The Washington Commanders will face the Carolina Panthers in Week 7. 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 7 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Jayden Daniels, QB
It feels like every week I leave more impressed with what Daniels is doing. Last week, even in a losing effort, I found his ability to excel in timing situations intoxicating. The highlight of the performance was the six-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin that could not have been defended any better.
I could wax poetic about everything the rookie can do, but keeping things simple might be the best option in this spot. The Panthers rank 27th or worst in yards per attempt, passer rating, touchdown rate, first-down percentage, and essentially any other statistic you want to select from the buffet.
Daniels has been a QB1 in five of six weeks and could very well be the QB1 this week.
Austin Ekeler, RB
Ekeler was responsible for three of Jayden Daniels’ first six Week 6 completions (23 yards) and played the role of movable weapon, even with Brian Robinson Jr. sidelined. For the season, the veteran running back has 27 more receiving than rushing yards (15 catches on 16 targets) a role that can serve as a viable one in a bye-week-replacement sense but not one that I am comfortable in backing once Robinson is back to handling the valuable touches.
One-quarter of Ekeler’s carries this season have failed to cross the line of scrimmage, a flaw that is going to keep him out of my Flex rankings more often than not, but holding a player like this at the end of your bench provides stability should injuries and/or bye weeks leave you short on options. His role isn’t going anywhere, and it will be enough to bail you out in times of need.
Brian Robinson Jr., RB
A right knee injury kept Robinson out of practice last week and resulted in his first DNP of the season. He was clearly limited in the Week 5 blowout win over the Browns, so it was telling that the team still elected to use him in scoring situations (two touchdowns).
B-Rob has scored in four of five games this season and has produced 9.1% over fantasy expectations. We’ve seen his vision make nice strides this season from last (yards per carry before contact up 31.4%), and in an offense that can produce in many ways, that growth is great to see.
You’ll want to make sure Robinson is back on the practice field ahead of this difficult matchup. Assuming that he is, he’s worked himself into the must-start tier at the position.
Terry McLaurin, WR
This Jayden Daniels-led machine is impressive on multiple levels, one of which is their willingness to share the ball. Both running backs have had their moments, and multiple pass catchers have made plays. But McLaurin has established himself as the alpha we knew he could be — it’s amazing to see.
Through six weeks, he has as many catches (29) as any of his teammates have targets, has more receiving yards than any two other receivers on this roster combined, and has accounted for four of six touchdown receptions (he’s scored in three of his past four games after scoring in three of his previous 17 games).
He’s finished three of the past four weeks no worse than WR16, and I think that’s low-balling his standing for Week 7 against a defense that is bottom-five in EPA, red-zone efficiency, third-down prevention, and passer rating.
We’ve waited five long seasons to put McLaurin’s name alongside some of the best in the game, and I see no reason not to do it in this spot. Scary Terry sits at WR8 in my current rankings, and I feel great about it.
Zach Ertz, TE
Ertz’s on-field target share has been all over the place this season, a nod to Jayden Daniels’ willingness to spread the ball around — good for Washington, awful for us.
On-field target shares:
- Week 3 at Bengals: 19.2%
- Week 4 at Cardinals: 9.7%
- Week 5 vs. Browns: 29.6%
- Week 6 at Ravens: 14.3%
I think you’re asking for too much if you want Ertz to be a consistent producer, as he more profiles as a streaming option that you hope to evaluate correctly in this potent offense.
We could see consecutive usable weeks from the veteran, as this team is flirting with an implied total of 30 points, and the Panthers allow the highest passer rating on short passes (108.9). Ertz is capable of running down the field, but a handful of short completions would be enough to justify starting him given the scoring equity that comes preloaded in this matchup.
