September 26, 2025
Washington Commanders tight end
Zach Ertz has gotten off to a strong start to the 2025 season, catching 12 of 16 targets for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Ertz had his quietest game of the young season in last week's blowout win against Las Vegas, catching all three targets for 38 yards. Washington opted for a run-heavy game plan and got ahead big in the second half. Ertz projects for more volume against Atlanta with star receiver
Terry McLaurin (quad) out and
Noah Brown (groin) missing his second straight game. He'll look to connect early and often with
Marcus Mariota, from whom he caught two touchdowns in his short time playing last season. Ertz can be trusted as a low-end TE1 in Week 4.
--Kyle McCarthySource: RotoBaller
September 26, 2025
Washington Commanders wide receiver
Chris Moore is set to likely play a season high in snaps in Week 4 against Atlanta. With
Terry McLaurin (quad) and
Noah Brown (groin) out for the game, Washington's depth options at receiver will be forced to step up. Moore was signed to the active roster from the practice squad earlier in the week, then ran the most routes among Washington receivers in last week's blowout win against the Raiders. The veteran will likely run a heavy number of routes again and serve as a reliable target for
Marcus Mariota. Moore caught both of his targets for 25 yards against the Raiders, and he was active for the season opener against the Giants, where he caught his lone target for a 34-yard gain. He's not an option to consider in Week 4 lineups.
--Kyle McCarthySource: RotoBaller
September 26, 2025
Washington Commanders wide receiver
Jaylin Lane could see more snaps on offense in Week 4 against Atlanta with multiple injuries at receiver.
Terry McLaurin (quad) and
Noah Brown (groin) will both miss Sunday's game, which opens the door for Lane to step in and run more routes. The rookie ran 45% of routes in Week 2 with everyone healthy, and increased to 50% with Brown out of the lineup. There is some noise with his Week 3 number, as it was a blowout game script. But he could stand to see more with players injured, and after his stellar 90-yard punt return touchdown last week, which earned him the Pepsi Rookie of the Week honors. Week 4 against Atlanta will be a notable game for Lane and his role moving forward.
--Kyle McCarthySource: RotoBaller
September 26, 2025
Washington Commanders wide receiver
Deebo Samuel Sr. projects as a favorable fantasy option in Week 4 against the Falcons. Both other starting wide receivers,
Terry McLaurin (quad) and
Noah Brown (groin), are out for the game. The passing game plan will likely feature a heavy dose of Samuel underneath and on crossing routes, setting him up for a productive day. Kliff Kingsbury will also look to replicate their dominance in the ground game from last week, and that could involve getting Samuel a few touches as a runner. He handled three carries for 18 yards last week and had his quietest game as a Commander, with just two receptions for 11 yards. Samuel looks like the focal point of the passing attack for Week 4 and should be fired up as a high-end WR2.
--Kyle McCarthySource: RotoBaller
September 26, 2025
Washington Commanders running back
Jeremy McNichols had one of the highlight plays of the week with a beast mode-style run for a 60-yard touchdown last week against the Raiders. McNichols played the fewest of any Washington back at 23% and had only four carries, but he made the most of his opportunities. The 29-year-old is expected to fill in for
Austin Ekeler as the team's third-down back because of his prowess as a pass protector and capability as a receiver. That opens the door for some dump-off passes and checkdowns, making him slightly intriguing. He will mix in occasionally on early downs and earn a few carries, but it won't be huge. McNichols is a desperation start against Atlanta in Week 4.
--Kyle McCarthySource: RotoBaller
September 26, 2025
Washington Commanders running back
Chris Rodriguez Jr. led the backfield in carries last week against the Raiders and ran well overall, gaining 39 yards on 11 rushes. His role for Week 4 against Atlanta could look similar. In the team's first game without
Austin Ekeler, Rodriguez surprisingly started at running back and began with four straight carries to begin the game. The rotation afterwards was a bit sporadic, with Rodriguez and
Jacory Croskey-Merritt both splitting most of the work, and then
Jeremy McNichols subbed in on pass downs and handled a few touches. The situation remains very fluid in Washington's backfield, and it could remain unclear for the coming weeks. Rodriguez is set up as the hammer back who can grind out tough yardage, and he tied Croskey-Merritt with two goal-line carries last week. There is upside for a touchdown plunge for Rodriguez in Week 4.
--Kyle McCarthySource: RotoBaller
September 26, 2025
Washington Commanders rookie running back
Jacory Croskey-Merritt (knee) practiced in full on Friday after two straight DNPs earlier in the week. Croskey-Merritt should be all good to go for Week 4's matchup in Atlanta (he's questionable on the final injury report) with the opportunity to see more work. He led the backfield with a 41% snap share and 23% route share while tying
Chris Rodriguez Jr. with two goal-line carries. Rodriguez surprisingly started the game for Washington and led the team with 11 carries, clearly indicating that he will have a role. Croskey-Merritt will need to continue to gain the coaching staff's trust in pass protection before earning a bigger workload. He did, however, have a few positive moments as a pass blocker last week against the Raiders and has been continuously praised by the staff. Atlanta has been tougher on running backs through three weeks, allowing the eighth fewest fantasy points per game at 11.3. That puts Croskey-Merritt in RB3 territory for Week 4.
--Kyle McCarthySource: RotoBaller
September 26, 2025
Washington Commanders quarterback
Marcus Mariota will start again in place of
Jayden Daniels in Week 4 against the Falcons after making his first start of the season last week against the Raiders. Mariota led his team to a 41-24 win against one of his former teams and now will look to do the same on the road against another one of his former teams. He was super crisp in his first action since Week 18 of last season, completing 15 of 21 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown while running for 40 yards on six carries. It will be a tougher challenge this time as he will be missing star wide receiver
Terry McLaurin (quad) and faces an Atlanta defense that has allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season at 12.3. Washington will likely follow a similar game plan to last week against Las Vegas, where they went very run-heavy, especially with multiple receivers out. He's not a recommended start in matchups this week.
