Who Should I Start? Zach Ertz or Luke McCaffrey

Monday, October 20, 11:59 AM

Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz reeled in 3-of-7 targets for 36 yards and a touchdown in his team's 44-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. The Commanders' offense couldn't get much going against Dallas, and that was true before and after second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels (hamstring) was forced from the game with an injury. Ertz encouragingly led the team in targets and corralled his fourth TD of the campaign, putting him on pace to surpass his figure from a season ago (seven). However, his production will take a hit moving forward if Daniels is again forced to miss time. The 34-year-old could be on the streaming radar in Week 9 when his team squares off with the Kansas City Chiefs. Although, that would largely depend on the status of wide receivers Terry McLaurin (quad) and Deebo Samuel Sr. (heel). The duo's practice status should be monitored over the week ahead, as should the result of Daniels' MRI.

Monday, October 20, 12:35 PM

Washington Commanders second-year wide receiver Luke McCaffrey entered the Week 7 contest against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday with a prime opportunity to break out with both Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) and Deebo Samuel Sr. (heel) sidelined. That unfortunately did not happen, though, as McCaffrey finished with no catches on just two targets in the 44-22 loss on the road. It was a disappointing showing after the 24-year-old had three touchdowns in the previous four weeks. McCaffrey also had an injury scare in the blowout loss to Dallas, which could have contributed to his quiet day against a porous secondary. Even if McLaurin and Samuel miss more time, McCaffrey is hard to trust as a boom/bust deep threat for the Commanders, especially with quarterback Jayden Daniels (hamstring) dealing with another injury. McCaffrey hasn't had more than three targets in any of his seven games in 2025.