McLaurin leads in targets again

Commanders WR Terry McLaurin led the team in targets for the 2nd straight game in Sunday's loss to the Vikings. He caught 5 of 9 for 56 yards. WR Curtis Samuel beat him in receiving yards, taking his 3 catches for 65 yards and a TD. His 49-yard score accounted for most of that, though, and came on an absurd play. QB Taylor Heinicke threw a deep ball into triple coverage. One of the Minnesota CBs ran into an official, while the other 2 misplayed the ball. That allowed Samuel to make a catch going to the ground and then roll into the end zone. Heinicke totaled just 149 passing yards for the game. His other TD pass went to WR Dax Milne. Washington visits Philadelphia next Monday night.

According to Michael Phillips of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Commanders HC Ron Rivera said this week that he'll play WRs Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel for "at least a portion of the game" Sunday. The notion here is that the coach will give rookie QB Sam Howell some time to work with the team's top options in his NFL debut. Of course, the fantasy read is that Rivera likely doesn't plan to play McLaurin or Samuel the entire game. That could change if Howell delivers and the team stays tight with the Cowboys. But the uncertainty -- including that brought by a 5th-round rookie QB in his 1st pro action -- should make you wary of starting McLaurin in Week 18 fantasy football lineups. We'll keep updating our Week 18 fantasy football rankings for anything else we learn on this and other situations.

Commanders WR Terry McLaurin caught 8 balls for 105 yards and a TD in Sunday's tie with the Giants. His 12 targets led the team and constituted 29.3% of QB Taylor Heinicke's total pass attempts. WR Curtis Samuel followed with 6 receptions for 63 yards. WR Jahan Dotson added a 5-54-1 receiving line. The rookie's 9 targets ranked 2nd on the team. Washington now gets a Week 14 bye, then a rematch with the Giants.

The Commanders threw for just 138 yards in Sunday's win over the Falcons, running 37 times vs. just 23 dropbacks. WR Terry McLaurin led the team in targets (6), catches (4) and receiving yards (48), while no teammate exceeded 24 yards. TE John Bates checked in next with 3 catches for 24 yards on 4 targets. He and RB Brian Robinson Jr. caught QB Taylor Heinicke's 2 TD throws. Logan Thomas continued to lead TEs in routes but trailed Bates by 1 target and logged just 1 catch for 7 yards. WRs Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel combined or 0 catches on 1 target.

Commanders WR Terry McLaurin posted a 6-113 receiving line in Sunday's win at Indianapolis. His 8 targets led the team, marking the 1st time this season that McLaurin has held that position by himself. RB Antonio Gibson checked in 2nd (7), with RB J.D. McKissic next (5). WR Curtis Samuel -- who had led or tied for the lead in every previous game -- checked in 4th with 4 targets. He caught 3 of those for 50 yards and rushed 4 times for 29 more.

Commanders WR Terry McLaurin tied WR Curtis Samuel for the team target lead (8) in Sunday's win over the Packers. That marked the 1st time this season that McLaurin didn't trail Samuel, coinciding with the 1st start for QB Taylor Heinicke in place of Carson Wentz. McLaurin caught 5 balls for 73 yards and a TD, 1 of 2 Heinicke threw. Samuel also caught 5 balls for 53 yards and added 26 rushing yards on 5 carries. Washington heads to Indy in Week 8.