2026 Team Previews: Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders 2026 Preview
All ADP data is courtesy of Fantasy Pros.
** = target in drafts at this ADP
Drafted Everywhere
**Terry McLaurin, WR (ADP: 56, WR24): Last season was a disaster for the entire Commanders franchise, and McLaurin is included. He played in only 10 games, barely had overlap with when Jayden Daniels was healthy, and managed just 38 receptions, 582 yards and three touchdowns after an extended contract dispute kept him out of camp. Things are different now, he’s healthier, and he actually has some help in the WR room so teams can’t just focus all their attention on containing the WR1. There’s no question who the alpha receiver is for Washington, but McLaurin is a pure X, so it benefits him when there’s another option, be it the flanker or the slot, who can open things up and draw some attention. With the acquisition of Stefon Diggs, McLaurin now has that.
McLaurin’s long been a rock-solid bet for 1,000-1,100 yards and 4-5 touchdowns, and our expectations soared when he finally got a high-end QB, put up his typical reception and yardage numbers but spiked for 13 touchdowns. Touchdowns aren’t always sticky, and that number does seem fluky comparatively to the rest of his career, but Daniels is easily the best QB he’s played with. Last season was an injury-marred fluke too in all likelihood, and the most likely outcome is another 1,000+-yard season with 6-8 touchdowns. If so, you’re going to be pretty happy with this ADP, and if he can crack double-digit scores you’re ecstatic.
**Jayden Daniels, QB (ADP: 63, QB5): Daniels crashed to earth following a crazy rookie season, but it had far more to do with injuries and poor roster construction than his own play. Daniels got banged up multiple times in 2025, which is always a risk for QBs who run as frequently as he does, and for a player who carried high injury risk as a prospect. It also did not help that for a second straight season the Commanders decided to enter the year with one high-level pass catcher (McLaurin), and that player got hurt after he was jerked around for the entire offseason. With limited receiving options at his disposal, and a running game that was degraded from 2024, it seemed clear Daniels felt the strain and pressed. One of football’s most accurate passers in 2024 started to struggle with short stuff, per Reception Perception. His success rates at the intermediate and deep levels were very strong though, which is a big deal when you have a healthy McLaurin at your disposal, and a new weapon who thrives at getting open over the middle.
Daniels’ stats fell off a cliff, but his play did not. A healthier season with better weapons should be enough to bring his passing stats back to life, if not to an elite level, and he will continue to be among the premier rushing QBs in the NFL. At this ADP, he’s probably the best bargain among the elite tier of fantasy QBs, but this has potential to get inflated as Draft Day nears and people start dreaming on his rushing floor with his passing upside.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB (ADP: 101, RB38): Croskey-Merritt is the presumed leader of a backfield that is, quite honestly, a fantasy mess. It’s borderline impossible to predict who will be the leader of this RB room that will almost assuredly be a committee, even though Croskey-Merritt’s end of season stats were passable. He finished 2025 with 873 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns, but he had pretty clearly lost control of the backfield to Chris Rodriguez, who is now gone. JCM was barely used in the passing game, which lowers his upside a great deal, and the Commanders signed Rachaad White this offseason which is likely a nail in the coffin of any hopes of him being a three-down back. He’s deep enough in ADP that picking him and missing won’t be too damaging, but it’s a dire case in terms of ceiling.
**Rachaad White, RB (ADP: 112, RB40): White, going right after JCM, seems like the lower-upside choice because of our history with him. Croskey-Merritt had some moments last season and is still a young player who might get better. White is someone who, in Tampa Bay, was really viewed as a guy who just hindered Bucky Irving from hitting his ceiling. PFF believes otherwise, grading him out as their No. 11 back last year and giving him an 87.2 rushing grade, fourth-best among all qualifying rushers. White’s not a big play guy, but he has rushed for 4.3 yards per carry in back-to-back seasons and has legitimate receiving chops. White has caught 40 or more passes in each of his four NFL seasons and he’s ticketed for a ton in this offense. At his best, with lots of volume, we saw White compile over 1,500 total yards and nine touchdowns in 2023. This is a player who can produce and be a major value. He’s just not going to be flashy about it. Fine by me, I think his role is much more secure than JCM’s, and if the narrative is that JCM has the higher ceiling I’d ask for proof. There’s a chance White outperforms this ADP by quite a lot.
Interesting Players
Stefon Diggs (ADP: 115, WR47): Diggs is entering his age-33 season, but this perception that he’s ancient ignores the product on the field. Diggs operated as New England’s de facto No. 1 in 2025, and while he’s ill-suited for that these days he still caught 85 balls for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns. He’s moving on to Washington now, where he’ll be a clear No. 2 and the role is going to fit like a glove. He’s a player who has lost that deep separation ability, but remains a craftsman who is unguardable on the short stuff. As a slot receiver or flanker, Diggs will still be tough to keep up with, and he’ll be a reliable chain-mover for Daniels who makes occasional big plays when he’s got a chance to cook DBs in one-on-one scenarios. We’re not talking about even a WR2 in all likelihood, but Diggs had five games with 100+ yards in 2025, and seven games with six or more receptions. That kind of ceiling is very high for a player who is being drafted like a fringe FLEX option.
Chig Okonkwo, TE (ADP: 152, TE18): Okonkwo is unusually athletic for a TE, and even though he’s been around for a while, his game is reminiscent of Jonnu Smith’s who had a very late breakout in the right situation. Okonkwo’s about to be a pretty featured part of this offense, and if he gets similar usage to previous TEs I believe he can do much more damage with them.
Zach Ertz was the second-most targeted Commander last year at 72, and he was second in 2024 as well with 91 targets. That’ll change a bit with Diggs arriving because he’ll certainly demand targets, but even if Okonkwo’s in the 70s he has enough athleticism and burst after the catch to rack up good yardage and maybe even some touchdowns. It would be a risk to rely on him as your season-long TE out of the gate, but he’s going right around the likes of Hunter Henry and Oronde Gadsden Jr., two talented players with more competition for targets. He’s not someone to draft, but if there’s a big Week 1 I’m not afraid to go fairly hard after him on waivers.
Deep Cuts
Kaytron Allen, RB (ADP: 244, RB68): Allen was the less hyped of Penn State’s two-headed RB monster but he was far and away the more trusted and productive. It’s not often sixth-round RBs amount to a whole lot for fantasy, but it does happen from time to time and this situation has no clear frontrunner. Allen has rushed for 1,108 and 1,303 yards in back-to-back seasons with the Nittany Lions, scoring 10 total touchdowns as a junior and 15 last year as a senior. Allen wasn’t a breakaway runner, but he is a load when he picks up steam and he’s very smooth when reading his blocks and sifting through crowds. He reminded me of bigger, faster Chris Rodriguez who had beaten JCM out by the end of last year. He’s probably not draftable without a dump truck’s worth of preseason buzz, but I’d certainly keep my eyes on him and pounce if his workload is bigger than we expected in the early going.
Antonio Williams, WR (ADP: 246, WR79): Williams is a pretty solid prospect who looked like he had a direct path to WR2 duties here in Washington with a great QB. That took a hit with Diggs entering the picture, and now I don’t believe Williams is draftable. He put up strong marks per Reception Perception and could very well be a productive rookie for Washington but he’ll need a Diggs injury to work his way onto the fantasy radar. Daniels is a very good passer, and I believe he’ll be highly efficient throwing touchdowns, but this won’t be a high-yardage passing offense, and if Williams is the WR3 there’s not a lot of meat left on the bone for him.