As feared, Commander WR Terry McLaurin will be out the rest of the season after tearing the patellar tendon in his left knee in Monday night’s loss to the 49ers. That leaves Washington without its leader in receiving yards and biggest threat downfield.
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: Opportunity Remains, but Little Confusion
Can we call it a slight positive that McLaurin doesn’t even lead the team in targets or receptions?
This is obviously a huge loss for an offense that needs to add talent, if at all. Stefon Diggs continues to be Washington’s leader in targets and catches but has been a short-range option late in his career (career-low 8.9 yards per catch so far this season).
Diggs really followed rookie WR Antonio Williams on routes against San Francisco, setting the path for Williams to get significant usage the rest of the way. The rookie makes sense as a pickup this week, and his waiver price could get a boost from a Week 7 bye that limits the buyout market.
Treylon Burks (27 routes) and Dyami Brown (24) follow Williams (35) and Diggs (33), and don’t bring much fantasy intrigue. Both have averaged fewer than 3 targets per week this season.
TE Chig Okonkwo is the other potential beneficiary. He tied Diggs’ team lead with 7 targets against the 49ers and caught a team-high seven passes. Okonkwo also had a season-high 87.2% route share in the game.
Okonkwo also makes sense as a waiver target this week.
Injury Knocks QB’s Value Too
QB Jayden Daniels accepted the injury to McLaurin. His 12.9-yard average depth of target this season easily topped Washington’s top group of pass catchers, while McLaurin also paced the group in yards after catch per reception.
McLaurin and Daniels also connected for 13 TDs in the QB’s 2024 rookie campaign before both missed time with injuries last year.
Daniels now looks like a low-end QB1. We’ll start to see after the Week 7 bye if he sinks lower than that.
Dynasty Effect: Damage + Age = Trouble
McLaurin will be 32 at the start of next season, coming off a difficult rehab.
According to Spotrac, his dead-cap number also dropped by nearly $18 million in 2027 compared to this year. That could make the veteran a potential cap casualty, or at least prompt the team and player to try to rework his deal.
McLaurin’s age points to him likely nearing the end of his career, and this injury will clearly challenge his effectiveness going forward.
The veteran isn’t a “must” drop in dynasty leagues, but he could be a drop in the offseason.