Commanders News: Josh Harris, Ron Rivera, Sam Howell and Dez Bryant

Commanders QB Sam Howell's underrated value

After gradually building up confidence throughout the summer, we are about to see what quarterback Sam Howell is truly made of. The Washington Commanders are giving their former fifth-round selection a huge opportunity to become their franchise guy under center and spearhead an exciting new era following the arrival of Josh Harris' ownership group, with positive signs rapidly emerging in recent weeks.

It was a baptism of fire for Howell going up against the Commanders' elite defense during camp. However, the light seemed to come on shortly before joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens and it's been smooth sailing ever since.

This is a sentiment echoed by David Latham from Last Word on Sports is expecting big things from Howell and named the North Carolina product as one of ten underrated fantasy football players heading into the upcoming campaign.

"Normally, you don’t want to put too much faith in a fifth-round quarterback. However, Sam Howell is the exception to the rule. The North Carolina product would’ve been a first-round pick had he declared one year earlier, and his early NFL tape shows that his 2021 season was an outlier brought on by a bad supporting cast. Howell played well in the 2022 season finale and set the world on fire during the preseason, comfortably beating out Jacoby Brissett for the starting job. Now guaranteed a starting job with a great supporting cast in Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and Curtis Samuel, the sky is the limit for one of the most underrated players in the NFL."

- David Latham, Last Word on Sports

There are better options than Howell higher up the fantasy football pecking order, obviously. But he might be worth stashing on the bench as a wildcard option if everything clicks into place.