Who Should I Start? Terry McLaurin or Tank Dell

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.

Tuesday, September 16, 9:15 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (knee) suffered a gruesome knee injury in December 2024, dislocating his knee and tearing his ACL, MCL, and LCL. The 25-year-old wideout was placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform list in August, meaning he is not eligible to return until Week 5. The most likely scenario remains that Dell will be out far longer than that. Given the timing of his 2024 injury, it would not be surprising if Dell does see any game action in 2025. Dell is worth stashing for future production in dynasty leagues, but he should not be on the radar of redraft fantasy managers unless there is a significant change in his return status.