Fantasy Football Player Notes

Without McLaurin (or even a potentially limited one) the target floodgates will open for Jahan Dotson to absolutely feast versus an extremely suspect defense. Dotson had more WR1 finishes than Terry McLaurin in 2022, who played in 5 more games than Dotson. Factor in Dotson's strong finish after his injury from Weeks 13-18, and he's a no-brainer breakout candidate for Week 1. Over that span, he led the Commanders with a 24% target share averaging 2.2 yards per route run (tied with McLaurin). And during the preseason, it was clear he was Sam Howell's favorite target. He played 100% of the snaps with Howell during the NFL preseason. And after McLaurin got hurt, Dotson caught 5-of-7 targets for 76 yards. The former Penn State star recorded all 76 of his yards in the second quarter (28% target share).

Terry McLaurin is currently dealing with a turf toe injury that he suffered in the team's final preseason game. Listed as day-to-day, he will suit up Week 1 but will be less than 100%. The matchup is too good versus the Cardinals to pass. View him as a fantasy WR3 for Week 1. Not an auto-start.