The Washington Commanders emerge from their Week 12 bye desperately seeking answers after a nightmarish first half of the season. Jayden Daniels suffered a devastating elbow injury during the Week 9 blowout loss to Seattle that’s kept him sidelined for four games. Will fantasy football managers see their dynamic quarterback return to action soon?
Jayden Daniels Injury Update
Injuries have plagued Daniels throughout the 2025 campaign. The sophomore signal-caller missed two early contests with a knee sprain that threatened to derail his promising start. He’d recently returned from a minor hamstring strain that cost him another game.
Those concerns proved prophetic during the Week 9 massacre by Seattle. Despite the lopsided 38-14 score and the contest being well out of reach, head coach Dan Quinn kept Daniels on the field midway through the fourth quarter. The decision to leave his franchise quarterback in a blowout will be second-guessed for months.
The injury occurred when Daniels attempted to scramble on a broken play. As defenders converged, he got twisted around and tried bracing his fall with his left arm. His elbow hyperextended and bent the wrong way, immediately sending alarm bells through the sideline and fanbase.
The initial fear centered on a fracture, which would have ended Daniels’ season immediately. Subsequent imaging revealed he somehow avoided breaking any bones, qualifying as the best-case scenario given how gruesome the injury appeared. However, the diagnosis of a dislocated elbow with accompanying soft tissue damage still carries significant implications.
Dislocated elbows typically require 8-12 weeks of recovery depending on the severity of ligament damage and whether fractures occurred. In Daniels’ case, avoiding a fracture means he could potentially return for the final two or three weeks if his rehabilitation progresses optimally.
The Commanders are now coming out of their bye week in Week 13. The season is essentially over at 3-8, with Washington having lost six consecutive games. However, there are no indications from the team that Daniels is being shut down. They still intend to play him when he’s healthy.
Daniels is improving and getting closer to a return. He’s been ruled out for Week 13 against Denver but is expected to return to practice this soon. Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Daniels is anticipated to resume practicing, marking significant progress in his recovery.
If Daniels plays again this season, it won’t be this week. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler previously reported that Daniels being shut down for the year “remains a possibility,” but sources maintain he “could return as quickly as three weeks” from when the injury occurred. However, that timeline has already passed, and he’s still not ready.
Daniels Fantasy Outlook
Fantasy managers can probably drop Daniels at this point. The harsh reality is Washington sits at 3-8 and is spiraling. They’re essentially eliminated from playoff contention, and their remaining schedule offers little reason for optimism.
Even if Daniels physically recovers in time to return for the season’s final weeks, questions remain about whether Washington will risk their franchise quarterback in meaningless games during a lost season.
The organization invested significant draft capital in Daniels with expectations he’ll be their quarterback for the next decade. Playing him in meaningless December contests while still recovering from a significant elbow injury makes little sense from a risk-management perspective.
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While Daniels is out, Marcus Mariota will continue serving as the starter. He’s recorded at least 16 fantasy points in four of his five starts this season. The schedule presents a mixed bag over the remainder of the season, but Mariota has largely been matchup-proof. He doesn’t possess a particularly high ceiling, but he brings a stable floor.
His performance would only improve if he gets Terry McLaurin back, which appears to be in the cards for Week 13. The veteran receiver has been sidelined with his own injury issues but could provide Mariota with his best weapon in the passing attack.
Fantasy managers in competitive leagues should move on from Daniels and reallocate that roster spot to more reliable options for the playoff push. Those in keeper or dynasty formats should obviously hold, but for redraft leagues, it would still be a surprise if Daniels contributed anything this season.