September 18, 2025
Washington Commanders running back
Jeremy McNichols (hamstring) was limited in Wednesday's practice ahead of Week 3's home matchup against the Raiders. This seems to be a new injury for McNichols, and the severity is unknown at the moment. McNichols is set to step into a larger role in Washington's backfield as their primary third-down and pass-down back with
Austin Ekeler out for the season. McNichols is a highly trusted veteran in pass protection, and he showed some ability to be versatile last season, gaining tough yardage as a runner and catching some passes as a receiver. His most important skill is pass protection, which will keep him on the field a lot. That makes him worth considering as an option to pick up off the waiver wire to see how the Washington backfield shakes out.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Commanders.com
September 17, 2025
The Washington Commanders are expected to "err on the side of caution" with quarterback
Jayden Daniels (knee) as he battles a knee sprain that he suffered in the Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers last Thursday night, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Daniels will not practice this week until at least Friday, and if there is any doubt at all by then, the team is expected to keep him out in Week 3 on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. In a best-case scenario, it seems like Daniels will be questionable this weekend. The Commanders had backup
Marcus Mariota meet with the media on Wednesday, an early sign that they are leaning toward starting him under center against the Raiders. Fantasy managers should not plan on having Daniels available in Week 3. If he's out, Washington could lean on the ground game more with rookie
Jacory Croskey-Merritt and
Chris Rodriguez Jr., who will be making his 2025 debut after
Austin Ekeler's season-ending Achilles injury in Week 2.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
September 17, 2025
Washington Commanders wide receiver
Noah Brown (groin) will not practice on Wednesday, although head coach Dan Quinn was more encouraged about Brown than he was on Monday, according to Zach Selby of Commanders.com. On Monday, Quinn said Brown was a long shot to play in Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders. The 29-year-old might still be fighting an uphill battle to play this weekend, but it's clear he's making progress after he injured his groin in Thursday night's loss to the Green Bay Packers. Even if Brown makes a lot of progress the next couple of days and is cleared to play against the Raiders on Sunday, he won't be a realistic starting option for fantasy lineups, with it looking like quarterback
Jayden Daniels (knee) won't play in Week 3. Through the first two weeks of 2025, Brown has caught three of seven targets for just 36 yards.
--Keith HernandezSource: Commanders.com - Zach Selby
September 17, 2025
Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn confirmed that quarterback
Jayden Daniels (knee) will not practice on Wednesday, according to Tashan Reed of The Washington Post. Quinn said the team will have an update on Daniels after Friday's practice. Daniels sprained his knee in the Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers last Thursday night, and his availability for Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders is now up in the air. While we won't know for sure if the 24-year-old second-year signal-caller will play this weekend until Friday, it's looking like veteran backup
Marcus Mariota will get the start. The Commanders had Mariota, and not Daniels, available to reporters on Wednesday. Fantasy managers need a backup plan in case Daniels is unable to practice and play this week. He may be a question mark for Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons, too.
UPDATE: Quinn said Daniels won't practice until Friday, at the earliest.--Keith HernandezSource: The Washington Post - Tashan Reed
September 17, 2025
Washington Commanders quarterback
Marcus Mariota is scheduled to meet with the media on Wednesday in place of Commanders quarterback
Jayden Daniels (knee), per ESPN's John Keim. Keim notes that this does not mean that Daniels, who suffered a knee sprain in Week 2, will not be able to suit up in Week 3. Still, it could be an early indication that Washington is preparing for Mariota to make the start this Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. The 31-year-old Mariota played very well in limited action across three games for Washington in 2024. He completed 34 of 44 pass attempts for 364 yards and four touchdowns, adding 92 yards and a score as a rusher as well. If Mariota gets the start against Las Vegas, he could be a quality streamer/injury replacement option at the quarterback position, particularly in two-quarterback fantasy leagues.
