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When will Terry McLaurin return and play? Will Terry McLaurin be back again this season? Read the latest Terry McLaurin injury updates and return date for Week 5 (2025).
Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (quad) played in all 17 of his team's contests in each of the last four seasons. He's been remarkably healthy throughout the latter part of his career.
Unfortunately, he's dealing with a quad injury now and wasn't able to play in his team's Week 4 game. They lost that contest 34-27 to the Atlanta Falcons. He was clearly sorely missed.
McLaurin's streak of not missing a start has come to an end, but will he be able to return to play in Week 5? Could there be a longer wait for his comeback?
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Terry McLaurin Injury Update
McLaurin's quad injury didn't have him placed on injured reserve, thankfully. He is thus highly unlikely to miss more than four contests. His situation was a bit murky at first, but recent reporting suggests that he's set to return as early as Week 5.
Dan Quinn says the "arrows are heading up" for injured players Terry McLaurin, John Bates, Noah Brown.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) September 29, 2025
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn indicated that McLaurin is likely to return in Week 5, which is great news. That would indicate that his injury isn't serious at all. He could have simply strained a muscle in his quad. That's not highly unlikely.
There isn't much to talk about here now, though you shouldn't get too complacent -- make sure to stay updated on the status of No. 17.
Terry McLaurin Fantasy Football Outlook
Washington added new weapons in the offseason. They traded for wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr., drafted rookie wideout Jaylin Lane, and made some upgrades to the offensive line and backfield. Still, that doesn't mean Scary Terry won't be worth starting.
It's at least notable that Samuel has been heavily involved in the offense. Through four contests, he's been targeted 27 times, catching 22 of those passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns. McLaurin's games haven't been as inspiring -- he's caught 10 of his 17 passing game looks for 149 yards and no scores.
Mariota goes deep to McLaurin!
LVvsWAS on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/x5TPtYyRHV
— NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2025
He actually probably should have scored a touchdown on the above play -- unfortunately for him, the play was overturned on review. But he's still a big part of his team's offense. They broke the bank to sign him to a new contract before the 2025 season, after all.
He's the top target on one of the league's better passing offenses, and still possesses elite athleticism. When quarterback Jayden Daniels (knee) returns from his injury, the two should continue to connect with much success. So McLaurin is a must-start in all leagues and should be a solid WR2 moving forward, especially after he gets in stride with his offense again.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Looking for a potential replacement? Some common Week 5 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Deebo Samuel Sr., Ladd McConkey, Marvin Harrison Jr., Brian Thomas Jr., DeVonta Smith, Jameson Williams, Jauan Jennings, Wan'Dale Robinson, Tee Higgins. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 5. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 5 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 5 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Deebo Samuel Sr., Ladd McConkey, Marvin Harrison Jr., Brian Thomas Jr., DeVonta Smith, Jameson Williams, Jauan Jennings, Wan'Dale Robinson, Tee Higgins. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 5.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 5 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 5 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 5 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Looking for a potential replacement? Below are some popular Week 5 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Deebo Samuel Sr., Ladd McConkey, Marvin Harrison Jr., Brian Thomas Jr., DeVonta Smith, Jameson Williams, Jauan Jennings, Wan'Dale Robinson, Tee Higgins compared to others:
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