Commanders fantasy football starts and sits for Week 5 vs. the Browns
By Seth Jones
The Washington Commanders' offense is one of the best in the league right now after scoring 42 points in Week 4. They are also coming off the heels of two weeks with zero punts or turnovers.
The Commanders have found their guys at quarterback and offensive coordinator in Jayden Daniels and Kliff Kingsbury, but how does that translate to fantasy success?
Having the best offense in the league results typically equates to fantasy success for at least a few players on the Commanders' offense. Let's see which players they are heading into Washington's game against the Cleveland Browns in Week 5.
All stats are courtesy of Fantasy Pros.
Commanders fantasy football starts and sits for Week 5
Starts
Jayden Daniels
At this point, Jayden Daniels is the QB1 in fantasy. There is no one you should be looking to start over him - unless you have Josh Allen. That's it.
We all know how much fantasy success Daniels' legs can bring, but his arm is getting a lot of points regularly, too. The Browns are currently the seventh-hardest matchup for quarterbacks in fantasy. But the No. 2 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft is rapidly becoming match-up proof.
Start Daniels confidently every week.
Austin Ekeler
Austin Ekeler has been making the most of his touches. He is the primary passing-down running back, which certainly helps, but he has also been very efficient on the ground thus far.
He missed Week 4 with a concussion but will be ready this weekend. Start Ekeler as a flex play against the Browns. The veteran's fantasy potential immediately elevates if Brian Robinson Jr. isn't 100 percent.
Terry McLaurin
Daniels has been connecting with Terry McLaurin over the past two weeks. That's not changing anytime soon.
Through Weeks 3 and 4, McLaurin is the WR9 in PPR (points per reception) formats, good for 19.1 fantasy points per game. You can't guarantee the wideout is a WR1 the rest of the way in 2024, but this looks like he will be a consistent WR2, getting you 15-plus points a week.
Every Commanders fan knows how good McLaurin is. Being a consistent WR1 for the rest of 2024 is certainly in the cards.
The Browns are allowing the 21st most fantasy points to wide receivers in 2024, making it a plus match-up for McLaurin. Start him as a WR2 in Week 5.
Sits
Zach Ertz
Zach Ertz has been a starting-caliber fantasy tight end almost every week in 2024. However, rookie Ben Sinnott has been gaining snaps every week, going up to 30 in Week 4.
In Week 4, Ertz was held to only three receptions and 22 receiving yards. Start him in deeper leagues, but leave him on the bench aside from that.
Commanders WR trio
After McLaurin, not many Commanders wide receivers have entered fantasy relevance. That might change this weekend with Noah Brown ruled out, but there's just no telling for sure.
Until they prove otherwise, it's a considerable risk to start Olamide Zaccheaus, Luke McCaffrey, or Dyami Brown even with the recent signing after final cuts missing the clash.
Commanders' defense
The Commanders' defense put together a good performance in Week 4, in real life and fantasy. They only allowed 14 points to the Cardinals and put up 10 fantasy points.
With that said, starting them is still too big of a risk until Joe Whitt Jr.'s unit finds some consistency.
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