The Washington Commanders will face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Commanders skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 12 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Jayden Daniels, QB
A rookie wall? I’m not going that far, but there’s no denying that Jayden Daniels hasn’t been the same since suffering his rib injury in Week 7.
- Weeks 1-7: 75.6% completion percentage, 107.0 passer rating
- Week 8-11: 59.5% completion percentage, 89.6 passer rating
Daniels has failed to reach 210 passing yards in three straight. More concerning for our purposes is that he’s rushed for a total of 23 yards over the past two weeks. I’m reading this as a reason to watch him with a close eye, but I’m holding off full-blown panic for another week.
Lamar Jackson completed 80% of his passes and picked up 14.7 rushing points against these Cowboys, while Jalen Hurts had a 70% completion rate with 17.6 points on the ground against them.
I have Daniels ranked as a must-start in all formats this weekend and am optimistic about his ability to get your fantasy team to the finish line coming out of the Week 14 bye for the fantasy postseason.
Austin Ekeler, RB
Brian Robinson Jr. returned last week, and yet, it was Austin Ekeler with the first touch of the game (a five-yard reception). Of course, Ekeler’s carry count was underwhelming (two, his fourth game this season with under five), but with nine targets, it didn’t matter at all.
Relying on a pass-catching back who is counted on in a singular way is dangerous, but given the direction of Washington’s offense, Ekeler is trending toward a Flex-worthy role. In Weeks 9-11, Jayden Daniels’ average distance of throw is just 5.3 yards, down from 8.1 through Week 8. If that continues, the veteran back is going to be a PPR asset for the remainder of the season.
There isn’t enough scoring equity in this profile for me to commit to Ekeler weekly. His one touchdown in a game with Robinson active came from 24 yards out, it wasn’t on a designed high-valued touch. However, with a 20-yard touch in eight of 10 games, there’s a level of explosion that we feared was a thing of the past
Brian Robinson Jr., RB
Brian Robinson Jr. has run for seven touchdowns on 117 carries this season (career prior: seven rushing scores on 383 attempts), capitalizing on the improved offensive environment despite a snap share that has reached 65% just once this season.
With multiple red-zone touches in every one of his games this season, the opportunity to sustain this scoring rate is there. Robinson’s ypc after contact is up 21.8% this season from last, something that I credit to Daniels’ presence and defenses unable to swarm.
Robinson’s regression in the passing game isn’t ideal (nor unexpected with the acquisition of Ekeler in the offseason), but with north of 15 carries in five of his past six healthy games to complement his scoring equity, there’s no reason to run away from this profile.
The ceiling may be capped, but so is the floor. So long as his hamstring holds up, Robinson is someone fantasy managers can count on.
Noah Brown, WR
Noah Brown remains my second favorite Commanders receiver, but that role holds zero value in most fantasy leagues, especially with roster spots at a premium this time of year. His size profile and role (12.1-yard aDOT) give him upside for DFS managers, but the inability to rack up volume (no more than three receptions in seven of nine games this season) is more damning than his physical tools are promising.
This is a strong offense, and I like filling out my roster with players on teams like that, but this is a concentrated unit and Brown simply isn’t a part of the fun. Feel free to throw your end-of-roster darts elsewhere.
Terry McLaurin, WR
The Week 11 loss to the Eagles was a mess, but if you’re panicking about Terry McLaurin after one dud, you don’t deserve him. Washington’s alpha had cleared 15 PPR points in five straight games before Thursday’s dud, and that’s closer to what you can expect the rest of the way.
Take a step back and look at the bigger picture. You trust this offense, right? You trust McLaurin’s role, right?
For the season, McLaurin has 6.7 more PPR points than the Commanders’ next three receivers, a role that is rivaled by few. He had no trouble earning targets against these Cowboys last season (19 in two games last year), a defense that was much more productive than the current version.
The only thing that worries me from the ugly performance last week is the fact that Philadelphia comes to town in Week 16. We can cross that bridge when we get to it — I’m starting McLaurin without a second thought in Week 12.
Zach Ertz, TE
Zach Ertz is coming off his best game of the season (6-47-1), though much of that production came on a late drive where the Eagles were content to let Washington move the ball if it meant time coming off the clock.
That said, all points count the same, and the veteran tight end has now caught at least four passes in five of his past six games. Ertz has seen his work rate from the slot vary on a week-to-week basis — if the Commanders commit to that role, we are looking at a weekly fantasy starter (80.6% catch rate when in the slot this season, 60% otherwise).
Ertz is a top-12 option for me in this spot, as I’m projecting the slot role to be there for the taking against a Dallas team allowing touchdowns to that spot on the field at the third-highest rate in the league.