Washington Commanders Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Chargers RBs Austin Ekeler, Joshua Kelley, and Isiah Spiller will all "split carries" against the Broncos today, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Exactly how those carries are split will be a "hot hand" situation, Rapoport adds. We're still betting on Ekeler leading the Chargers in carries today, as well as handling the majority of the passing-down work. But consider him more of a RB2. Kelley and Spiller should not be in fantasy lineups.

Chargers HC Brandon Staley hinted that RB Austin Ekeler might start losing carries. "Competition for carries is going to be something that you can see happening," Staley said Wednesday. "We're going to keep exploring, making adjustments, so that we can find that rhythm that I've been talking about. That's certainly one way to do it." Ekeler has been consistently inefficient since returning from his high-ankle sprain, topping 3.5 yards per carry in just one of eight games. He's averaged 3.0 yards per carry across those outings. RB Joshua Kelley has averaged 4.6 yards per carry over that same span. We could see Kelley stealing a handful of carries from Ekeler in Sunday's game vs. the Broncos -- although Ekeler should continue to dominate passing-down work.

Commanders WR Terry McLaurin managed no receptions on just 3 targets in Sunday's blowout loss to the Dolphins. And he wasn't happy about it. "I ran a lot of cardio today," he told reporters after the game. It's been a disappointing season for Washington's top wideout. Despite his offense leading the league in pass attempts entering Sunday and ranking ninth in passing yards, McLaurin was working on a career-low 57.8 yards per game. That's obviously coming down even further after Sunday's 0. WR Curtis Samuel tied with RB Antonio Gibson, and WR Jahan Dotson for the team lead with 5 targets. Samuel and Gibson caught four passes apiece, while Samuel led the team with 65 receiving yards. Washington's WRs don't look likely to help you a whole lot the rest of the way. After a Week 14 bye, the Commanders get the league's third-toughest schedule for WR scoring over the final three fantasy weeks. That includes matchups with the Jets and 49ers in the final two rounds of most fantasy playoffs.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler gained only 18 yards on 14 attempts in Sunday's win over New England. Ekeler added 2 catches (3 targets) for 9 yards, with the only misconnection coming on a drop. Ekeler’s 4.7 PPR points marked his third game with fewer than ten. Ekeler will look to rebound next week vs. Denver, but playing at less than 100% (ankle), he’ll do so with an uncomfortably low floor.

Commanders RB Brian Robinson hurt his hamstring in the first half of Sunday's game vs. the Dolphins and will not return. That leaves the backfield to Antonio Gibson and Chris Rodriguez. We'll see how work is split between those two -- although there probably won't be much running from Washington in a 31-7 hole.

Cardinals TE Zach Ertz asked the team to release him, and they are granting that request, according to multiple reports (starting with former teammate J.J. Watt's). Ertz has spent the past five games on IR, leaving room for TE Trey McBride to become Arizona's lead receiver. Ertz's impending return looked like the biggest potential remaining hurdle for McBrides 2023 fantasy outlook. Now that Ertz is out of the way, you can (even more) comfortably start McBride the rest of the way. His second-half breakout this season also position's the 2022 second-round pick as a nice-looking dynasty asset. We'd bet on Ertz finding a new 2023 home, but he'll have a tough time regaining fantasy relevance.

Now is not the time to hit the panic button, but it's fair to be slightly worried about Chargers RB Austin Ekeler. The veteran struggled on Sunday night, logging 64 total yards on 16 touches with a lost fumble in Week 12's loss vs. the Ravens. Ekeler has now failed to reach double-digit PPR points for the second week in a row. But the issues he's experienced lately stem from a downtick in passing game production and a lack of TDs. Ekeler averaged 19 receiving yards per game over the past two weeks; by contrast, he'd averaged 40.2 yards over his prior five games since returning from an ankle injury. Also, 30.6% of Ekeler's 98 PPR points he's scored since Week 6 have come from finding the end zone. However, don't get too caught up in these concerns. Ekeler has the easiest remaining RB schedule against a string of phenomenal matchups per our adjusted fantasy points allowed. Even though he's dangerously close to deserving a "TD-or-bust" label, it's tough to bet against a guy who ranks seventh in RB opportunity share and faces the Broncos (31st in run defense DVOA) twice between now and fantasy championship week. It may be a bumpy ride, but keep holding on.

Panthers LB Frankie Luvu (shoulder) is active for today's game against the Titans. Use him as planned in IDP lineups.

Panthers LB Frankie Luvu (shoulder) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Titans. He opened the practice week limited, then went full Thursday before being limited again Friday. We'd bet on Luvu playing but will check his status ahead of Sunday's game.

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.

Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr. managed just 2 receptions for 11 yards on 3 targets in Thursday's loss to the Cowboys. That was noteworthy for a couple of reasons: 1) Washington attempted 44 passes in a 35-point loss. So overall volume wasn't an issue. 2) He had racked up 15 targets, 13 catches, and 178 receiving yards over the previous two games. One of those came without RB Antonio Gibson, who returned from injury to lead Washington RBs in routes and targets (4) against Dallas. Robinson did get a solid 15 carries (for 53 yards) despite the negative game script. That hasn't tended to be the case this season. He entered Thursday averaging just 10.4 carries across seven losses. Still, the abnormal receiving production for Robinson against the Seahawks and Giants likely inflated his fantasy value. That's why we highlighted the Washington RB for the second straight week in our Trade Targets article ahead of Thursday's game. If your league still allows trading beyond this week, go ahead and see if you can make a worthwhile move. Robinson gets a tough remaining slate of defenses and still has his bye ahead in Week 14.

