Washington Commanders DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (illness, wrist) is expected to play in Sunday night's game against the Dallas Cowboys. The wideout has been battling a wrist issue for a few weeks. He also was dealing with a case of Pneumonia, forcing his premature exit from the Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Fortunately, Samuel started to feel better over the last few days, so barring a setback, he should be good to go. The 49ers are hurting on the offensive side of the ball, with Brandon Aiyuk (knee) done for the year and Jauan Jennings (hip) missing another contest. There's also a chance George Kittle (foot) isn't available. As such, expectations are high for Samuel in Week 8, even if he still has some residual symptoms related to the illness.

Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels (ribs) remains questionable for Sunday's game according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Rapoport further reported that the rookie will do a walk-through, and go through further treatment on Saturday. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progress throughout the weekend as the former number-two overall selection will likely be a game-time decision. If Daniels is able to suit up, he should be locked into all lineups as a high-end option as he has averaged an impressive 25.1 PPR points per game through his first six NFL games. If not, Marcus Mariota should be viewed as a solid QB2 in deeper Superflex formats.

Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz remains a low-end TE1 heading into Week 8 as he faces the Chicago Bears. Last weekend, Ertz found the end zone for the first time in his Washington career last weekend and brought in four of his five targets for 40 yards. Over the past two weeks, Ertz has caught four passes in each game and seen at least five targets in each of them. Without a proven No.2 wideout, the veteran tight end has emerged as a consistent option in the Washington air attack. He remains a low-end TE1 on Sunday due to the reliable volume he has seen on a weekly basis.

Washington Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown is coming off his worst game of the season and remains an unreliable WR4 heading into Week 8. After seeing a season-high eight targets and four receptions in Week 6 against the Baltimore Ravens, Brown took a significant step back in Week 7 as he caught just one pass (one target) for a mere 16 yards. While the Commanders had a sizeable lead through most of the game, seeing Brown take a backseat was not a promising sign. For now, fantasy managers in deeper 14+ team formats should continue to hold Brown on their bench but not rely on him as a starting option.

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin should be viewed as a high-end WR2 in Week 8, even if he is without his QB1. Last weekend, with No. 2 QB Marcus Mariota playing most of the game, McLaurin caught six passes for 98 yards. This was his fifth straight game eclipsing double-digit PPR points. During this stretch, he averaged an impressive 83.0 yards per game, at least six targets in each game, with four total scores. Even though the Chicago Bears have allowed the seventh-fewest PPR points to opposing wideouts this season, McLaurin should see a heavy dose of targets, making him a safe WR2 with upside.