Week 16 kicks off a pretty hectic round of games as the NFL playoff picture starts getting a little clearer. There are four spots still up for grabs in the NFC, and the Washington Commanders are aiming to squeeze into the last spot available. They will face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, which is always a tough matchup for any team.
That said, here’s everything you need to know about the Commanders’ offense’s primary playmaker, Terry McLaurin, and his fantasy outlook for Week 16.
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Terry McLaurin’s fantasy projection for Week 16
For a while, it looked like the Kliff Kingsbury effect would hunt down the Washington Commanders in the second half of the season. After a stunning start led by rookie Jayden Daniels, the Commanders’ offense fell off, leading many to question whether the league had already figured them out.
A 42-19 triumph over the Tennessee Titans in Week 13 put those notions to bed, but a close 20-19 win over the New Orleans Saints once again brought up some old questions.
For his part, Terry McLaurin made a little bit of history in that Week 15 win over New Orleans by becoming the first Washington receiver with a double-digit touchdown season since Gary Clark (1991). McLaurin ended the evening hauling in seven of his 10 targets for 73 yards and two touchdowns. That marked his second week running with multiple scores, his fourth overall this season.
At this point, the volume is clearly there, and McLaurin is essentially matchup-proof in this offense.
Keenan Allen’s fantasy projection for Week 16
One man who is not quite matchup-proof like Terry McLaurin is Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen. The Bears will go up against the Detroit Lions this week, and even if the NFC’s top dogs have suffered a slew of injuries on defense, we are not exactly hyped about this matchup.
On Monday night, Allen touched a season-high 155 receiving yards, marking his sixth triple-digit air-yard showing this year. However, Allen failed to impress in the Week 13 loss to the Lions.
It’s difficult to bet on any Bears receiver at this point. Caleb Williams has also not shown any signs of development while the likes of Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels have shouldered a lot of the burden on offense when required. The matchup’s not good, the offense is wonky. We recommend staying away from Allen this week.
Sportskeeda’s Start/Sit Optimizer agrees, projecting a return of 12.7 points for McLaurin with a decent shot at a touchdown.
Edited by R. Elahi