Jayden Daniels
Daniels is Washington's starting quarterback and, after a Week 5 game in which he ran well, a high-end dual-threat option. His left elbow, dislocated for the third time in Week 2, is the main risk for the rest of the season.
Role
He is the unquestioned starter. He missed Weeks 3 and 4 after the Week 2 dislocation, and Marcus Mariota filled in for Week 4. He returned in Week 5 wearing a brace on his left (non-throwing) elbow. Per FantasyData's game log, he went 17 of 25 for 199 yards and rushed nine times for 103 yards and two touchdowns against the Giants. That was more rushing than the early-week previews expected. His rushing in Weeks 1 and 2 was five carries for 31 yards and seven for 69 yards. I did not find snap counts. Mariota is the known backup. SI reported him with a knee injury before Week 5, and Athan Kaliakmanis was named as the third-string option.
The injury is to his non-throwing arm, so SI expected little to no drop-off as a passer. Specialists in New York and Los Angeles reportedly agreed that playing in a brace was viable (FantasyData, citing ESPN). He practiced fully all week before Week 5, then ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns and threw a two-point conversion. His rushing floor is the main reason optimists treat him as a top-tier option. FantasyPros listed him as a QB10 consensus rank for Week 5.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that some NFL doctors believe it is a matter of when, not if, he hurts the elbow again. Some of those doctors have not examined him. This is his third injury to that elbow, and he lasted only 39 snaps when he tried to return from the same injury last year. Efficiency has also been poor: FantasyPros cites 5.1 yards per attempt for the season. He was sacked five times against the Giants, and he threw no touchdowns in that game. Washington is 1-3-1 including the tie, so game scripts may be unfavorable.
Where analysts split
The split is whether the brace and the reinjury risk will cost him his rushing, which is most of his fantasy value, or whether he will keep running at full volume. Before Week 5, FantasyPros and Yahoo-linked coverage expected his running to be scaled back, and SI projected only about four carries for 20 yards. He then ran nine times for 103 yards. A second question is how much a re-dislocation could cost him in missed games. The doctors quoted by ESPN disagree with the specialists who cleared him.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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