Washington Commanders DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. looked slimmer during spring drills than he had last year, and he appears to have lost even more weight for the start of training camp. "I think he looks great," head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the offense took its first snaps in 11-on-11 drills. "I thought he looked great in OTAs and minicamp. And I think he looks better today." The 49ers are practicing without two wideouts, Brandon Aiyuk and first-round pick Ricky Pearsall (hamstring), so Samuel's fantasy draft stock remains in a state of flux until a clearer picture emerges of how this receiving corps might look for the start of the regular season. The 28-year-old Pro Bowl wideout totaled 12 touchdowns in 15 appearances in 2023, placing second at his position in PPR fantasy points per route run (0.67) and first in fantasy points per target (2.74) over 89 targets, and he's being treated as a WR1 bet at his second-round ADP this summer.

The Las Vegas Raiders announced on Tuesday night that the team has placed wide receiver Michael Gallup on the reserve/retired list. After six seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, the 28-year-old Gallup signed a one-year pact with the Raiders, where he amassed 266 receptions for 3,744 yards and 21 touchdowns. Gallup's 2023 saw his statistics take a sharp decline, with just 34 receptions, 418 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. The Raiders signed Gallup to add some depth to a receiving corps that, after Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, was short on experience and a veteran presence. Instead, Gallup has called it a career before Raiders training camp opens on Wednesday.

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said that rookie first-round quarterback Jayden Daniels and veteran Marcus Mariota will split time with the first-team offense early in training camp. "When he's ready, we'll know," Quinn said of Daniels. Daniels, the second overall pick in April's NFL draft out of LSU, saw most of the starting work in offseason practices and is fully expected to be the starter under center in D.C. to begin his rookie season in Week 1, but the Commanders aren't forcing anything early in training camp. The Commanders naming the 23-year-old as the starter is expected to become a formality sooner than later. Daniels' dual-threat ability and a strong supporting cast in Washington give him plenty of immediate upside in fantasy, both in single-year and dynasty/keeper formats.

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin has had a career marred by constant quarterback changes and organizational dysfunction. Through it all, McLaurin has recorded four straight 1,000-yard seasons. His talent has constantly been on display with highlight-reel catches, and he has been a consistently solid presence in Washington's receiving core. With rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels stepping in, McLaurin feels the Commanders offense could be headed somewhere special. For fantasy football's sake, hopefully, McLaurin is correct. Daniels brings stability to the quarterback position and should provide McLaurin and the other receivers with one single presence throughout the season. McLaurin has a chance to build on his 1,002-yard and four-touchdown season in 2023. As roughly the WR33 in fantasy drafts, McLaurin could provide your team with solid value even with a rookie quarterback slinging the rock.

Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz was once one of the most productive players at the position. While his numbers have been on the decline over the last few years, Ben Standig of The Athletic reports that he looked good in offseason activities this summer. "Ertz, 33, showed more speed than expected in practices," Standig wrote. "Injuries are more concerning than the three-time Pro Bowler's remaining talent." The 2013 second-round pick could be heavily relied on by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels early in his NFL career, especially while rookie tight end Ben Sinnott makes the transition to the next level. Ertz is unlikely to possess TE1 upside at this stage of his career, but he might produce mid-range TE2 numbers, making him worth rostering in deep PPR setups. The former Stanford Cardinal enters 2024 in 12th place on the all-time receiving list by a tight end with 7,434 yards.