The Washington Commanders will face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 10. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR Terry McLaurin.
Is Terry McLaurin Playing in Week 10?
McLaurin is 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 Terry McLaurin in Week 10?
Terry McLaurin scored twice in the first half last week, giving him as many multi-TD games over the past month as he had in his career prior.
There are two receivers to score 15+ PPR points in four straight games this season, both of which are active streaks. The names? Justin Jefferson and Mr. McLaurin.
I’m worried more about the Week 10 value of Washington’s WR1 than the other pieces of this explosive offense. If you remove the Week 4 loss to the Colts, a game in which the Steelers prepared for Richardson but faced Flacco for the majority of the game after an injury, only once has a receiver reached 15 PPR points against Pittsburgh.
Drill down further, and you’ll notice that in the few instances in which this defense has given up production to a receiver, it hasn’t come from the expected source. Josh Downs outscored Michael Pittman Jr., Darius Slayton outscored Malik Nabers, and Jalen Tolbert outscored CeeDee Lamb.
The highs have been high for McLaurin tdalthis season, but there have been some lows as well, and I’m worried we could get one of those performances. He’s still a locked-in starter for me this week, but the floor could come into play here, which is why I’m passing in DFS formats.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 10 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Terry McLaurin’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 10
As of Sunday, McLaurin is projected to score 16 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 5.5 receptions for 77.1 yards and 0.4 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 Steelers’ Defense
There is an intriguing correlation between the Pittsburgh Steelers defense’s performances and their victories this year. In every game that they have ranked in the top half of the league that week, they have won. Whenever they have posted a grade below a C- on defense, they have lost. That also coincides with the points they have allowed, as both games in which they’ve allowed 20+ points have resulted in losses.
The Steelers’ offense has played its part in several games, but the defense has been very good in several games. Their concern as their schedule gets harder will be not being able to get consistent pressure without blitzing, as they rank 17th in pressure rate. That has shown up some in their stats against the pass, their ability to get sacks, and their ability to prevent third-down conversions.
The Steelers’ defense has started well, but they have a tough schedule coming up against some good offenses. We have yet to see them fully tested this year, and that will be an interesting element in the second half of the season.
Do you want more insight on all other defensive units across the NFL? Head over to our PFN Defense+ Rankings for analysis on all 32 teams.
Terry McLaurin’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 3:45 AM ET on Wednesday, December 25. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 17 WR PPR Rankings
1) Ja'Marr Chase | CIN (vs. DEN)
2) Puka Nacua | LAR (vs. ARI)
3) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (at SF)
4) Justin Jefferson | MIN (vs. GB)
5) Mike Evans | TB (vs. CAR)
6) Nico Collins | HOU (vs. BAL)
7) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. DAL)
8) CeeDee Lamb | DAL (at PHI)
9) Terry McLaurin | WAS (vs. ATL)
10) Davante Adams | NYJ (at BUF)
11) Tyreek Hill | MIA (at CLE)
12) Tee Higgins | CIN (vs. DEN)
13) Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX (vs. TEN)
14) Courtland Sutton | DEN (at CIN)
15) Ladd McConkey | LAC (at NE)
16) Drake London | ATL (at WAS)
17) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (at CHI)
18) Malik Nabers | NYG (vs. IND)
19) Cooper Kupp | LAR (vs. ARI)
20) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (at BUF)
21) Jauan Jennings | SF (vs. DET)
22) Zay Flowers | BAL (at HOU)
23) DJ Moore | CHI (vs. SEA)
24) Jakobi Meyers | LV (at NO)
25) Keenan Allen | CHI (vs. SEA)
26) Jordan Addison | MIN (vs. GB)
27) DK Metcalf | SEA (at CHI)
28) George Pickens | PIT (vs. KC)
29) Calvin Ridley | TEN (at JAX)
30) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. DAL)
31) Khalil Shakir | BUF (vs. NYJ)
32) Adam Thielen | CAR (at TB)
