December 21, 2025
The Washington Commanders are likely to retain head coach Dan Quinn and fire defensive coordinator Joe Whitt during the upcoming offseason, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. Whitt is a longtime assistant who has worked with Quinn in Washington, Dallas, and Atlanta, but Rapoport and Pelissero write that he's "unlikely to return as defensive coordinator." The writing has been on the wall ever since Quinn took over play-calling duties from Whitt in early November. Quinn, on the other hand, is expected back in 2026 despite leading the Commanders to a 4-11 record so far. Washington has been gutted with injuries on both sides of the ball, which is likely enough justification to give Quinn a chance to get the team back on track next season. After all, Washington is less than a year removed from going 12-5 and making the NFC playoffs as the No. 6 seed in quarterback
Jayden Daniels' rookie campaign.
--Andersen PickardSource: Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero
December 20, 2025
Washington Commanders quarterback
Marcus Mariota (hand) exited during the third quarter of Saturday's Week 16 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles. He was evaluated for a concussion and was cleared. However, he is still listed as questionable to return because of a hand injury.
Josh Johnson will take over as the Commanders' quarterback until he can return. At the time of his departure, Mariota had gone 7-for-14 passing with 95 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and zero turnovers. Washington continues to deal with numerous injuries on both sides of the ball, and Mariota is just the latest example. The veteran quarterback only earned the start on Sunday because
Jayden Daniels (elbow) was ruled out for the second consecutive week.
--Andersen PickardSource: Washington Commanders
December 20, 2025
Washington Commanders wide receiver
Jaylin Lane (ankle) has been ruled out for the rest of Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Lane made an early exit in the first quarter due to an ankle injury. The rookie wideout has now been officially ruled out for the second half of this contest. Lane didn't register any offensive stats before exiting this contest. His absence won't have a huge impact on this offense, given he hasn't recorded a catch since Week 11. The departure of Lane should mean increased snaps for
Treylon Burks and
Chris Moore for the rest of the second half.
--Andy WebbSource: Nicki Jhabvala
December 20, 2025
Washington Commanders wide receiver
Jaylin Lane (ankle) exited during the first quarter of Saturday's Week 16 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles. The rookie is officially listed as questionable to return. He suffered the injury while returning a punt prior to the start of Washington's second offensive drive. Lane had not registered an offensive statistic at the time of his departure. In his absence,
Treylon Burks and
Chris Moore could earn more snaps behind starting wide receivers
Terry McLaurin and
Deebo Samuel Sr.--Andersen PickardSource: Zach Selby
December 19, 2025
Despite a strong showing in Week 15, Washington Commanders rookie running back
Jacory Croskey-Merritt appears to be heading back to his reserve role in Week 16. Chris Rodirguez Jr. was sidelined last week against the New York Giants, and Croskey-Merritt took advantage, totaling 96 yards on 18 carries. Unfortunately for the 2025 seven-round pick, Rodriguez is off the injury report and good to go for Week 16 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Since Week 11, Rodriguez has played 44% of the snaps, while Croskey-Merritt has played 20%. While a strong showing in Week 15 could close the gap between the two, both backs are extremely risky against the Eagles.
