Washington Commanders DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. gets his next chance to break out of a brutal slump when the team hosts the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night. The former first-team All-Pro has averaged 3.3 half-PPR points per game over his last four contests. Samuel created drama early in the week, expressing dissatisfaction with a perceived decrease in the team getting him the ball. There is some truth to the complaint. Samuel's career-high was 8.5 touches per game in 2021, and he averaged 6.5 touches per game last year, compared to 6.0 touches this year. Of course, he didn't mention his season total of four broken tackles on social media, nor his 13.8 yards per reception (down almost a full yard from 2023), or his 2.9 yards per carry. The squeaky wheel may get the grease in this situation, but head coach Kyle Shanahan and quarterback Brock Purdy don't seem like the type to force-feed a complaining wideout based on their reactions. The Rams have been a top-10 matchup for opposing wideouts, but it will be hard to trust Samuel in fantasy playoff lineups. He's a back-end WR3, at best, in Week 15.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Washington Commanders have claimed wide receiver K.J. Osborn. With Noah Brown (ribs) dealing with a significant injury, the Commanders are adding Osborn to add some depth to their wide receiver room. Osborn played a limited role in the New England offense earlier this season, catching just seven of his 18 targets for 57 yards and one score across 10 games. While Osborn may eventually find a role in this offense, fantasy managers should expect Dyami Brown, Olamide Zaccheaus, and rookie Luke McCaffrey to move up to a starting position in the short term. Dyami Brown is the most likely candidate to be given an extended look, as he has consistently seen a higher snap share than Zaccheaus and McCaffrey and has shown flashes at the time, averaging 10.3 yards per catch this season.

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said that wide receiver Noah Brown (ribs) is "going to be out for a while." Brown injured his ribs in the Week 13 win over the Tennessee Titans, but apparently the team's Week 14 bye wasn't enough time for him to heal up. The 28-year-old will miss practice on Wednesday and will most likely be ruled out later this week to play this Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. For however long Brown is sidelined, the Commanders will be hoping one of Olamide Zaccheaus, Dyami Brown and rookie Luke McCaffrey will be able to step up behind WR1 Terry McLaurin. None of the three really stand out as a waiver-wire pickup with Brown injured. Tight end Zach Ertz is most likely to be the biggest beneficiary in terms of targets and production with Brown set to miss time. In his first year in D.C., Brown has brought in 35 of his 56 targets for 453 yards and one touchdown in 11 games.

The New England Patriots waived wide receiver K.J. Osborn on Tuesday, according to a source. It was a mutual decision, with Osborn now having a chance to latch on with another team before the end of the season that will give him an opportunity for more playing time. The 27-year-old former Minnesota Vikings wideout was involved quite a bit in the offense earlier this year but dropped down the depth chart eventually as the season wore on as the Patriots prioritized getting some of their younger players involved on offense. He's been active for just three of the team's last nine games and will finish his only season in New England with seven receptions on 18 targets for 57 yards and one touchdown in seven games played. Osborn could latch on elsewhere down the stretch, but he'll be a long shot for fantasy relevance.

According to head coach Dan Quinn, the Washington Commanders will stick with kicker Zane Gonzalez despite his struggles against the Tennessee Titans in Week 13 when he missed both of his field-goal opportunities. Austin Seibert (groin, hip) is on Injured Reserve and won't be eligible to come back until the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Dallas Cowboys, so the 29-year-old Gonzalez figures to continue kicking for Washington until then. In his three games with the Commanders this year for the first time kicking in the NFL since 2021 with the Carolina Panthers, Gonzalez has gone 3-for-5 on field goals and 10-for-10 on extra-point tries. Heading into a Week 15 matchup against the New Orleans Saints indoors on the road, Gonzalez will be a streaming option for fantasy managers in the first round of the playoffs in most leagues.