The Washington Commanders prepare for their Week 15 road matchup against the New York Giants following their blowout loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Jayden Daniels aggravated his elbow injury last week and was unable to finish the game. Will fantasy football managers have their starting quarterback available this week?
Jayden Daniels Injury Update
Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow during Washington’s Week 9 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The injury occurred when Daniels scrambled after faking a handoff and eschewing a pass while trailing 38-7 with just over seven minutes left in the game. When tackled, he braced his fall with his left elbow, which was bent backward.​
X-rays were negative and an MRI revealed no structural damage, fueling hope for his return. Daniels was initially feared to need surgery on the dislocated elbow, but he did not and the team decided against putting him on injured reserve. Washington instead opted to re-evaluate him during their Week 12 bye week.​ He was able to return in Week 14.
Unfortunately, Daniels aggravated the elbow injury during Washington’s Week 14 blowout loss to the Vikings. The injury occurred in the third quarter after he threw an interception. As linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel ran with the ball, Daniels hit the turf hard when Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers pushed him while making a block on the interception return.​
Daniels went tumbling to the ground and hit his left elbow on the turf. He briefly remained hunched over in pain on the field before making his way back to the sideline. The Commanders initially listed him as questionable to return, but he did not re-enter the game.​
Head coach Dan Quinn said after the game that Daniels could have returned to the contest, but it was a coach’s decision to keep him on the sideline. Quinn noted Monday that Daniels is sore following Week 14 action, but added that there are no long-term concerns with the quarterback’s left elbow.​
Despite that assessment, Daniels will not play in Week 15. The Commanders are not taking any chances or playing any injury report games this week. They ruled Daniels out on Wednesday.
Marcus Mariota’s Fantasy Football Outlook
It’s easy to forget that Mariota has been a top-12 QB in each of his past three, but that’s exactly why I’m here!
MORE:Â Free Fantasy Football Start/Sit Optimizer
He ran for 126 yards across those games (opponents: Lions, Dolphins, and Broncos) and hit for a 35+ yard play with either his legs or his arm in each of them. The opposing starting QB has surpassed his season average in terms of fantasy points in six of their past seven games, a trend that if sustained, puts Mariota in the low-end QB1 discussion, even without Zach Ertz.
I’ve got him as my QB13 this week and would advise going this direction if you’re currently betting on Caleb Williams (vs. CLE), Justin Herbert (at KC), or Jordan Love (at DEN).
— Kyle Soppe, PFSN Fantasy Analyst
