The Washington Commanders continue to face uncertainty in their receiving corps as they prepare for a crucial road test against Los Angeles. Terry McLaurin remains sidelined with the quad injury that kept him out of action last week. For fantasy football managers banking on the veteran receiver’s return, what is his current status heading into Week 5?
Terry McLaurin Injury Update
McLaurin originally sustained his quad injury with 4:47 remaining in the third quarter against Las Vegas in Week 3. The injury occurred when he lunged for the end zone on what initially appeared to be a 57-yard touchdown before replay overturned the score.
What began as a seemingly routine quad strain became more concerning when McLaurin sought multiple medical opinions, including consultation with core muscle specialist Dr. William Meyers. The decision to involve a specialist in core injuries suggested the problem might be more complex than initially diagnosed.
McLaurin failed to practice throughout the entire week leading up to last Sunday’s game against Atlanta. The Commanders officially ruled him out for Week 4, and he missed Washington’s 34-27 loss to the Falcons. Head coach Dan Quinn had initially targeted Friday of last week as the deadline to determine McLaurin’s availability, but the receiver never progressed enough to be considered.
Monday brought more encouraging news when Quinn provided an optimistic update, stating that McLaurin was “trending in the right direction.” This represented the first genuinely positive report about his recovery since the injury occurred nearly two weeks ago.
However, McLaurin did not participate in Wednesday’s practice session to start this week. While Wednesday practices are often viewed as relatively meaningless, especially for veteran players dealing with minor issues, the circumstances are different for players coming off missed games.
It is extremely rare for a player who missed the previous week due to injury to skip the opening practice and still play that Sunday. The pattern typically indicates that the player remains not quite ready to return to full activity.
Fantasy managers should temper their expectations for McLaurin’s Week 5 availability. Though it’s still early in the week and he could potentially return to practice Thursday, the missed Wednesday session is not an encouraging sign for his chances against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The fact that Washington signed Robbie Chosen to their practice squad this week also suggests the team is preparing for the possibility of being without both McLaurin and Noah Brown, who is also dealing with a groin injury.
McLaurin’s situation requires close monitoring throughout the remainder of the week. His participation level in Thursday and Friday practices will provide the clearest indication of whether he can return for Sunday’s matchup in Los Angeles.
Fantasy managers should prepare contingency plans and expect to be without McLaurin for Week 5, while remaining cautiously optimistic that his recovery continues progressing in a positive direction.
McLaurin Fantasy Outlook
This quad injury is troublesome.
Terry McLaurin hadn’t missed a game in four consecutive seasons prior to last week and, considering that Washington doesn’t go on bye until Week 12, I think it’s possible they take a long-term approach with their WR1.
That’s not to say he sits this week. With Chicago and Dallas on the schedule for Weeks 6-7, it’s very possible that the Commanders prioritize this game. This is a situation I’ll be monitoring alongside that of his starting quarterback.
Through three games, McLaurin doesn’t yet have an end zone target and has the lowest on-field target share through four weeks of his career. If the injury report is clean, we are looking at a low-end WR2. If things remain cloudy, starting Thursday night WRs over him seems reasonable.
— PFSN Fantasy Analyst Kyle Soppe