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.

Wednesday, September 17, 6:17 PM

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (shoulder) was officially listed as questionable after he was limited in practice on Tuesday. He has been on and off the injury report with his shoulder issue all season, and it's possible the short week before Thursday's game is making it challenging for him to get his normal workload. In Week 1, Waddle had just four catches for 30 yards, but he and the whole Dolphins' offense looked better in Week 2, when Waddle had five catches for 68 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots. Waddle will be a fringy flex or WR4 play if he does give it a go despite his injury designation. He's the WR38 this week in RotoBaller's rankings and can be used if needed, although there are many better options, especially if his workload isn't clear.