Commanders' Terry McLaurin: Building chemistry with Daniels
Rotowire
McLaurin caught seven of 10 targets for 52 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 42-14 win over the Cardinals.
McLaurin gave the Commanders some additional breathing room with a 10-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter, which extended the lead to 35-14. Washington's No. 1 receiver has 152 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the last two games after posting just 39 yards without a touchdown in the first two games of the season, as rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has started connecting with his top target downfield much more consistently. McLaurin will look to build on his recent success in a Week 5 home game against the Browns.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Terry McLaurin: Breaks out in primetime win
Rotowire
McLaurin brought in four of six targets for 100 yards and a touchdown in the Commanders' 38-33 win over the Bengals on Monday.
After an extremely sluggish first two weeks with Jayden Daniels as his quarterback, McLaurin and the rookie signal-caller finally made some magic in a nationally televised showdown. The two first linked up on a 55-yard grab down to the Bengals' four-yard line late in the second quarter, and they then capped off a critical fourth-quarter march with a 27-yard scoring connection that essentially sealed the upset win for Washington. McLaurin now has boosted his season line to a respectable 12-139-0 line on 18 targets over three games heading into a Week 4 road showdown against the Cardinals.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Terry McLaurin: More involved moving forward?
Rotowire
Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said Friday that he wants to "get [McLaurin] more involved" in the offense, JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington reports.
McLaurin's 22.6 percent target share through two weeks is right in his normal range, but four of the 12 looks have come behind the line of scrimmage and another four within 10 yards of the line, with those eight passes yielding seven catches for 27 yards. The underlying problem is QB Jayden Daniels averaging 26.5 pass attempts per game at a league-low 5.3 aDOT, sending 35.8 percent of his throws behind the line of scrimmage and just 24.6 percent 10 or more yards downfield. The split probably won't be that drastic all season, but it does reflect a lot of the complaints about Kingsbury's offenses in Arizona from 2019 to 2022. Next up for McLaurin and the Commanders is a Week 3 game at Cincinnati on Monday.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Terry McLaurin: Six grabs in Sunday's win
Rotowire
McLaurin caught six of eight targets for 22 yards in Sunday's 21-18 win over the Giants.
While the veteran wideout led the Commanders in targets and receptions, McLaurin's longest gain went for only 12 yards, as rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels rarely tried to stretch the field. New offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has a long track record of building his passing game around short, high-percentage routes, but McLaurin doesn't have the yards-after-catch ability to turn those into big gains -- his 4.4 YAC per reception in 2023 ranked 79th out of 139 qualified pass catchers. McLaurin will try to at least maintain a useful target volume in Week 3 against the Bengals.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Terry McLaurin: WRs to Start
Rotowire
McLaurin has a solid track record against the Giants, and hopefully that continues in Week 2. He's scored at least 13.0 PPR points in eight of his past nine meetings with the Giants, and McLaurin is worth using as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues. He was quiet in Week 1 in Jayden Daniels' NFL debut at Tampa Bay with two catches for 17 yards on four targets, but this should be the week where Daniels and McLaurin get on the same page. And last week, the Giants allowed Justin Jefferson, Jalen Nailor and Jordan Addison to score 31.5 PPR points, which bodes well for McLaurin's chances to have a quality outing at home.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Terry McLaurin: Minimal chemistry with rookie QB
Rotowire
McLaurin caught two of four targets for 17 yards in Sunday's 37-20 loss to the Buccaneers.
No Commanders wide receiver had more than 18 yards, as Washington went with a run-heavy approach, and quarterback Jayden Daniels checked the ball down underneath when asked to throw it. Daniels flashed a big arm at LSU prior to being drafted second overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, so perhaps McLaurin will be a bigger part of the game plan Week 2 against the beatable Giants secondary.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Terry McLaurin: Pair of catches from Daniels
Rotowire
McLaurin secured two of three targets for 27 yards in the Commanders' 13-6 preseason loss to the Dolphins on Saturday night.
