The last time these teams met, Washington led 27-13 in the fourth quarter, the Giants scored two late touchdowns to force overtime, and the game ended 27-27 when Jayden Daniels ran out the clock at the New York 24. Five weeks later the Giants are 5-2-1 and lead the NFC East, the Commanders are 2-5-1, and Thursday night’s rematch at MetLife Stadium (8:15 p.m. ET) is full of fantasy decisions. Both offenses have changed since October: Washington lost Terry McLaurin for the season, and New York now starts J.J. McCarthy with Jaxson Dart out for the regular season. Here is how to approach every player who matters.
The Injury Picture
The final reports are clean for the names fantasy managers care about. On the Giants side, Cam Skattebo (hamstring), McCarthy (hip), Malik Nabers (knee) and Darnell Mooney (chest) all carry no game designation. Skattebo was limited Monday and then full Tuesday and Wednesday, and John Harbaugh called him a full go after he sat out the Week 9 win in Philadelphia. Linebacker Malik Harrison (groin) is the only Giant listed as questionable.
For Washington, Daniels (left elbow) was a full participant all week. Center Lucas Patrick (concussion) and tight end Colson Yankoff (knee) are out, with Nick Allegretti expected to start at center. The one to watch is Treylon Burks: he missed Week 9 with a foot injury and didn’t practice Wednesday, but Dan Quinn said he is trending toward playing. Check the inactives before you lock him in anywhere.
Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels: Start
Daniels is the safest fantasy piece in this game because of what he does with his legs. He has 252 rushing yards and two scores on just 31 carries in six games, which works out to more than eight yards per attempt, and in the October meeting he ran for 103 yards and touchdowns of 38 and 26 yards while throwing for 199. As a passer he has been careful but not explosive: 1,250 yards, seven touchdowns and zero interceptions on 180 attempts.
The caution is the protection. Daniels took four sacks and lost a fumble on a strip-sack in last week’s 20-13 loss to the Rams, and now his line is missing its starting center against a Giants pass rush that already got home repeatedly on him in October. The rushing floor still makes him a QB1 this week. Just don’t expect a 300-yard passing night.
Stefon Diggs: Start as a WR2
With McLaurin done for the year, Diggs is the clear top target. He leads the team with 49 targets, 30 catches, 303 yards and five touchdowns. The yardage is modest for a lead receiver, so his weekly value depends on touchdowns, and five scores in seven games say that is a bet worth making. He’s a touchdown-dependent WR2 in PPR, but a reliable one.
Antonio Williams: Flex Sleeper
The rookie’s role is bigger than his box scores suggest. Williams played 84% of the offensive snaps against the Rams, more than any other Washington pass catcher, and he has 26 catches for 284 yards on 39 targets this season. A full-time route runner on a team this thin at receiver is a usable flex in deeper PPR leagues, even after last week’s quiet 3-25 line.
Chig Okonkwo: Streamable TE
Okonkwo has 23 catches for 239 yards on 31 targets in six games, and he played 74% of the snaps last week. What’s missing is the scoring: he hasn’t caught a touchdown yet. He practiced fully Tuesday and Wednesday through a hip issue. He’s a reasonable streamer for managers scrambling at tight end, but the Giants aren’t a defense you seek out at the position.
Treylon Burks: Deep League and DFS Only
Burks is the big-play threat, with 12 catches for 233 yards and two touchdowns, close to 20 yards per catch. Twenty-two targets in six games is not a season-long starter. If he’s active, he’s an upside dart in DFS showdown lineups.
Washington Backfield: Rachaad White as a Low-End Flex
Jacory Croskey-Merritt is on injured reserve with a groin injury and isn’t eligible to return until next week against Cincinnati. That leaves Rachaad White as the lead back. He played 56% of the snaps to Austin Ekeler’s 45% against the Rams, and his value is mostly as a receiver: 18 catches, 129 yards and two receiving touchdowns, against just 228 rushing yards on 54 carries. White is a PPR flex with a low ceiling. Ekeler (24 carries for 83 yards) belongs on benches.
New York Giants
J.J. McCarthy: Superflex QB2
McCarthy has thrown for 622 yards with one touchdown and one interception across four appearances. He went 12 of 19 for 127 yards against the Eagles before leaving in the third quarter with the hip injury. He came back in, but Jameis Winston threw the Giants’ only touchdown. The matchup helps: Washington has allowed about 240 passing yards per game and 16 passing touchdowns, both among the worst marks in the league. McCarthy also adds a little on the ground, with 51 rushing yards on nine carries. He’s a fine QB2 in superflex leagues, but not someone to start in a one-QB format.
Malik Nabers: Must-Start WR1
Nabers was held to five catches for 43 yards in Philadelphia, but he still led the team with eight targets. He caught the 17-yard game-tying touchdown with 1:43 left in the October meeting, and Washington has no obvious answer for him. He practiced fully all week. Start him with confidence.
Isaiah Likely: Top-Five TE Play
This is the best matchup on the board. Likely has 46 catches for 448 yards and six touchdowns, which makes him one of the most productive tight ends in fantasy, and he scored twice against Washington in October. The Commanders have allowed eight touchdowns to tight ends this season, one of the worst rates in the league. He caught five passes for 53 yards and a touchdown last week, and he should be in every lineup.
Cam Skattebo: RB2 With Real Upside
Skattebo leads the Giants with 418 rushing yards on 98 carries (4.3 per carry) and two touchdowns. His best day came against Houston two weeks ago: 124 yards and a score. Last week showed how much the run game misses him. Devin Singletary played over 90% of the snaps and managed 31 yards on 21 carries. Skattebo has lost a fumble this season, including the overtime strip by Daron Payne in the first meeting, and the Giants could ease him back after the hamstring. He’s still a confident RB2 now that he is off the injury report, and his workload is the biggest fantasy variable on the Giants’ side.
Devin Singletary and Malachi Fields: Bench
If Skattebo plays his normal role, Singletary goes back to being a change-of-pace back, and his Week 9 line shows how little he did with lead-back work. Rookie Malachi Fields is more interesting long term. He played 84% of the snaps and drew five targets last week as a full-time outside receiver, but in a passing game built around Nabers and Likely, he’s a deep-league stash rather than a Week 10 starter. Mooney is behind both.
The Bottom Line
- Locked-in starts: Malik Nabers, Isaiah Likely, Jayden Daniels
- Starts with some risk: Cam Skattebo, Stefon Diggs
- Flex and streaming options: Antonio Williams, Chig Okonkwo, Rachaad White
- Superflex only: J.J. McCarthy
- Bench: Devin Singletary, Austin Ekeler, Malachi Fields, Darnell Mooney, Treylon Burks in season-long
The game is likely to be decided by two things: whether Washington’s patched-up interior line can keep Daniels upright, and whether Skattebo’s return gives the Giants a ground game that went missing in Philadelphia. Fantasy managers should build around Likely and Nabers, count on Daniels’ rushing, and treat everyone else in this matchup as a role-based flex.
See today's NFL pass yards lines on DFS Lines, each one set against the player's last ten games.