Fantasy Football News

Ohio State LB Sonny Styles went to the Commanders with the seventh pick in the NFL Draft. Styles opened college as a safety before transitioning to LB. As recently as 2024, he saw 163 snaps aligned in slot coverage. He saw those chances decline in his final season with the Buckeyes, while earning his highest career Pro Football Focus grades in run defense and coverage.

Washington LB Frankie Luvu can play this week after all. The league initially suspended him one game for his third violation (Sunday night) of the rule against hip-drop tackles. But Derrick Brooks -- jointly appointed by the NFL and NFL Players' Association -- downgraded that to a $100,000 fine on appeal. Luvu had been the first player suspended under this particular rule. Luvu was previously fined for hip-drop tackles in Week 4 and Week 8 this season.

The NFL has suspended Washington LB Frankie Luvu for his third violation of the rule against hip-drop tackles within the past calendar year. According to Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice, none of the instances drew a penalty within the game, but the NFL fined him all three times. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that Luvu plans to appeal it. We should get a decision on that before the weekend. Make sure you plan as though you won't have Luvu available for your IDP lineup.

Commanders CB Marshon Lattimore tore his left ACL in Sunday night's loss to the Seahawks and will miss the rest of the season.

Washington probably lost S Will Harris for the season in Sunday's win over the Raiders. Harris suffered a fibula fracture late in the second quarter. The Commanders also watched CB Marshon Lattimore leave for a concussion check, CB Trey Amos leave with a calf injury, and S Percy Butler leave with a hip injury. We'll see about the status of those three heading into Week 4.

Commanders DB Quan Martin is inactive for today's game against the Cowboys. He was a very late addition to the injury report (late Sunday morning) with an illness.

Commanders S Jeremy Chinn is active for today's game against the Eagles. I boosted his playing-time projection, which has moved him up the Week 16 DB rankings.

Commanders DT Jonathan Allen tore his left pectoral muscle in Sunday's loss to the Ravens. ESPN's John Keim reports that a Monday MRI confirmed the fears and that Allen will have season-ending surgery.

Commanders Edge Dorance Armstrong left Sunday's loss to the Ravens early with a rib injury and did not return. We'll watch for details on his status ahead of a Week 7 home date with the Panthers.

Commanders DT Jonathan Allen left Sunday's loss to the Ravens with a pectoral injury. He was ruled out before the end of the game, which doesn't seem like a good sign for his return timeline. We'll watch for further details. Phidarian Mathis and second-round rookie Jer'Zhan Newton entered the day third and fourth in playing time among Washington DTs.

The Commanders are hiring Dan Quinn to be the new HC. Quinn spent the past three years as Cowboys DC. Those teams finished seventh, fifth, and fifth in points allowed after checking in 28th and 11th the two years before he arrived. Quinn spent 2015-19 as HC of the Falcons, going 43-37 over that span with two winning seasons. Atlanta fired him five games into 2020 (with an 0-5 record). As a career-long defensive coach, Quinn shouldn't affect offensive outlooks in Washington with his arrival. We'll see who he brings in to assist on that side of the ball and what the Commanders decide to do at QB. We'd bet they'll select one with the second overall pick in the draft. The Washington defense can only improve after ranking last in both yards and points allowed in 2023.

The Commanders are placing LB Jamin Davis on IR because of a shoulder injury that will require surgery. Davis still has one year left on his rookie contract, and Washington will have to decide this spring on his fifth-year option for 2025. Davis seems like a weak bet for that option, but we'd also bet that decision will come after the team hires a new coach (and maybe GM). Davis has disappointed vs. his first-round draft status but has at least seen his playing time increase in his third season. He's an unspectacular dynasty asset. David Mayo should operate as the No. 2 LB alongside Cody Barton the rest of this season.

The Commanders have fired DC Jack Del Rio in the wake of Thursday's 45-10 loss at Dallas. It's tough to envision any real impact from this move. Washington has struggled at basically every level of the defense all season and traded away two of its best players -- Edges Montez Sweat and Chase Young -- after Week 8. Washington's defense shouldn't be anywhere near your fantasy plans. And the individuals that make sense for IDP use should make sense regardless of who's calling the plays. We'll see if Del Rio's departure -- and/or the unit's recent performance -- leads to any lineup changes.

The Commanders have activated LB Cody Barton (ankle) from IR and left him off the final injury report ahead of today's game against the Cowboys. That means Barton should be ready to reassume his lead position at LB. We've moved him up the Week 12 LB rankings and knocked LB David Mayo out.

The Commanders opened the 21-day practice window Monday for LB Cody Barton. He's been on IR the past four weeks after suffering a high-ankle sprain in October. We'll see how soon Barton can make it back to the active roster. We'd bet on him reclaiming the lead LB role once he does. That makes Barton worth a look on the waiver wire in some leagues this week. Jamin Davis would slip to No. 2 and David Mayo back to a reserve role.

The Commanders are trading Edge Chase Young to the 49ers for a third-round pick. The move comes on the same day Washington sent Edge Montez Sweat to the Bears for a second-rounder. The Commanders had clearly decided they either wouldn't or couldn't re-sign either contract-year player. In Young's case, the team had already declined the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. Young joins a San Francisco defense that likely won't need him to be an every-down player, especially right away. But the 49ers clearly believe their pass rush needs an upgrade. They previously added former Broncos Edge Randy Gregory. We'll see about Young's early role with his new team, as well as whether San Francisco plans to try to keep him around beyond this season.

Multiple reports say the Bears are sending a second-round pick to the Commanders for Edge Montez Sweat. The 27-year-old is working on potentially his best season yet, including 6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 11 QB hits through eight games. Sweat is also in the fifth and final year of his rookie contract. So this level of investment by the 2-6 Bears suggests they're hoping to extend Sweat before he'd hit free agency in March. It's obviously a strong addition for what has been the league's worst pass rush, as well as a big blow to a Washington defense that has stunk against the pass. For IDP purposes, Sweat faces some downside risk. He leaves one of the league's most talented D-lines to join a group that badly needs him. We'll see how quickly Sweat can assume his normal playing time and whether there's any drop-off in pass-rushing production. He'll get a neutral matchup with the Saints (18th in adjusted sack rate) this week before a better spot against Carolina in Week 10 (25th in adjusted sack rate).

The Commanders have ruled LB Cody Barton out for Sunday's game against the Eagles. It's the move we've been expecting after Barton left last week's game with a walking boot on his sprained ankle. Expect a full-time role for Jamin Davis and LB2 duty for David Mayo.

Commanders LB Cody Bardon (ankle) sat out Wednesday's practice. He came away from Sunday's loss to the Giants with a walking boot on the ankle he sprained early in the game. We're betting Barton will miss Week 8 but will keep an eye on his status throughout the week. LB Jamin Davis will likely get full playing time if Barton sits, with David Mayo the next LB up.

Commanders LB Cody Barton left in the first quarter of Sunday's loss to the Giants with a left ankle injury and did not return. The Athletic's Ben Standig reports that Barton was in a walking boot after the game. We'll watch for more on his status, but that all doesn't seem to bode well for Barton's chances of being ready for a Week 8 home date with the Eagles. If Barton misses further time, Jamin Davis looks like the full-time LB, with David Mayo taking on Davis' usual role. That could mean anywhere from 65-90% of defensive snaps, based on Davis' playing time to date and how much Mayo played Sunday.