--Will BradySource: ESPN - John Keim
September 17, 2025
Washington Commanders quarterback
Jayden Daniels (knee) suffered a knee sprain in the team's Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers, and his status for the team's Week 3 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders is in question as a result. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said earlier this week that Daniels should be considered day-to-day. Quinn also said he would have more to share on Wednesday, so fantasy managers should be on the lookout for updates from the team as the Commanders' initial Week 3 injury report gets released later today. If Daniels is unable to play, veteran quarterback
Marcus Mariota would be in line to start against the Raiders. Mariota appeared in three games for Washington in 2024, completing 34 of 44 passes for 364 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 92 yards and a score on 18 attempts. The 31-year-old could be a worthy fantasy option as a QB streamer/injury replacement in Week 3, particularly in two-quarterback formats.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
September 17, 2025
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Wednesday that the Washington Commanders have signed veteran edge rusher Preston Smith, sources tell The Insiders. Smith was a second-round pick in 2015 and spent four seasons in Washington before landing a big free agent deal in Green Bay. Now he's back and looking to add to his 70.5 career sacks. Smith is known for his durability and ability to help stop the run, which is a substantial addition to the Commanders' defense that currently ranks middle of the pack against the run. With the offense dealing with significant injuries to
Austin Ekeler (Achilles) for the season and
Jayden Daniels (knee), who is currently day-to-day, the Commanders went out and improved their defense. This signing for the Commanders provides an uptick in value for this defense.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: Tom Pelissero
September 17, 2025
Washington Commanders rookie running back
Jacory Croskey-Merritt is listed as the team's starting running back, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. Throughout the first two weeks of the season, Croskey-Merritt has had a sizeable role in the offense, but he has typically been deployed as the No. 2 option, behind
Austin Ekeler. However, with Ekeler suffering a torn Achilles during their Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers, it appears the rookie will see an uptick in workload. In Week 1, the first-round rookie made an immediate impact, totaling 82 yards and a score on 10 attempts. However, in the second week, he took a step back, earning just four attempts for 17 yards. However, fantasy managers should expect the Arizona product to see double-digit attempts weekly, given his new placement on the depth chart. Croskey-Merritt carries low-end RB2 value heading into a Week 3 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
--Andy SmithSource: Nicki Jhabvala
September 17, 2025
Washington Commanders tight end
Ben Sinnott looks primed for more playing time in Week 3 against the Raiders with
John Bates (groin) unlikely to play, according to head coach Dan Quinn. Bates is Washington's primary blocking tight end and is pivotal to what they do in the run game. Sinnott played only three snaps in the Thursday night loss against Green Bay, but did catch one ball for seven yards. Sinnott has played some in three tight end sets as a move blocker and isn't quite a direct replacement for Bates. Bates is an incredibly stout point of attack blocker for a tight end and is roughly 15 pounds heavier than Sinnott. The 2024 second-round pick is an elite athlete with some intriguing upside as a receiver, but has mostly been used as a move blocker with Washington. We will learn a good bit about how the coaching staff views Sinnott after this week's game.
--Kyle McCarthySource: RotoBaller
September 17, 2025
Washington Commanders running back
Jacory Croskey-Merritt could be set for plenty of work in Week 3 after
Austin Ekeler's unfortunate injury. Croskey-Merritt received only four carries and one target in Week 2's loss at Green Bay after a really strong NFL debut. He was effective on his limited touches, gaining over four yards per carry. With how often the Packers' pass rush was winning up front and hitting
Jayden Daniels, it would have benefited them to run the ball more. Head coach Dan Quinn touched on this in his press conference on Monday, saying that he wanted more of a balance in terms of play calling. Washington dropped back to pass 52 times compared to 12 running back carries against the Packers. The rookie seventh-rounder should see an uptick in snaps with Ekeler out for the season, and the expectation is that he will be the starter. His role on passing downs is to be determined, as
Jeremy McNichols is highly trusted in pass protection, and
Chris Rodriguez Jr. will be back in the mix for touches. But he should get the opportunity to handle a career high in carries against the Raiders.