33) Jameson Williams | DET (at SF)
34) Deebo Samuel Sr. | SF (vs. DET)
35) Jayden Reed | GB (at MIN)
36) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (at PIT)
37) Xavier Worthy | KC (at PIT)
38) Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI (at LAR)
39) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (at CLE)
40) Darnell Mooney | ATL (at WAS)
41) Jerry Jeudy | CLE (vs. MIA)
42) Josh Downs | IND (at NYG)
43) Jalen McMillan | TB (vs. CAR)
44) Hollywood Brown | KC (at PIT)
45) Rome Odunze | CHI (vs. SEA)
46) Romeo Doubs | GB (at MIN)
47) Amari Cooper | BUF (vs. NYJ)
48) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND (at NYG)
49) Rashod Bateman | BAL (at HOU)
50) Quentin Johnston | LAC (at NE)
51) Jalen Coker | CAR (at TB)
52) DeMario Douglas | NE (vs. LAC)
53) Wan'Dale Robinson | NYG (vs. IND)
54) Christian Watson | GB (at MIN)
55) Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | TEN (at JAX)
56) Elijah Moore | CLE (vs. MIA)
57) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | BUF (vs. NYJ)
58) Calvin Austin III | PIT (vs. KC)
59) Joshua Palmer | LAC (at NE)
60) Robert Woods | HOU (vs. BAL)
61) Parker Washington | JAX (vs. TEN)
62) Tim Patrick | DET (at SF)
63) Ray-Ray McCloud III | ATL (at WAS)
64) John Metchie III | HOU (vs. BAL)
65) Keon Coleman | BUF (vs. NYJ)
66) David Moore | CAR (at TB)
67) Devaughn Vele | DEN (at CIN)
68) Michael Wilson | ARI (at LAR)
69) Tre Tucker | LV (at NO)
70) Kendrick Bourne | NE (vs. LAC)
71) Mike Williams | PIT (vs. KC)
72) Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN (at CIN)
73) Andrei Iosivas | CIN (vs. DEN)
74) Kayshon Boutte | NE (vs. LAC)
75) Malik Washington | MIA (at CLE)
76) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (vs. ATL)
77) Brandin Cooks | DAL (at PHI)
78) Sterling Shepard | TB (vs. CAR)
79) Tyler Lockett | SEA (at CHI)
80) Demarcus Robinson | LAR (vs. ARI)
81) Adonai Mitchell | IND (at NYG)
82) Dyami Brown | WAS (vs. ATL)
83) Dontayvion Wicks | GB (at MIN)
84) Alec Pierce | IND (at NYG)
85) Allen Lazard | NYJ (at BUF)
86) Van Jefferson | PIT (vs. KC)
87) Darius Slayton | NYG (vs. IND)
88) Ricky Pearsall | SF (vs. DET)
89) Jalen Tolbert | DAL (at PHI)
90) Jamison Crowder | WAS (vs. ATL)
91) Tyler Boyd | TEN (at JAX)
92) Troy Franklin | DEN (at CIN)
93) Kevin Austin Jr. | NO (vs. LV)
94) Mack Hollins | BUF (vs. NYJ)
95) Tutu Atwell | LAR (vs. ARI)
96) Jalen Nailor | MIN (vs. GB)
97) KaVontae Turpin | DAL (at PHI)
98) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (at PIT)
99) Michael Woods II | CLE (vs. MIA)
100) Justin Watson | KC (at PIT)
Pittsburgh Steelers at Washington Commanders Insights
Pittsburgh Steelers
Team: After this game, Pittsburgh has four straight games against divisional opponents, including both Cleveland games.
QB: Russell Wilson has thrown for 542 yards and three touchdowns in his two starts this season – no player had that stat line through two weeks this season.
Offense: The Steelers averaged 2.55 points per drive in Weeks 7-8 under Russell Wilson, the seventh-best rate in the NFL over that stretch and a 29.4% improvement over Pittsburgh’s rate through the first six weeks.
Defense: Pittsburgh went into their bye with the utmost confidence in their defense – after creating pressure on just 18.5% of opponent dropbacks in Weeks 6-7, they sped up the Giants 53.5% of the time in Week 8.
Fantasy: Joe Mixon, Bijan Robinson, and Najee Harris were the only running backs to post top-17 numbers at the position in Weeks 6-7-8.
Betting: Under tickets have come through in eight of Pittsburgh’s past 10 road games, and they’ve covered 12 of their past 16 away from home.
Washington Commanders
Team: The Commanders are seeking to start 5-0 at home for the first time since 1991. That was the season of their last Super Bowl title.
QB: Behind Jayden Daniels, this offense is turning the ball over a league-low 0.33 times per game. That’s the lowest average through nine weeks this millennium (second place: 2020 Packers, 0.38).
Offense: The Commanders reach the red zone on 48.8% of their drives, the only offense in the league with a rate of even 43%.
Defense: The Commanders own the sixth-highest sack rate in the NFL (9.1%).
Fantasy: There are two receivers to score 15-plus PPR points in four straight games this season, both of which are active streaks. The names? Justin Jefferson and Terry McLaurin.
Betting: The Commanders are 4-0 ATS at home this season, covering the spread by an average of 11 points per game.