The Washington Commanders will face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Commanders and Cowboys skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 18 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Jayden Daniels, QB
Jayden Daniels posted the fourth regular season game all-time with at least 225 passing and 125 rushing yards, joining …
- 2019 Lamar Jackson
- 2018 Josh Allen
- 2010 Michael Vick
His ability to adjust to the speed of the NFL game on the fly has been remarkable – he’s essentially been unstoppable when at full health. He was intercepted twice against the Cowboys in Week 12, but he threw for 275 yards and two scores while adding 13.4 fantasy points with his legs.
We’ve seen Daniels grow from a signal caller who wanted to rely on his legs to one who was comfortable with a single receiver to a well-rounded asset that no team wants to see in the postseason.
I have him ranked as my QB2 this week, and I worry I might be too low.
Brian Robinson Jr., RB
Brian Robinson Jr. came out of the gates flying this season, ranking as the 14th most valuable running back (total PPR points) through the first four weeks. Since then, however, Robinson has only one finish as RB14 or better, struggling with health and inefficiency in the process (44.2% below expectations over the past three weeks).
The Commanders want to win this game, but I think they are plenty happy to put the ball in Jayden Daniels’ hands and take their chances. In Week 12 against Dallas, Washington’s running backs combined for 57 yards on 17 carries, and that’s not going to cut it.
Robinson has multiple receptions in three straight games; that is his path to overachieving. We saw some growth in his skill set last season, but it largely has vanished this season. I think we are looking at 15 carries and a few targets, a role in a plus matchup that slides Robinson into my RB2 tier, even given the recent struggles.
Terry McLaurin, WR
Last Updated Sunday at 11:30 AM
McLaurin is active for today's game
So what?
Terry McLaurin was locked down last week (one catch on 41 routes). That stinks if it sunk you during your fantasy playoffs and/or set you back during a two-week matchup.
I’m sure he feels terrible. But in no way should that impact your confidence in Washington’s WR1 this week, during the playoffs, or moving into next season.
In fact, I’d be more likely to argue that last week was a good thing. We’ve seen this in Minnesota, where defenses are daring anybody not named Justin Jefferson to beat them, and they have 14 wins in part because Jordan Addison is making them pay for that game plan.
There isn’t an Addison on this roster, but the Commanders won a game last week in which Olamide Zaccheaus and Zach Ertz were heavily featured and productive (58.3% of the catches and 69.2% of the receiving yards), which could impact how this team is defensed moving forward.
McLaurin cleared 100 yards and scored in Week 12 against Dallas, and with his team playing for seeding, I expect him to be a full-go on Sunday. He’s having a career year (12 touchdown catches are as many as his previous top two seasons combined), and you should be privileged to be able to start him in Week 18.
Zach Ertz, TE
Last Updated Sunday at 11:30 AM
Ertz is active for today's game
Zach Ertz didn’t turn 34 years of age until Week 11 and yet, his five touchdowns this season as a 34-year-old are tied for the most by a player this season (Adam Thielen also has five, but he’s been 34 years old all season).
The veteran was productive in Week 12 against these Cowboys (6-38-1) and the Commanders are playing for seeding against the second-worst scoring defense since Week 6 (29.5 points allowed per game, only the Panthers have been worse). That’s more than enough to land Ertz inside of my top 10 at the position this week.
While I’m not weighing it heavily, he’s within shouting distance of a trio of contract incentives that would pay fantasy managers just as much as it would him. Ertz receives $250,000 for every threshold he hits of a 70-700-8 season stat line. He needs nine catches, 90 yards, and two scores.
Cooper Rush, QB
With CeeDee Lamb sidelined the Cowboys decided to … ramp up the aggression?
Cooper Rush’s aDOT entering Week 17 was 6.7 yards. On Sunday, his rate spiked to 9.4. That’s only a single data point, but it’s an interesting one heading into a matchup against the third-worst deep-ball defense in the league in terms of touchdown rate.
Rush threw for 247 yards and a pair of scores in the first meeting with the Commanders. While that sounds tempting to chase, 41.7% of his completions that afternoon went to Lamb. I thought Washington’s defense was fine for the majority of Week 17 outside of the final drive in regulation. With their seeding on the line, I’m expecting a similar performance this week.
He may have his moments on Sunday, but I’d be surprised if Rush returned top-15 value this week.