--Kyle McCarthySource: RotoBaller
September 26, 2025
Washington Commanders rookie running back
Jacory Croskey-Merritt (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's contest against the Atlanta Falcons. The seventh-round pick was unable to practice on Wednesday and Thursday. However, he was able to upgrade to full participation on Friday, which puts him in a good position to suit up over the weekend. Through the first three games of his NFL career, Croskey-Merritt has been able to carve out a prominent role in the backfield. In Week 1, Croskey-Merritt led the team in rushing, totaling 82 yards and a score on 10 carries. While he struggled in Week 2, he was able to find the end zone for the second time during their victory over the Raiders last weekend. If Croskey-Merritt were to miss Sunday's contents, fantasy managers should expect
Chris Rodriguez Jr. and
Jeremy McNichols to dominate the opportunities.
--Andy SmithSource: Washington Commanders
September 26, 2025
Washington Commanders wide receiver
Noah Brown (groin, knee) has officially been ruled out for Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons. Brown has managed to play in just two games so far in 2025, recording three catches for 36 yards on seven targets. With both Brown and star Commanders wideout
Terry McLaurin (quad) sidelined in Week 4, Washington will turn to
Deebo Samuel Sr.,
Jaylin Lane,
Luke McCaffrey, and
Chris Moore to anchor its wide receiver corps. Even with Commanders quarterback
Jayden Daniels (knee) also ruled out, Samuel Sr. profiles as a must-start fantasy wide receiver in Week 4 due to his massive target upside. Brown should remain off the radar of fantasy managers.
--Will BradySource: The Athletic - Nicki Jhabvala
September 26, 2025
Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said on Friday that the depth wide receivers on the roster are ready for the moment in Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons, with top wideout
Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) being ruled out, according to Zach Selby of Commanders.com. At the top of that list is second-year pass-catcher
Luke McCaffrey, who caught all three of his targets for 56 yards and his first career touchdown in the Week 3 win over the Las Vegas Raiders after McLaurin was injured. In addition to McCaffrey, rookie
Jaylin Lane and
Chris Moore will have additional opportunities in the passing game this weekend with McLaurin ruled out. McLaurin's absence could extend into Week 5, too, so McCaffrey and Lane are worth a look on the waiver wire in deeper leagues. Limiting McCaffrey's streaming appeal in Week 4 is the fact that quarterback
Jayden Daniels (knee) will miss a second straight game.
--Keith HernandezSource: Commanders.com - Zach Selby
September 26, 2025
Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn is calling wide receiver
Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) "week-to-week," and he's officially been ruled out for the Week 4 contest against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. McLaurin did not practice all week and sought multiple medical opinions, including from a core-muscle specialist. Surgery has been ruled out for now, but it's looking like the 30-year-old could be facing a multi-week absence. Fantasy managers should consider him very up in the air to return for a Week 5 tilt against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Commanders will also be without quarterback
Jayden Daniels (knee) for the second straight week, so they will be missing two of their best players this weekend against Atlanta. With McLaurin out,
Luke McCaffrey and rookie
Jaylin Lane will see an increase in snaps and targets behind
Deebo Samuel Sr.--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Mike Garofolo
September 26, 2025
Washington Commanders quarterback
Jayden Daniels (knee) has officially been ruled out for Sunday's Week 4 game against the Atlanta Falcons, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Daniels will miss a second straight game due to a knee sprain that he suffered in Week 2. The good news is that Daniels made progress this week and put in a few limited practices, which will give him a much better chance to make his return in a Week 5 date against the Los Angeles Chargers. Washington will also be without star wideout
Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) this weekend, forcing
Deebo Samuel Sr.,
Luke McCaffrey, and rookie
Jaylin Lane in starting three-wide sets against the Falcons. Veteran
Marcus Mariota looked good in his first start of the year in last week's win over the Las Vegas Raiders, and he'll once again be in play as a QB2 streamer in superflex leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
September 26, 2025
Washington Commanders rookie running back
Jacory Croskey-Merritt (knee) is on the practice field on Friday, according to John Keim of ESPN. However, Croskey-Merritt wasn't doing much with the team doing special teams work in the period of practice open to the media. The 24-year-old did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday due to a sore knee, so his status is definitely worth watching as Sunday's Week 4 game against the Atlanta Falcons approaches. It's a good sign that JCM was on the field on Friday, but it doesn't guarantee that he'll be active this weekend. If Croskey-Merritt can suit up in Week 4, he'll be an RB3/flex option, at best, in a backfield that remains a committee after the season-ending injury to
Austin Ekeler (Achilles) in Week 2. If JCM doesn't get the green light this weekend, both
Chris Rodriguez Jr. and
Jeremy McNichols would jump onto the flex radar against Atlanta.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - John Keim
September 26, 2025
According to The Athletic's Nicki Jhabvala, Washington Commanders quarterback
Jayden Daniels (knee) was not seen at Friday's practice. It's unfortunate news after the second-year signal-caller was able to log limited sessions the previous two days. Daniels was trending in the right direction for a bit, but a DNP on Friday makes this situation more murky than it appeared on Thursday. As of now, team doctors will decide if the 24-year-old is suited to play. Washington also seems likely to be without wide receivers
Terry McLaurin (quad) and
Noah Brown (groin, knee) in Week 4, meaning veteran QB
Marcus Mariota could have a tougher time out down a few skill players against the hosting Atlanta Falcons.
--Alex CiullaSource: Nicki Jhabvala
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