Nov 7 update: Ian Rapoport is reporting that Daniels got positive news from his MRI and medical opinions. His dislocated elbow does not include any ligament damage and he won’t need surgery. The injury is not as serious as originally anticipated, and the Commanders will not immediately place him on injured reserve.
What Jayden Daniels’ elbow injury means for fantasy football
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels will a chunk of time with an elbow injury. We’ll take a look at the fantasy impact.
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NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Monday that Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has suffered a dislocated left elbow and will be sidelined for several weeks. The QB will get an MRI on Tuesday and while he will miss time, there is still a chance that he can return before the end of the season, Rapoport pointed out that Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack suffered a similar injury earlier in the season and ended up missing roughly five weeks.
Daniels sustained the gruesome injury in the fourth quarter of their ugly 38-14 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday night and that has led to head coach Dan Quinn taking criticism for leaving the QB in during the tail end of a blowout. The 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year had already been battered by injuries through the first half of the his sophomore campaign, already missing three games due to a knee sprain and a hamstring injury prior to Sunday’s loss.
The Commanders have been bitten hard by the injury bug this year with veteran running back Austin Ekeler tearing his Achilles in Week 2 and wide receiver Terry McLaurin missing a chunk of time battling a quad injury. With the team currently on a four-game losing streak and Daniels potentially going on IR, a return to the playoffs seems highly unlikely at this point.
Fantasy Football Impact
Daniels was the No. 3 quarterback in average draft position heading into the season but given his injury situation this year, managers should be used to not having him in their lineups by now. Veteran backup Marcus Mariota will once again take over in his absence and he should be readily available for those that are interested with a rostership of 6.6%. But he hasn’t been very impactful on the fantasy front, averaging just 16.9 fantasy points in the three games that he’s started this season. Options like Sam Darnold, Aaron Rodgers, and Joe Flacco should still be available on the waiver wire for those pressed for options in Daniels’ absence.
Daniels’ injury doesn’t portend good news for Commanders’ skill position weapons like Bill Croskey-Merritt, Deebo Samuel, or Zach Ertz, so managers need to think hard about deploying them in their lineups moving forward. However, a guy who has oddly benefitted from the QB’s absence is backup running back Jeremy McNichols, who has seen increased snap rates in all three games Mariota has started this season. That’s not to see that you should immediately go out and add McNichols to your roster, but just keep that factoid in the back of your head.
