Who Should I Start? Luke McCaffrey or Arian Smith

Sunday, February 22, 4:59 AM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Luke McCaffrey (collarbone) had been ascending into a larger role on offense before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 9. McCaffrey suffered a broken collarbone on a kickoff return, ending his season roughly halfway through the year. He only had 11 catches at the time, as most of his contributions had come on special teams. However, he had started to take on more volume just prior to the injury. From Week 3 through Week 8, McCaffrey had 10 catches, 184 yards, and three touchdowns. He ranked as the overall WR42 in PPR leagues during that six-week span. Once the former third-round pick out of Rice recovers from his injury, he'll have a chance to compete for even more targets in this Commanders offense led by new offensive coordinator David Blough. Terry McLaurin remains the top pass-catcher in Washington, but veteran wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. and veteran tight end Zach Ertz (knee) are both headed for free agency. There are plenty of vacated targets to go around, and while the Commanders will surely add pass-catchers in the draft and free agency, McCaffrey might get first dibs on the lion's share of those targets because of his experience and familiarity within the Washington system.