The Commanders fired OC Scott Turner. Washington never ranked better than 20th in total yards or 23rd in points across Turner's 3 seasons, although QB play was seemingly a bigger problem than Turner's play calling. We'll see who the Commanders tab as their next OC -- and what they do at QB. Carson Wentz is set to count $26 million against the 2023 cap but can be cut with no dead-cap penalty.
Commanders QB Carson Wentz completed 16 of 28 attempts for 143 yards, 0 TDs and 3 INTs in Week 17's loss to the Browns. He added 7 yards and a score on the ground, but his rushing performance didn't save fantasy managers from a dreadful day. Wentz's future is fairly uncertain as we turn the page into 2023. There's a potential out in Wentz's contract that would enable to Commanders to move on from him this offseason. It's not difficult to imagine the franchise doing so given the subpar performances we've seen from the former #2 overall pick in less than 10 healthy games. Should this occur, it would be back-to-back seasons in which Wentz blew an opportunity to be a starter after being benched for QB Jalen Hurts at the end of the 2020 season with the Eagles. We'll see if he gets another chance in 2023 but the odds of that don't seem strong.
The Commanders will start QB Carson Wentz on Sunday against the Browns. According to multiple reports, HC Ron Rivera told the team his decision Wednesday morning. Wentz relieved Taylor Heinicke in Saturday's loss to the 49ers, completing 75% of his throws for 123 yards (7.68 per attempt) and a TD. His last start came in the Week 6 win at Chicago in which Wentz broke a finger and required surgery. Washington threw the ball a lot more with Wentz behind center, averaging 42 pass attempts across his 5 healthy outings compared with 30.1 over Heinicke's 8 full games. Of course, the offense also barely had RB Brian Robinson Jr. for that stretch. We'd expect more of a rushing lean vs. those 1st 5 weeks -- but also likely some more willingness to throw. It's not an exciting fantasy offense either way. Wentz's time this season has been bad for WR Terry McLaurin's target share. He drew just 16% over the 1st 6 games, compared with 27.8% in Heinicke's full outings.
The Commanders removed QB Taylor Heinicke from the 2nd half of Saturday's loss to the 49ers, replacing him with Carson Wentz. Heinicke completed 13 of 18 throws for 166 yards (9.2 per attempt), 2 TDs and 1 INT. He also lost a fumble. Wentz completed 12 of 16 passes for 123 yards (7.7 per attempt) and 1 TD. HC Ron Rivera told reporters after the game that he's not sure who he'll start in Week 17 against the Browns.
Commanders QB Carson Wentz (finger) has been activated from IR. We'll see about Washington's plan at QB, but we expect QB Taylor Heinicke to at least start this weekend's game vs. the Giants. He's been up and down over the past 7 games but has led the Commanders to 5 wins. Wentz went 2-4 over the first 6 games of the season. The biggest fantasy impact here is with WR Terry McLaurin, who's been much more productive with Heinicke.
Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirms that Wentz is returning as Heinicke's backup.
The Commanders have designated QB Carson Wentz to return to practice. That leaves 3 weeks to decide whether to activate him from IR. Wentz has been out since injuring his throwing hand in the Week 6 win at Chicago. HC Ron Rivera has recently expressed confidence in QB Taylor Heinicke, though, amid a 4-1 stretch with him behind center. Don't bet on Washington going back to Wentz until/unless the team starts losing more (barring injury, of course). Heinicke's arrival has been good for WR Terry McLaurin's target shares, but the team passing numbers are way down from where they were with Wentz: from 248.2 yards per game to 206.2.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the Commanders will continue starting QB Taylor Heinicke. QB Carson Wentz is reportedly not yet ready to return from his finger injury, but the team plans to stick with Heinicke even after Wentz is ready. It makes sense. The team is 3-1 with Heinicke behind center this season, 2-4 with Wentz. The latter, however, does hold edges in TD rate, INT rate and passer rating. Heinicke leads Wentz in QBR and yards per attempt. He has also been good for WR Terry McLaurin's target counts, whereas Wentz's presence boosted Curtis Samuel.
The Commanders have placed QB Carson Wentz on IR for his recovery from finger surgery. That means he’ll miss at least the next 4 games. We already knew Taylor Heinicke would start this week against the Packers. Now the job is likely his for at least the next month. We’ll see whether Heinicke can command time beyond that with his play — or whether rookie QB Sam Howell gets into the mix
Commanders QB Carson Wentz is expected to miss "roughly" 4-6 weeks with the fractured ring finger on his right hand, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. We'll see if Wentz lands on IR, but he can be dropped from all rosters in 1-QB fantasy leagues. Wentz hasn't been great through 6 weeks, completing 62% of his passes for just 6.4 yards per attempt. He sits 24th among 32 qualifiers in Pro Football Focus' passing grades. Washington will now turn QB Taylor Heinicke, which might just be a lateral move. We'll see if Heinicke can get more out of WR Terry McLaurin, who's seen just 16% of Commanders targets so far. 5th-round rookie QB Sam Howell is also on this roster and might hit the field at some point if Heinicke struggles.
Commanders QB Carson Wentz suffered a fractured finger on his throwing hand in Thursday night's win over the Bears, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Wentz will visit a hand specialist to determine next steps. "His availability moving forward is up in the air," Rapoport adds. QB Taylor Heinicke is listed as Washington's backup, but 5th-round rookie QB Sam Howell is also waiting in the wings.
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