underneath and generating some yards after the catch. He was also used as a blocker on the punt return team, which speaks to his special-teams value but hardly signals trust in him as an offensive contributor. It hasn't been the most encouraging training camp for the second-year wideout, as he's yet to emerge with star receiver
Terry McLaurin not practicing along with
Noah Brown. He looks to be firmly behind those two, Deebo Samuel and
Jaylin Lane, in the pecking order for consistent routes.
--Kyle McCarthySource: ESPN.com
August 23, 2025
Washington Commanders running back
Chris Rodriguez Jr. rushed for 34 yards on five carries in the final preseason game against the Ravens. Rodriguez started the game and consistently picked up big chunks of yards. The 24-year-old finished the preseason averaging nearly seven yards per carry, with 17 rushes for 118 yards. Rodriguez fits the role of a hammer and short-yardage back that can get the tough yards, but also had gaudy production in the SEC at Kentucky. He averaged over 100 rushing yards per game in both of his last two seasons. Additionally, he's showing improved burst and explosiveness in camp this year, saying that he's already hit 20 MPH more times this year than all of last year, according to Hayley Salvatore of Commanders.com. Brian Robinson is now officially dealt to San Francisco, and Rodriguez is set to be in the mix for early down touches in the Washington backfield. Touchdowns will be the path to fantasy value for Rodriguez in what could be a murky backfield.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Hayley Salvatore
August 23, 2025
Washington Commanders quarterback
Sam Hartman completed 12 of 17 passes for 114 yards and two interceptions in a 30-3 loss against the Ravens. Hartman also took two sacks for seven yards while playing the whole first half. One of the interceptions was an unfortunate batted ball, but the other was a late and weak throw where the defender easily undercut it. The Notre Dame product struggled again in the final game of the preseason. He completed only 53.3 percent of his passes while throwing four interceptions to no touchdowns across the three games. It remains to be seen if Washington will opt to to keep three quarterbacks on the roster, and if they did, it seems veteran
Josh Johnson would be the choice. Both would be options for the practice squad regardless, but Hartman's lackluster camp and preseason makes it unlikely for him to make the final roster.
--Kyle McCarthySource: ESPN.com
August 23, 2025
JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington thinks it's interesting that Washington Commanders running back
Chris Rodriguez Jr. is getting carries in the team's preseason finale on Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens with rookie
Jacory Croskey-Merritt sitting out. It "might tell the RB depth-chart story" heading into the Week 1 regular-season opener in early September. The Commanders' backfield picture is still a bit blurry, but after the team traded
Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers, Croskey-Merritt has a real opportunity at a big role on early downs in D.C. in 2025.
Austin Ekeler will be the team's primary pass-catching/third-down back, which leaves JCM and Rodriguez fighting for the RB1 role. Washington also likes
Jeremy McNichols, though, and this backfield could be more of a timeshare. At the very least, though, Croskey-Merritt is quickly rising on draft boards as an RB3/4 target.
--Keith HernandezSource: NBC Sports Washington - JP Finlay
August 23, 2025
Washington Commanders quarterback
Jayden Daniels will not play in the team's final preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. Daniels is joined on the bench by most of the team's starters, including wide receiver
Deebo Samuel Sr. and left tackle Laremy Tunsil. Daniels played one drive in the team's second preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday without attempting a pass. The 24-year-old can now turn his full attention to Washington's Week 1 matchup against the division rival New York Giants. Daniels is a high-end fantasy QB1, but he may be without his top weapon in wide receiver
Terry McLaurin to open the season due to McLaurin's ongoing contract dispute with the team.
--Will BradySource: The Athletic - Nicki Jhabvala
August 23, 2025
Washington Commanders rookie running back
Jacory Croskey-Merritt will not play in the team's preseason finale against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. A seventh-round pick this past April, Croskey-Merritt has been one of the breakout stars of the summer. Washington traded running back
Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers on Friday, opening up a spot for Croskey-Merritt to be the team's early-down workhorse right away. Veteran
Austin Ekeler should handle the majority of passing-down work, and Washington also has a pair of backs with NFL experience in
Chris Rodriguez Jr. and
Jeremy McNichols. Notably, Croskey-Merritt and Ekeler are the Washington backs who will not play on Saturday, which could be an indication of the current pecking order in the backfield. Croskey-Merritt profiles as an RB4 with upside in redraft fantasy leagues.
--Will BradySource: The Athletic - Nicki Jhabvala
August 22, 2025
The Washington Commanders traded running back
Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers on Friday. With
Austin Ekeler and
Jacory Croskey-Merritt emerging as Washington's top options, Robinson became expendable and now lands as
Christian McCaffrey's backup. While McCaffrey is fully healthy and drawing rave reviews in camp, his injury history makes Robinson a valuable insurance policy for San Francisco. For fantasy managers, Robinson's value takes a major hit unless McCaffrey misses time, leaving him as more of a handcuff than standalone option. Still, the move secures the 49ers much-needed depth after a rash of preseason RB injuries.
UPDATE: The 49ers sent the Commanders a future sixth-round pick in return.--Shaun AlbinSource: Adam Schefter
August 21, 2025
Washington Commanders quarterback
Marcus Mariota (Achilles) is currently battling Achilles tendinitis, but the veteran expects to be ready to go for Week 1. Mariota is entering his second season as the backup to
Jayden Daniels in Washington. The 31-year-old is one of the most experienced backup quarterbacks in the NFL with 74 career starts under his belt, although just 13 of those have come in the past five seasons. If Daniels were to get injured, Mariota's rushing ability (2,156 career rushing yards) would give him some fantasy appeal.
