If you've got Commanders WR Terry McLaurin on any fantasy team, then you're probably not a huge fan at the moment. He followed a 2-14 receiving line from Week 1 with another 2-catch day in Sunday's primo matchup with the Cowboys. But Week 2 brought more promise than his quiet opener. McLaurin drew a team high 9 targets including three end-zone looks. He caught none of those, of course, leaving two more TDs for WR Stefon Diggs. McLaurin led Washington with 50 receiving yards but ranked just fifth on the team in receptions.
'Almost' Plays Ruined McLaurin's Day
McLaurin initially collected a TD catch in the middle of the second quarter, but it got overturned to incomplete upon review. That catch alone would have give him a 3-84-1 stat line and satiated fantasy managers. Instead, that drive finished with Diggs' first score of the game, from 4 yards out.
Another end-zone opportunity before Jayden Daniels left clanked off McLaurin's hands.
McLaurin also lost an 8-yard first-quarter catch to a questionable offensive pass-interference call. Worse, McLaurin ran open into the end zone on a trick play late in the third quarter, but WR Antonio Williams threw behind him to miss the connection.
Reverse those three scoring opportunities, and we're talking about a monster game for the veteran receiver.
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: There's Room to Rebound
McLaurin now carries the worst catch rate (30.8%) among all players with at least 10 targets this season, including a pair of drops.
That's out of character for him, though. According to Pro Football Focus, McLaurin sports just a 4.9% career drop rate, with no more than seven total drops in any season. That high came in his rookie campaign. McLaurin averaged just three per year over the next six seasons.
Perhaps that turns into a decline signal for the 31-year-old, but I'm counting it as bad luck for now.
Of course, Sunday's elbow injury to Jayden Daniels deals more bad luck. But Marcus Mariota might not be bad for McLaurin while the starter's out.
According to Fantasy Points' Ryan Heath, McLaurin drew a team-high 27.8% target share with Mariota on Sunday (16.7% for Diggs) and racked up 3.53 yards per route when Mariota played last year.
Week 3 holds a difficult matchup with the Seahawks that might knock McLaurin outside the top 36 in our WR rankings. But matchups with the Colts and Giants look more favorable on the other side of that.
Trade Value Changes: I'm Still Buying
I wrote up McLaurin as a trade target last week, and he'll probably be even easier to acquire after a second straight statistical stinker.
That doesn't make the wideout a "must" get, of course. But he still carries plenty of upside.