McLaurin recorded his catches from Jayden Daniels on back-to-back plays on the first possession of the game, displaying some encouraging chemistry with the rookie signal-caller. The veteran wideout is set to once again operate as the No. 1 receiver in Washington's offense, and Daniels' seemingly accelerated acclimation curve this summer brightens the outlook for the talented pass catcher come the regular season.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Terry McLaurin: Catches one pass from rookie QB
Rotowire
McLaurin caught his only target for three yards in Saturday's 20-17 preseason loss to the Jets.
McLaurin accounted for one of Jayden Daniels' two completions on the only drive that the rookie quarterback played. After topping 1,000 receiving yards in each of the previous four seasons, McLaurin projects to work as the top target for Daniels in 2024. The veteran wide receiver will look to keep building chemistry with the 2024 second overall pick in next Saturday's preseason game against the Dolphins.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Terry McLaurin: Optimistic about new-look offense
Rotowire
McLaurin said this summer that the offseason felt "like the start of something new, special," Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.
The Commanders have mostly addressed shortcomings with band-aids throughout McLaurin's tenure, but the changes this offseason were drastic, highlighted by new head coach Dan Quinn and No. 2 overall draft pick Jayden Daniels. The latter figures to become the 10th different starting QB that McLaurin has played with in the NFL, and Kliff Kingsbury is the fourth offensive coordinator. The veteran wideout said Daniels was impressive during spring practices, showing "amazing" touch on his deep ball and "really good anticipation over the middle of the field." It remains to be seen how that translates to actual games, but there's at least some chance of McLaurin experiencing above-average QB play for the first time in his career.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Terry McLaurin: Fourth straight 1,000-yard season
Rotowire
McLaurin caught six of eight targets for 56 yards in Sunday's 38-10 loss to the Cowboys.
It took until the fourth quarter, but McLaurin hauled in just enough production to reach 1,000 yards for the fourth straight season with 1,002. His 79 catches on the year also put him over 75 for the fourth straight campaign, a remarkable streak of consistency considering the revolving door the Commanders have had at quarterback during his career. McLaurin will likely be working with yet another new signal-caller, and a new coaching staff, in 2024, but this might be the one that sticks as Washington holds the second overall pick in a QB-rich draft class.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Terry McLaurin: WRs to Sit
Rotowire
McLaurin scored 16.1 PPR points in Week 17 against San Francisco with four catches for 61 yards and a touchdown on six targets, and it was his best production from Sam Howell since Week 9. We'll see if Howell and McLaurin can have another quality outing in Week 18 against Dallas, but they didn't fare well together in the first game against the Cowboys when McLaurin had four catches for 50 yards on 11 targets. In his past four games against Dallas, McLaurin has just 12 catches for 179 yards and a touchdown, and he's scored nine PPR points or fewer in three of those games. I would only start McLaurin in three-receiver leagues in Week 18.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Terry McLaurin: Bright spot in Washington offense
Rotowire
McLaurin recorded four catches on six targets for 61 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 27-10 loss to the 49ers.
McLaurin was one of the few bright spots in the Washington offense, though his production came primarily on two plays on the same drive. He first caught a deep pass down the right sideline for 42 yards, and five plays later, he boxed out a 49ers defender to record a three-yard touchdown catch. McLaurin now has two scores in his last three games after recording only two touchdowns in the first 13 contests of the campaign.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Terry McLaurin: WRs to Start
Rotowire
Let's go back to the Rams game in Week 15 when Jacoby Brissett took over for Sam Howell in the fourth quarter. In two drives, Brissett connected with McLaurin on three passes for 93 yards and a touchdown, including a 48-yard reception that ended up on the 1-yard line. To put that in perspective, McLaurin's best game with Sam Howell this season was 90 yards in Week 7 against the Giants. Brissett is starting for the Commanders in Week 17 against the 49ers, who have allowed five receivers to score at least 13.2 PPR points in their past four games, including four touchdowns over that span. I like McLaurin as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues with Brissett.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Terry McLaurin: Leading receiver in Week 16 loss
Rotowire
McLaurin caught three of five targets for 50 yards in Sunday's 30-28 loss to the Jets.