--Will BradySource: NBC 4 Sports - JP Finlay
August 21, 2025
Washington Commanders running back
Chris Rodriguez Jr. will likely be used in short-yardage situations and at the goal line this season, according to Commanders head coach Dan Quinn. With
Brian Robinson Jr. almost certainly on his way out in Washington, the team appears to be comfortable with a committee of
Austin Ekeler,
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rodriguez Jr., and
Jeremy McNichols at the running back position. In 22 career NFL games over the last two seasons, Rodriguez Jr. has 86 carries for 420 yards and four touchdowns. He could be worth a late-round dart throw in deep leagues given his presumed role and the opportunity to earn more touches in Washington.
--Will BradySource: Ben Standig
August 20, 2025
The Washington Commanders excused running back
Brian Robinson Jr. from practice on Wednesday as questions centering on his future persist. Head coach Dan Quinn said the Commanders are hoping to have a resolution soon on Robinson, whose tenure with the team appears likely to end via trade or release. In his third season in 2024, the 26-year-old carried the ball 187 times and set career highs in rushing yards (799) and touchdowns (eight), but he has fallen out of favor heading into 2025. Robinson wasn't with the Commanders for their second preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday. Seventh-round rookie
Jacory Croskey-Merritt and
Chris Rodriguez Jr. handled most of the work in his absence. With Robinson on the outs, Croskey-Merritt, Rodriguez, and veteran
Austin Ekeler will all vie for touches this season.
--Connor ByrneSource: Ben Standig
August 20, 2025
With trade talks surrounding Washington Commanders running back
Brian Robinson Jr. growing louder by the day, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport believes the fourth-year back has played his last down with Washington. Robinson was not with the team for their Monday night preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and it was
Chris Rodriguez Jr. and preseason darling
Jacory Croskey-Merritt who handled Robinson's usual early-down work. Rapoport believes the team may be willing to eat a portion of Robinson's remaining salary to facilitate a deal. Should Robinson play elsewhere in 2025, Rodriguez and Croskey-Merritt will likely continue to split early down carries to start the year. Still, Croskey-Merritt's explosiveness makes him the obvious upside play and a good bet to seize the job outright. Forgotten in all of this, veteran
Austin Ekeler should maintain his passing-down work, a role he quietly thrived in last year before a concussion cut his season short.
--Patrick McGrathSource: Ian Rapoport
August 19, 2025
Washington Commanders running back
Austin Ekeler is still viewed as a "key" piece of the offense, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. Earlier this week, reports suggested that the Commanders were actively looking to find a trade partner for running back
Brian Robinson Jr. During training camp and the opening weeks of the preseason, rookie
Jacory Croskey-Merritt has flashed immense upside and appears to be in the running to take the starting job over Robinson. Last season, Ekeler served as the primary third-down running back in the offense. While he missed five games, he was rather productive when on the field. During his first 10 games in D.C., Ekeler averaged a solid 12.3 PPR points per game with solid 5.1 YPC. Even if Robinson were to stay on the Commanders, Ekeler would likely have a significant role on passing downs. He is worth a look as a late-round depth RB as he could even carve out a more substantial role if Robinson were to be traded.
--Andy SmithSource: Nicki Jhabvala
August 19, 2025
According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Washington Commanders
Terry McLaurin may not find a team willing to give him the desired contract of $30-plus million per year. Instead, Russini's sources tell her that most teams view McLaurin as a $27-$28 million player. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor McLaurin's status as he continues a "hold-in" with his team. McLaurin has been seeking a contract extension with the Commanders, but the team has been unwilling to pay him the figure he is seeking. Last season, the former Ohio State Buckeye enjoyed a career year with quarterback
Jayden Daniels under center. McLaurin found the back of the end zone an impressive 13 times and tallied at least 1,000 yards for the fifth straight campaign. With McLaurin continuing to hold out, fantasy managers should expect
Deebo Samuel Sr. to continue to serve as their top pass-catcher.
--Andy SmithSource: Dianna Russini
August 19, 2025
Washington Commanders running back
Chris Rodriguez Jr. rushed for 62 yards on six carries Monday night against the Bengals. Rodriguez ripped off a 40-yard run on Washington's opening drive, with the offensive line executing perfectly and him bursting through the hole. Rodriguez is a downhill runner who consistently falls forward and gains yards after contact. In a small sample of 35 carries last season, he led all running backs in success rate and ranked fifth in yards after contact per attempt. The Kentucky product profiles as an early down, hammer back that should be a good eventual replacement for Brian Robinson in Washington. He should now have a solid chance of sticking on the 53-man roster and complements
Austin Ekeler and
Jacory Croskey-Merritt well. Rodriguez is worth monitoring in deep leagues and as the Washington backfield gets sorted out.
--Kyle McCarthySource: ESPN.com
August 19, 2025
Washington Commanders wide receiver
Jaylin Lane led the team in receiving with three catches for 42 yards in a 31-17 loss to the Bengals. The Virginia Tech product looked impressive as he used his speed to threaten defenders deep before settling down into space and then delivering yards after the catch. One of the highlights of the night was Lane making a difficult diving reception for a first down with a defender draped all over him. Interestingly, he has mostly been tabbed as a slot receiver, but he lined up outside on multiple plays tonight and recorded a reception. His ability to take the top off of defenses and as a vertical threat for Daniels could make Lane an important player for their offense. In addition, his ball-in-hand numbers were impressive during college and can be used in similar ways to Deebo Samuel. With the lack of depth in the Washington receiver room, Lane has the opportunity to produce, and the profile makes it an exciting swing to take near the end of fantasy drafts.
--Kyle McCarthySource: ESPN.com
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