--Nathan HarveySource: Pro Football Reference
December 19, 2025
Washington Commanders wide receiver
Treylon Burks hasn't recorded a reception since his spectacular one-handed touchdown catch in Week 13 against the Denver Broncos. His route share dropped from a season high of 67.3% in that game to 25% in Week 14 against the Vikings, with
Noah Brown back in the lineup. Brown suffered another injury to his ribs in last week's game against the Giants and will now miss the remainder of the season, so Burks should see more opportunities moving forward. Washington has trended much more run-heavy with quarterback
Marcus Mariota under center, limiting the fantasy appeal of their pass-catchers. Burks shouldn't be considered for fantasy football lineups in Week 16 against the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Pro Football Reference
December 19, 2025
Washington Commanders tight end
John Bates stepped into a near full-time role last week against the New York Giants with
Zach Ertz (knee) out for the year with a torn ACL. Bates played 42 of 61 snaps (69%) and ran a route on 13 of 26 dropbacks (50%) while recording one catch for 19 yards on one target. The 28-year-old has operated as Washington's top blocking tight end this season, but will take on more responsibility as a receiver with Ertz out of the picture. Bates has never been an impactful pass-catcher at the NFL level, though, with a career high of just four catches in a game, a single-game best of 46 yards, and two total touchdowns in 79 career games. He should continue to see steady playing time in Week 16 with third-string TE
Colson Yankoff (ankle) also out this week, but he could cede more receiving work to second-year tight end
Ben Sinnott down the stretch, given Sinnott's Day 2 draft capital and better athletic profile. Bates shouldn't be considered as a viable fantasy option for Saturday's divisional matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Pro Football Reference
December 19, 2025
Washington Commanders rookie wide receiver
Jaylin Lane has gone catchless in three straight games after recording at least one reception in 11 consecutive games to open the season. Lane hasn't proven to be a reliable receiver yet, but he's been one of the most impactful punt returners in the league. The rookie fourth-rounder scored his second touchdown on a punt return in last week's win over the New York Giants and is one of five players with multiple punt-return touchdowns this season, ranking sixth in average yards per return (14.3). The Virginia Tech product doesn't have a major role in the offense behind
Terry McLaurin and
Deebo Samuel Sr., though, and shouldn't be considered as a fantasy option for Saturday's divisional matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Pro Football Reference
December 19, 2025
Washington Commanders running back
Chris Rodriguez Jr. (groin) has been cleared from the injury report and is good to go for Saturday's divisional matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Rodriguez was a game-time decision for last week's contest against the New York Giants and was ultimately ruled out due to a groin injury. It looks like it will only be a one-game absence for the third-year running back, as he was back as a full participant every day in practice this week. The Kentucky product has found the end zone in three of the past five games since taking over as Washington's primary early down back, totalling 54 carries for 253 yards and one reception (two targets) for six yards. He should return to his standard 10-15 carries in a favorable matchup on Saturday against an Eagles' defense that is allowing 4.8 yards per carry over the past four weeks, ranking sixth-worst in the league. However, after rookie
Jacory Croskey-Merritt's big game in Week 15, the Commanders could be looking at more of a split backfield.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Pro Football Reference
December 18, 2025
Washington Commanders tight end
Ben Sinnott played a season high 58.6% of the snaps and ran 38.5% of the routes in the Week 15 win over the New York Giants, with
Zach Ertz (knee) now out for the season with a torn ACL. The second-year tight end caught his lone target for an explosive 36-yard gain on the team's second-to-last drive of the game. Sinnott ran a crisp route to create separation versus Giants safety Jevon Holland and hauled in the catch before picking up some yards after the catch. Sinnott was still behind
John Bates in both snaps (69%) and routes (50%), so the young tight end is still looking to earn the full-time role as the receiving tight end with Ertz sidelined. His usage should continue to tick up on Saturday against the Eagles, with Washington eliminated from playoff contention. With third-string TE
Colson Yankoff (ankle) ruled out, Sinnott could see more snaps with the Commanders thin at tight end, but he is a risky fantasy option in Week 16, profiling more as a desperation TE2 in deep leagues.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Pro Football Reference
December 18, 2025
Washington Commanders wide receiver
