Who Should I Start? Terry McLaurin or Jaylen Waddle

Wednesday, September 10, 4:01 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin was slow out of the gate in Week 1 against the Giants, catching two of his four targets for 27 yards. A slow start to the season could have been somewhat expected for McLaurin after limited practice time amidst his contract negotiations. The talk of a slow start could have been mitigated if he and Jayden Daniels were able to connect on a deep shot where McLaurin had his man beat badly on a double move. With the new acquisition, Deebo Samuel Sr. making his team debut, play caller Kliff Kingsbury made an emphasis to get Samuel involved, and he has established a good connection with Daniels after McLaurin missed a lot of time in training camp. A positive, at least for McLaurin, is that he did not face any restrictions regarding his snap count and routes. The star receiver started slow last season as he built rapport with Daniels, and should be expected to bounce back against an exploitable Green Bay secondary. McLaurin has faced the Packers three times in his career and has put up strong numbers, catching 16 of 27 targets for 252 yards and three touchdowns. He should be viewed as a mid-range WR2 with upside in a projected high-scoring Week 2 matchup against the Packers.

Friday, September 12, 12:11 PM

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (shoulder) will suit up for a Week 2 divisional matchup against the New England Patriots on Sunday despite being on the injury report this week, according to head coach Mike McDaniel. Waddle suffered a minor shoulder injury in the Week 1 blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts and put in a couple of limited practices this week heading into Friday. The 26-year-old looks fine after catching four of his five targets for only 30 yards last weekend while playing just 65 percent of the offensive snaps. It was an ugly showing for Waddle and the Dolphins' offense against Indy last weekend, but they'll try to get it turned around quickly against a very beatable Patriots squad. Until we see Miami's offense get it figured out after a disappointing 2024 campaign, Waddle will merely be a WR4/flex option in fantasy lineups.