Terry McLaurin, Brian Robinson, Commanders' Fantasy Outlook After Carson Wentz Injury

Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz is set to miss around a month of action, if not more, after suffering a fractured ring finger.

With Wentz out, Taylor Heinecke is the next man up on the Commanders' depth chart.

The 29-year-old played in 16 games (15 starts) in 2021 for Washington. He completed 65 percent of his passes for 20 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and 3,419 yards (6.9 yards per attempt). He also rushed for 313 yards and one score.

Per Pro Football Reference, Heinecke finished last year ranked 25th out of 33 qualifiers in quarterback rating and 24th in ESPN's QBR metric. He was 22nd in both Football Outsiders' DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) and DYAR (defense-adjusted yards above replacement) stats.

The Old Dominion product's best career game occurred in the 2020 NFC Wild Card Round against the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He completed 26-of-44 passes for 309 yards and one touchdown (one interception). He also rushed for 46 yards and one more score.

Heinecke's rushing ability makes him a decent enough option as a backup quarterback or fringe option in two-quarterback leagues. He's shown enough with his arm as well to make rosters as a backup.

His rankings are a drop down from Wentz's 2021 work with the Indianapolis Colts (13th in quarterback rating, 10th in QBR, 16th in both Football Outsiders' DVOA and DYAR), but Heinecke wasn't necessarily a hindrance for Washington skill-position players to produce.

McLaurin caught 77 passes for 1,053 yards and five touchdowns last year, and he has a somewhat disappointing 22/367/1 stat line this year. According to FantasyPros, he finished 29th among all wideouts (10-game minimum) in fantasy points per game in point-per-reception leagues. His 130 targets were 13th-most in the NFL among wideouts.

Gibson rushed for 1,037 yards and seven touchdowns on 258 carries last year. He also caught 42 passes for 294 yards and three scores. He scored the 17th-most points per game among all running backs in PPR leagues last year, per FantasyPros.

This year, however, he has lost his starting role to rookie Brian Robinson, who has rushed 26 times for 82 yards and a score in two games. He's a strong flex candidate with legitimate RB2 upside.

McLaurin, meanwhile, is still a flex option. Gibson is more of an RB4 unless he regains his starting gig back from Robinson.

It's hard to trust anyone else on the Washington side, though. Curtis Samuel has 50 targets though six games and 34 catches for 287 yards and two scores, though showed far more chemistry with Wentz under center than he ever did with Heinecke last season. Keep him in consideration for your flex, but don't be surprised if Wentz's injury hurts his fantasy stock.

Jahan Dotson has cooled off after a hot start, catching 12 passes for 122 yards and four scores. He's on the flex radar as well, though his touchdown reliance thus far in the season likely isn't sustainable.

Logan Thomas was Washington's top tight end last year and fared well in limited action (18 catches, 196 yards, three touchdowns in six games), but hamstring and knee injuries forced him out of action. He started the season on the physically unable to perform list due to the knee injury and in four games has 13 receptions for 106 yards and a score.

In sum, there are probably no players on this roster who are unquestionable starters, with McLaurin and Robinson likely being the most reliable going forward. Heinecke is fine enough as a backup, and everyone else is difficult to trust for one reason or another.