Howell heads to Washington

The Commanders grabbed North Carolina QB Sam Howell with the 1st pick of Round 5. Howell started all 3 years at Chapel Hill, opening his career impressively with 3,641 passing yards and 38 TDs as a freshman and 3,586 yards and 30 TDs as a sophomore. He took a considerable step back this past season, though, finishing with 3,056 yards and 24 TDs. Losing Javonte Williams, Michael Carter, Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome to the NFL certainly played a part, but Howell also set a 3-year low in Pro Football Focus passing grade. Howell did set career highs with 828 rushing yards and 11 TDs in 2021, though. He has plenty of arm strength and might be the best deep-ball thrower in this year’s QB class. Howell is also entering the NFL at just 21 years old, so there’s upside here. He’ll compete with Taylor Heinicke for Washington’s backup job behind Carson Wentz at least to open this season. But Howell has the potential to develop into the Commanders’ starter down the road.

The Seahawks shipped 2024 third- and fifth-round picks to the Commanders for QB Sam Howell. GM John Schneider said shortly after making the trade that QB Geno Smith remains the starter. "Geno's the guy and Sam will be backing him up," Schneider said. We're buying that considering Smith still played quality football last year, ranking 12th among 30 qualifiers in Pro Football Focus passing grades. Smith, of course, is 33 now and carries a big $38.5 million cap hit in 2025. So there's a chance that Howell replaces him then. "We were just really excited to be able to acquire him," Schneider said of Howell. "We know he's a serious dude. He's into it, he works his tail off. We got great reviews on him and we loved him coming out of college. So yeah, we're happy to get him in the mix." Howell is worth keeping stashed in most dynasty leagues.

The Commanders will start QB Sam Howell in Week 18. While he’s faced a tough stretch of defenses – Cowboys, Dolphins, Rams, Jets, 49ers – Howell’s play has fallen off over the second half of the season. Week 18 turns up a rematch with a Dallas team that defeated Washington 45-10 on Thanksgiving. Howell posted 300 yards, 0 TDs, and 1 INT in that one. The 23-year-old will remain a superflex-only option.

Commanders QB Sam Howell was benched in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Rams. He went 11 of 26 for 102 yards, one TD, and one INT, producing just seven points. QB Jacoby Brissett will finish this one out for Washington. We're guessing that Howell will be back under center next week -- but he gets brutal matchups the next two weeks vs. the Jets and 49ers. You should be looking for an alternative if you've been rolling with Howell as your fantasy starter.

Update: HC Ron Rivera said after the loss to the Rams that Howell remains the starting QB.

Commanders QB Sam Howell threw for just 127 yards on 12-of-23 passing with 1 INT and 0 TD passes in Sunday's blowout loss to Miami. He took a modest 3 sacks from a Miami defense playing its first game since losing Edge Jaelan Phillips to an Achilles' tear. But the Dolphins still managed 9 QB hits on a day that found Howell consistently pressured. The QB saved his fantasy line by running for the team's only two TDs -- including one from 13 yards out. He also connected with TE Logan Thomas for a 2-point conversion after the second. The positive view: Howell's rushing ability is worth factoring into his fantasy outlook. He entered the day ranked 10th among QBs in rushing yards on just the 16th-most carries. And Howell now has 5 rushing scores for the year. But we can't expect him to score on the ground most weeks. The passing yardage against Miami marked a season low. And the 23 attempts matched his low. So we probably shouldn't worry too much about this outing. After a Week 14 bye, though, Howell gets a rough closing schedule. The Rams in Week 15 look fairly neutral for QB scoring. The Jets and 49ers present two of the position's worst scoring matchups. Altogether, it's the second-worst QB schedule over the final three fantasy weeks (for most leagues). Look for not only a Week 14 fill-in for Howell, but consider potential platoon partners for the fantasy playoffs.

Commanders QB Sam Howell threw for just 255 yards and 1 TD despite attempting 45 passes in Sunday's loss to the Giants. He also took 4 sacks and tossed 3 INTs. It was a surprisingly tough day for Howell, considering how much the Giants have struggled lately. But it was his second rough outing against the Giants this season. Washington's QB did save his fantasy day with 35 yards and a TD rushing. Howell gets a (supposedly) tougher matchup at Dallas in Week 12 that just might push him outside the top 12 in our QB rankings. Then comes a home date with Miam and a Week 14 bye. Howell should be startable in Week 13 but doesn't look especially helpful overall for the next three weeks. And he'll return from the bye to find a just-OK Rams matchup, then poor matchups with the Jets and 49ers. This might be a time to consider trading Howell if you're otherwise OK at QB.