For the second straight week, McLaurin did little until Sam Howell was replaced at quarterback by Jacoby Brissett, and the wideout gained most of his team-leading yardage on a 29-yard pass from Brissett in the fourth quarter that helped set up a Chris Rodriguez TD. The Commanders' passing attack has looked better under Brissett than Howell in back-to-back games, and McLaurin's fantasy prospects would be brighter if coach Ron Rivera made the switch permanent ahead of a Week 17 clash with the 49ers.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Terry McLaurin: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
Rotowire
I thought McLaurin would play well in Week 15 at the Rams, and he delivered his best game of the season with 26.1 PPR points on six catches for 141 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets. That snapped a streak of four games in a row where McLaurin scored 9.3 PPR points or less, and I'm concerned he could revert to that type of stat line in Week 16 at the Jets, who are No. 1 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. Only four receivers have scored touchdowns against the Jets this season, and Sam Howell is clearly struggling after he was benched last week against the Rams (McLaurin's touchdown also came from Jacoby Brissett). McLaurin is only worth starting in three-receiver leagues in Week 16.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Terry McLaurin: First 100-yard game of season
Rotowire
McLaurin recorded six receptions on 12 targets for 141 yards and one touchdown in Sunday's 28-20 loss to the Rams.
McLaurin entered Sunday's matchup in particularly bad form, as he had failed to top 50 receiving yards in four consecutive games. He turned that around, however, as he managed his first 100-yard receiving game of the season and also found the end zone for the first time since Week 8. His touchdown came midway through the fourth quarter from backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett, and McLaurin narrowly missed a second score on a 48-yard reception on the next offensive possession. While it was a very positive performance for McLaurin, he could have a hard time following it up in a Week 16 matchup against the typically tough Jets secondary.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Terry McLaurin: Sleeper WRs
Rotowire
McLaurin will hopefully get a squeaky wheel game in Week 15 at the Rams after what happened to him in Week 13 against Miami. Against the Dolphins, McLaurin had three targets and no catches, and following the game he said, "I ran a lot of cardio." He's also scored fewer than 10 PPR points in four games in a row, and he hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 8. I would only start McLaurin in three-receiver leagues, along with Curtis Samuel, who has 13 catches for 165 yards on 17 targets in his past two games. But this is a good matchup since the Rams have allowed six receivers to score at least 11.7 PPR points in their past four games.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Terry McLaurin: Sleepers (Start/Sit)
Rotowire
McLaurin will hopefully get a squeaky wheel game in Week 15 at the Rams after what happened to him in Week 13 against Miami. Against the Dolphins, McLaurin had three targets and no catches, and following the game he said, "I ran a lot of cardio." He's also scored fewer than 10 PPR points in four games in a row, and he hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 8. I would only start McLaurin in three-receiver leagues, along with Curtis Samuel, who has 13 catches for 165 yards on 17 targets in his past two games. But this is a good matchup since the Rams have allowed six receivers to score at least 11.7 PPR points in their past four games.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Terry McLaurin: Does little with big volume
Rotowire
McLaurin caught four of 11 targets for 50 yards in Thursday's 45-10 loss to the Cowboys.
The fourth-year wideout was second on the Commanders in targets behind Curtis Samuel's 12, but McLaurin faced tight coverage all day and couldn't do much with the volume. He nearly had a touchdown on a deep route early in the third quarter when the outcome of the game was still in doubt, but Stephon Gilmore was with him step for step and broke it up. McLaurin has still caught at least four passes in 11 straight games to maintain a steady floor in PPR formats, but he's gone three straight games without topping 50 yards and four straight without getting into the end zone. He'll likely need to come up big in Week 13 if the Commanders are going to keep pace with Tyreek Hill and the Dolphins.
... See More... See Less
Commanders' Terry McLaurin: Minimal production on seven targets
Rotowire
McLaurin recorded five receptions on seven targets for 43 yards in Sunday's 31-19 loss to the Giants.
McLaurin finished third on the team on targets, as Sam Howell favored short-area options such as Logan Thomas and Brian Robinson. His longest catch of the day went for only 11 yards, and McLaurin now has only 76 yards on nine receptions combined across his last two games. That's continued a disappointing campaign, as he has topped 80 yards only three times to go along with two total touchdowns.
