The Washington Commanders will face the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Conference Championship Game. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding QB Jayden Daniels.
Is Jayden Daniels Playing vs. the Eagles?
Daniels was not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Commanders’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Jayden Daniels in the NFC Conference Championship Game?
I went to a well-respected high school in Upstate New York, attended a college that made the CFP Final Four this season, and married into a family that has four Master’s degrees.
I’ve absorbed a lot of knowledge over the years and — well, I’m running out of words to describe what it is that Jayden Daniels is doing.
Last week, he became the first player in NFL history with two touchdowns and 12 rush attempts without an interception in consecutive games (regular or postseason). His legs are what inspire the most fear (15+ yard run in five of his past six games), but we are talking about a true dual threat (35+ yard completion in four of his past five) who is playing with house money.
Daniels is deserving of elite status when it comes to our game and he’s going to have to be at his very best to compete this week. The Eagles slowed him down to a degree in the most recent meeting (6.0 yards per pass with a touchdown and an interception), but his growth has been exponential ever since. Subsequently, I’m not putting much weight into the value of that data point.
In seven full games since that dud, Daniels is seven-for-seven in terms of multi-TD pass games and I like his chances to extend that. When it comes to evaluating his upside, I think you have to tell a story regarding this matchup.
Philadelphia is the fourth-best defense at creating pressure without blitzing. Washington is a touch better than average when it comes to preventing such pressure. That is the matchup I’m using to determine my exposure levels.
During the postseason, Daniels’ yards per pocket pass attempt is up 25.7% from what he produced during the regular season. If he’s comfortable back there, he has a real chance to be the top producer this weekend.
He’s not currently a part of my primary lineup for one reason — Philadelphia’s tackling. This season, they allow the second-fewest yards per catch after the reception (4.7, 11.3% better than the league average). With Daniels’ average air yards down 23% during the postseason, I fear that staying ahead of the chains may be more difficult this week than it has been recently for this Washington offense.
Remember, we are splitting hairs at the highest of levels this week. I’m not out of the idea of Daniels in this big spot, I just prefer his opposing number.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Conference Championship Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Jayden Daniels’ Fantasy Points Projection in the NFC Conference Championship Game
As of Sunday morning, Daniels is projected to score 15.2 fantasy points in the Conference Championship Game. This includes 192.9 passing yards, 0.9 passing touchdowns, and 0.5 interceptions. It also includes 4.3 rushing attempts for 31.9 yards and 0.2 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Eagles' Defense
With Jalen Hurts MIA for the second straight week, the Philadelphia Eagles held on against the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round thanks to the disruptive playmaking of their defense.
Philly generated its fourth-highest sack rate in 2024 thanks to an uncharacteristically blitz-heavy game plan. The Eagles blitzed 22% of Matthew Stafford's dropbacks, their fifth-highest rate all season. It worked spectacularly, as they generated two sacks and five pressures when blitzing the Rams, along with a 46% pressure rate.
There isn't a single statistical flaw in Philadelphia's defense, which ranks top 10 in every metric that encompasses the Defense+ grades (except for sack rate, where they're 15th). That makes them favorites to win the NFC Championship Game, even with how spectacular Jayden Daniels has been as the presumptive Offensive Rookie of the Year.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Jayden Daniels’ Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.
Conference Championship QB PPR Rankings
1) Josh Allen | BUF (at KC)
2) Jalen Hurts | PHI (vs. WAS)
3) Jayden Daniels | WAS (at PHI)
4) Patrick Mahomes | KC (vs. BUF)
Commanders at Eagles Trends and Insights
Washington Commanders
Team: The Commanders won 23.5% of their games last season – the fourth-worst win percentage for a team that took part in a Conference Championship the following season.
QB: Jayden Daniels became the first player in NFL history with 15 rushes and 20 completions in a postseason game where he averaged 9.5 yards per pass.
QB: Daniels became the first player in NFL history with two touchdowns and 12 rush attempts without an interception in consecutive games.
Offense: Including the playoffs, there have been 15 instances in which a team starting a rookie QB score 34 points this season – the Commanders have accounted for seven of them.
Defense: How impactful has the offense been in Washington? They’ve now allowed over 2.5 points per drive nine times this season – they’ve won seven of those contests. It should be noted that their six worst point-per-drive defensive showings have all come on the road.
Fantasy: Brian Robinson ran for 77 yards and two scores on 15 carries against the Lions on Saturday night. In his previous four games, he ran for 110 yards and zero scores on 38 carries.
Betting: Do you think we'll see points in this game? Washington has covered each of the past four games that have gone over the total.
Philadelphia Eagles
Team: The Eagles lost two games in September and have lost one game since (at Washington, Week 16). In that loss, Philadelphia became the first team to score 21 points in the first quarter in a losing effort since the 2019 Texans (Divisional Round at Chiefs).
QB: Jalen Hurts is averaging 6.3 yards per pass in the postseason, down from 8.0 during the regular season.
Offense: Saquon Barkley has more rushing yards in touchdowns against the Rams this season (282) than any other player has for the season as a whole.
Defense: The Eagles have forced a turnover in 11 of their past 13 games (this coming on a streak of three turnover-less games in Weeks 6-8), including multiple in four of their past five games.
Fantasy: Hurts’ 44-yard TD on Sunday was the fourth longest by a QB inthe postseason, and he has now run for 29+ yards in 11 straight games (T-9th longest streak by a QB, the second longest streak of his career)
Betting: Since Week 10, overs are 2-0 when the Eagles play the Rams and 2-7 when Philadelphia plays any other team.