Deebo Samuel Sr. has been productive in his first season with the team, averaging 5.0 receptions for 46.5 receiving yards on 6.6 targets per game to go with six total touchdowns across 13 contests. The veteran started off the season as the engine of Washington's offense, clearing 80 yards from scrimmage in three of the first five games of the season. In eight games since, Samuel has failed to reach that mark. The former San Francisco 49ers wideout has hauled in 12 of 18 targets for 134 yards in three games since the team's WR1,
Terry McLaurin, returned. He'll be looking for a vintage performance on Saturday against the Eagles, whom he's enjoyed facing in the past. Samuel totalled 138 yards and three touchdowns in his most recent game against Philadelphia in Week 13 of the 2023 season. He ranks as RotoBaller's WR34 in PPR leagues in Week 16.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Pro Football Reference
December 18, 2025
Washington Commanders wide receiver
Terry McLaurin has scored a touchdown in two of three games since returning in Week 13 against the Denver Broncos. McLaurin hauled in a 51-yard catch-and-run touchdown in last week's win over the Giants for his longest play since Week 3 against the Raiders. The 30-year-old wideout leads the Commanders in targets (22), receptions (13), and yards (206) since returning, ranking as the WR14 in PPR points per game (15.2) in that span. McLaurin draws a tougher matchup in Week 16 against a stingy Eagles secondary, but he's historically played well against the division rival, averaging 5.3 catches with 76.4 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 12 career games against them. McLaurin ranks as RotoBaller's WR19 in PPR leagues in Week 16.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Pro Football Reference
December 18, 2025
Washington Commanders running back
Jeremy McNichols surprisingly drew the start last week against the New York Giants with
Chris Rodriguez Jr. (groin) sidelined and handled all the snaps on the opening drive of the game. Rookie
Jacory Croskey-Merritt took over the bulk of the carries for the remainder of the game and proved to be the far more effective runner, producing 96 yards on 18 carries compared to McNichols with six yards on nine carries. The veteran handled a season-high 10 touches, but totalled only 22 yards and also lost a fumble with less than three minutes remaining in the game with Washington up 29-21, giving the Giants a shot to tie the game. With Rodriguez set to play on Saturday against the Philadelphia Eagles, McNichols should return to his normal duties as the primary third-down back. He profiles only as a deep-league dart throw in PPR formats in Week 16.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Pro Football Reference
December 18, 2025
Washington Commanders rookie running back
Jacory Croskey-Merritt delivered his best game in more than two months in the Week 15 win over the New York Giants, handling a season-high 18 carries for 96 yards and a touchdown. Croskey-Merrit took advantage of his opportunities with
Chris Rodriguez Jr. (groin) out of the lineup, but Rodriguez will be back for Saturday's divisional matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. It's to be determined if the rookie seventh-rounder earned a larger role with his strong performance, but he looked dynamic and reminded fantasy managers why he generated buzz earlier in the season. Croskey-Merritt struggled mightily after his breakout game in Week 5, ranking 38th out of 38 running backs with at least 40 carries with a 3.0 yards-per-carry average in Weeks 6-11. However, over the past three games, he's turned things around, averaging 5.1 yards per tote and ranking ninth among backs with at least 25 carries. It's another good matchup for Washington running backs in Week 16, as the Eagles have allowed the seventh-most yards per carry (4.5) this season, but with the uncertainty around Croskey-Merritt's role, he profiles only as a deep-league flex option.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Pro Football Reference
December 18, 2025
Washington Commanders running back
Chris Rodriguez Jr. (groin) was a full participant in practice this week and doesn't have an injury designation heading into Saturday's divisional matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Rodriguez missed last week against the Giants' 31st-ranked run defense and saw rookie
Jacory Croskey-Merritt record his best day on the ground since his breakout performance in Week 5. The third-year back still has a favorable matchup in Week 16 against an Eagles defense that has allowed 4.5 yards per carry and the 11th-most PPR points to running backs. The Kentucky product had recorded double-digit carries in each of the past five games, with him leaving early due to injury in Week 10 being the only exception, but it remains to be seen if Croskey-Merritt worked his way back into a more prominent role after his performance last week. Rodriguez is a consistent threat to find the end zone, but he doesn't have the highest ceiling in a split backfield and is a non-factor in the passing game. He's tough to trust as anything more than a low-end RB3/flex option for the second round of the fantasy playoffs.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Pro Football Reference
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