--Kyle McCarthySource: RotoBaller
September 17, 2025
Washington Commanders wide receiver
Jaylin Lane is likely set for an increased number of routes against the Raiders with
Noah Brown (groin) injured and likely to miss Week 3, according to head coach Dan Quinn. Brown got banged up in Thursday night's 27-18 loss at Green Bay, where Lane caught just one of four targets for two yards. The fourth-round rookie ran the fourth most routes on the team behind
Terry McLaurin,
Deebo Samuel Sr., and
Zach Ertz in that game. The team is thin at wide receiver, and Lane will have a chance to emerge in Brown's absence. He is likely best suited in the slot, which is also Samuel's best position. How offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury sorts that out, along with potentially managing the offense without quarterback
Jayden Daniels, will be huge. There's a chance we see Kingsbury get Lane involved with some designed touches or use his speed to take a deep shot in an offense that needs more explosive plays. Lane is a name to watch on the waiver wire for the upcoming weeks.
--Kyle McCarthySource: RotoBaller
September 16, 2025
Washington Commanders tight end
Zach Ertz has been on a scoring tear, finding the end zone eight times in his last nine regular-season games while averaging over 11 half-PPR fantasy points per contest. The veteran has been a steady safety blanket for young quarterback
Jayden Daniels, running a route on over 80% of dropbacks in each of the first two weeks. However, Daniels is questionable for Week 3 with a knee injury, and his absence could cap Ertz's upside. Still, Ertz remains a strong waiver-wire target for tight-end-needy teams, with the caveat that his value is tied closely to Daniels being under center.
--Nathan HarveySource: Pro Football Reference
September 16, 2025
Washington Commanders running back
Chris Rodriguez Jr. will be "back in the fold" for the team in Week 3, according to coach Dan Quinn. Rodriguez has been a healthy scratch for the first two games of the season since the Commanders relied on
Jacory Croskey-Merritt,
Austin Ekeler, and
Jeremy McNichols to handle the load in the backfield. With Ekeler (Achilles) lost for the season, there will be significant work available in the Washington backfield going forward. Croskey-Merritt will step in as the lead back, but Rodriguez and McNichols will mix in as well. Rodriguez had an impressive training camp and preseason and could carve out significant playing time in the new timeshare, even though Quinn made sure to emphasize that the team is comfortable with Croskey-Merritt in passing situations. At this point, Rodriguez is a waiver wire option in deep leagues and definitely someone to watch in all formats to see how the timeshare is divied up in Week 3 against the Raiders.
--Zach ThompsonSource: JP Finlay
September 15, 2025
It's unclear if Washington Commanders quarterback
Jayden Daniels (knee) will be able to play in Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders after suffering a knee sprain in last Thursday night's loss to the Green Bay Packers, and as of Monday, head coach Dan Quinn is calling him day-to-day. "Here's what I know -- he did have an MRI and he's already begun his return to play process with us. He is truly day to day. What does that mean for Sunday? I can't tell you that now. I'll share more when we get to Wednesday. But in the return to play, he and all of the guys have to hit all of the markers," Quinn told reporters. We'll have a better idea of Daniels' Week 3 status once the team resumes practicing on Wednesday, but the bottom line is that fantasy managers need to have a backup plan in place. If Daniels isn't cleared by Sunday, backup
Marcus Mariota will be making his first start since 2022.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Nicki Jhabvala
September 15, 2025
If Washington Commanders quarterback
Jayden Daniels (knee) cannot play in Week 3, backup
Marcus Mariota could be forced into action against his old team, the Las Vegas Raiders. After undergoing an MRI exam following last Thursday night's loss to the Green Bay Packers, Daniels was diagnosed with a sprained knee, which puts his availability for Week 3 this Sunday in question. Daniels' injury isn't considered a long-term one, but his status is in doubt for this weekend. The Commanders surely will play it safe with the 24-year-old Daniels. Mariota, 31, hasn't started in the NFL since he made 13 starts with the Atlanta Falcons in 2023. Since then, he's appeared in six games with the Philadelphia Eagles and Commanders, throwing for 528 yards, five touchdowns, and a pick on 67 pass attempts. Mariota wasn't bad in spot duty in 2024 with Washington, although he'd be a low-upside, low-end QB2 in superflex leagues in Week 3 if he makes the start against the Raiders.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero
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