Rico Dowdle, RB
That’s now six straight games with over 100 rushing yards or at least three catches for Rico Dowdle. I’ve largely been impressed with what Dowdle has put on tape this season and will be bullish on him next season as a result. His 17-game pace since Week 12, when this franchise committed to him:
- 340 carries
- 32 catches
- 1,899 total yards
This is a fine matchup, and if Dallas wants to play spoiler, Dowdle is their best path to doing that (Week 12 at Washington: 22 touches for 98 yards). The limitations of his fantasy profile are more a product of the team he plays for than anything — Dallas ranks 22nd in red-zone drives this season (2.75 per game), one season after pacing the league in that stat (4.18).
Brandin Cooks, WR
Brandin Cooks saw a season-high eight targets last week and that was enough to get him to 52 yards. Dallas is paying him a whole bunch of money to do very little, so if a little season-ending stat padding helps make their investment look better, I’m happy for them.
For our purposes, I’m not the least bit tempted to bite. Jalen Tolbert is getting what few high-value targets are generated by this offense, and I’m just not sure that Cooks is capable of producing at a viable level anymore.
The veteran wideout is under one yard per route run this season and doesn’t have a grab gaining more than 30 yards since Thanksgiving — of last season. If you want to bet on Cooper Rush (what a sentence), Tolbert or the tight ends is the way to do it.
CeeDee Lamb, WR
The Cowboys announced before Week 17 kicked off that the additional exams they performed on CeeDee Lamb’s ailing shoulder revealed enough damage for them to end his season two weeks early. We’ve known for a while that the alpha receiver was working through various injuries, and with the team officially out of the hunt, this decision seemed more inevitable than anything.
Among qualified receivers through 16 weeks, Lamb ranked third in expected PPR points per game this season while assuming the fifth-highest on-field target share.
We’ve seen many pass games be grounded of late and Lamb is no exception, as his aDOT has declined in three straight seasons (10.9 – 10.5 – 10.1 – 8.3). That, however, didn’t stop Lamb from posting his fourth 1,100-yard season. He doesn’t turn 26 until April, yet he already sits No. 2 on the Cowboys’ all-time list in 1,100-yard seasons (Michael Irvin: 6).
When it comes to 2025, I’m not hesitating to rank him among the best in the game and a first-round selection. The average depth of target stuff is interesting and would be more concerning if we weren’t dealing with an elite talent. I don’t think Dak Prescott is Joe Burrow, but we’ve seen Ja’Marr Chase’s usage follow a similar trajectory in the three healthy seasons from his franchise QB (12.6 in 2021, 9.1 in 2023, and 8.9 this season). I see no reason to think things will be different in the case of Dallas’ WR1.
It’s early, but I have six receivers labeled as Tier 1 redraft options for 2025, and Lamb is on that list (others: Chase, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Nico Collins, Puka Nacua, and Justin Jefferson).
Jalen Tolbert, WR
Last Updated Sunday at 11:30 AM
Tolbert is active for today's game
Talk about a day late and a dollar short. I like Jalen Tolbert coming into the season as Dallas’ WR2, operating under the thought that Brandin Cooks’ best days were behind him and that the attention paid to CeeDee Lamb would open things up for a secondary option.
None of that has really played out, but Tolbert has now scored in three straight games and found the painted area when these teams played in Week 12. Tolbert posted a 19% on-field target share last week, a rate that I think is about what we can expect in this Lamb-less offense.
Cooper Rush hasn’t been a world-beater by any means, but we did see him produce efficient numbers in two plus-matchups before last week (68.8% complete with four touchdowns and no interceptions against the Panthers and Buccaneers).
I’m not going out of my way to get Tolbert exposure this week, but if you think Dallas is going to be playing from behind, there’s a thread to pull, even if his value hinges more on touchdowns than I am comfortable.
Jake Ferguson, TE
Jake Ferguson lost a fumble last week, but he was reasonably involved, continuing a trend that we’ve seen lately (14 targets on 44 routes over his past two games). There is an upside to target here with CeeDee Lamb out and Dallas labeled as a 3.5-point underdog. Luke Schoonmaker was able to get loose against Washington when these teams met in Week 12 for 55 yards and a touchdown, a role that is Ferguson’s to lose.
That said, it’s difficult to go in this direction with much confidence. We are nearly two months removed from the last time Ferguson cleared 40 receiving yards. The Commanders’ defense isn’t one to fear, but they will be functioning at full strength – not a worry for options like Hunter Henry or Will Dissly. For me, he ranks in the same range as Juwan Johnson and Cole Kmet as focused TEs on poor offenses facing a team with something to play for.