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.

Washington WR Jahan Dotson caught the team's lone TD pass in Sunday's loss to the Giants. That inflated a stat line that included just 3 receptions and 23 yards. His 4 targets ranked fourth on the team, trailing RB Brian Robinson Jr. (9), TE Logan Thomas (8), and WR Terry McLaurin (7). Sunday found WR Curtis Samuel in the lineup, which has damaged Dotson's target share all year. But Samuel got ejected in the first half. That Dotson failed to draw more target share despite Samuel leaving early looks even worse for Dotson going forward. His spike in production for weeks 8 and 9 look more like outliers than blueprints for projecting Dotson the rest of the way.

Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr. led the team in targets (9) and receptions (7) and tied for the lead in receiving yards (58) in Sunday's loss to the Giants. Robinson benefited from the absence of RB Antonio Gibson (out with an ankle injury) but also set his season high in receptions for the second straight game. Robinson added 73 yards on 17 carries in a positive rushing matchup. We'll see about Gibson's availability for Week 12. Robinson might need that help to reach the top 24 in our RB rankings for a matchup at Dallas. Robinson's next four weeks look rough -- including a Week 14 bye. A Week 16 visit to the Jets stands as his only remaining positive matchup. If your trade deadline hasn't passed yet, consider trying to trade the Washington RB.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler carried just 10 times in Sunday's loss to the Chargers, but he tallied 64 yards (6.4 per rush). He added just 2 receptions for 6 yards on 3 targets. That marked strangely low receiving for L.A.'s lead back. But his playing time didn't reflect any change. Ekeler ran 20 more pass routes than No. 2 RB Joshua Kelley and topped 70% playing time for the first time this season. There's nothing worrisome to take from Ekeler's Week 11 production in projecting him forward.

Commanders WR Jahan Dotson was held off the stat sheet in Week 10. Sam Howell attempted 44 passes and threw for 312 yards, but Dotson garnered only 2 targets. He led the WR corps in snaps (58) and routes run (44). Sunday also marked the return of Curtis Samuel, who saw 6 targets coming off a toe injury. A tough rest-of-season schedule – plus a Week 14 bye – makes Dotson more of a deep league spot starter going forward.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler tallied 70 total yards on a combined 16 touches in Week 9’s win vs. the Jets. Monday night was not the veteran’s most efficient showing. Going 14-47 on the ground isn't awful, but one 20-yard run from Ekeler accounts for 28.5% of his final count in the contest. But let’s not be too persnickety; he also scored 2 rushing TDs in the game. Ekeler has now recorded back-to-back games of 20+ PPR points and four straight weeks of 16 or more touches since his Week 6 return from an ankle injury. Fantasy managers should expect good production from Ekeler moving forward, as the Chargers’ remaining schedule ranks as the single-easiest for RBs in our adjusted fantasy points allowed.

Commanders WR Jahan Dotson drew 8 targets to lead the team in Sunday's win at New England. It marked the first time since Week 1 that he led the team in that category. He hauled in four of those targets for 69 yards and the team's lone TD reception, from 33 yards out. Dotson has averaged 5.7 receptions and 73.3 yards over the past three games (with 2 TDs) vs. just 2.8 receptions and 23.3 yards (1 TD) over the first six contests. WR Curtis Samuel's toe injury has helped, knocking him out of Week 8 early and keeping him out for Week 9. Samuel didn't practice at all ahead of the New England game, so his status looks at least iffy for Week 10 as well. Dotson will probably crack our top 36 at WR across formats for a Week 10 meeting with Seattle. The Seahawks entered Sunday as the third-best scoring matchup for WRs by our adjusted fantasy points allowed. We'll see about Dotson's progression and how soon Samuel can return. WR Terry McLaurin, meanwhile, remained fine with a 5-73 receiving line on 7 targets against the Patriots.

Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr. tallied 63 yards and a TD on 18 carries in Sunday's victory over the Patriots. His 3.5 yards per carry weren't remarkable, but the 18 attempts were his most since Week 2. Robinson had averaged just 9.7 rushes per game since then, a stretch that saw the Commanders go 1-5. Robinson's high of 14 carries in that stretch came in an OT loss at Philly that Washington led most of the way. Sunday did mark the fifth game among the past six in which Robinson averaged 3.5 yards per rush or less. And he's likely to continue seeing game flow significantly impact his touch counts. Robinson drew just 2 targets against New England, his fourth straight game with 2 or fewer. He has exceeded 2 in a game just twice all year and caught more than two passes in a game only once. A Week 10 meeting with Seattle -- which struggled mightily at Baltimore on Sunday -- looks fairly neutral for Robinson. A Week 11 date with the Giants looks good. Matchups with the Cowboys and Dolphins the following two weeks don't look favorable and precede a Week 14 bye. Look for worthwhile opportunities to sell Robinson over these next few weeks, if you have him.