Jayden Daniels Not Placed on IR Just Yet for Washington
In this story:
The injury to Jayden Daniels was significant. What it does from a fantasy football perspective is even more so. When one looks at the Washington depth chart, it does not offer much solace. After Marcus Mariota, there is Sam Hartman and journeyman Josh Johnson. Hartman has mostly hovered around the practice squad while Johnson has played for an NFL record 12 teams.
Dan Quinn knew he had made a dire mistake. Taking Daniels out would have been the right move in what had become a blowout. Putting Mariota in would have let his star quarterback stay out of harm's way. Instead, we now have much uncertainty which makes the latest twist even more strange.
Jayden Daniels Not Placed On Injured Reserve
Truthfully, I had to read this more than a few times to believe what I had saw. Surely, most people did the same thing by reflex. Adam Schefter broke the news.
Commanders do not expect to place QB Jayden Daniels on injured reserve, per sources. They will reevaluate his injury during the bye week. pic.twitter.com/BMkWn25o74
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 7, 2025
It had felt almost certain that Daniels would be out at least four weeks, if not longer. Now, this clearly does not mean Daniels will return soon after the bye week. Washington wants to see how the dislocated elbow heals. The quarterback says he does not feel all that sore. Maybe Daniels truly got extremely lucky. He did not tear any ligaments in the elbow.
Daniels appeared in all 17 games as a rookie in 2024 and led Washington to a 12-5 record. He led the Commanders all the way to the NFC Championship where they lost to Philadelphia. This season has been a nightmare. A few injuries have derailed Daniels' season. The latest was the dislocated elbow. Hamstring and knee issues had caused additional missed time
The earliest he could return is November 30th (Week 13) against Denver. That would mean four weeks of missed time approximately. A growing sense is that we may not see Daniels until December at best. Simply, maybe an appearance in the fantasy football playoffs is possible.
More Fantasy Football Impact From Daniels Being Out
Daniels is far from the only player out. Terry McLaurin has a persistent quad/leg issue that has lasted weeks and weeks. The wide receiver cannot play and there is no clear timetable. Worse, Luke McCaffrey is out long term with a collarbone injury. The list of walking wounded for the 3-6 Commanders places any chance of making the playoffs less and less likely.
Marcus Mariota is no Daniels and at 32, his best days are likely behind him. With all the injuries and struggling players, Mariota has his hands full especially against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. After somewhat of a reprieve against Miami, Washington plays Philadelphia twice, Dallas, Denver, and Minnesota.
That time when Mariota and the Titans came back 21-3 against the Chiefs in the Wild Card matchup.pic.twitter.com/2ubY2AyS27
— SleeperTitans (@SleeperTitanUp) November 6, 2025
By miracle, Washington and fantasy football owners are praying for anything close to that kind of production. More than likely, Mariota somewhat holds down the fort. He completed 70% of his passes a couple weeks ago against Kansas City but has not thrown more than 213 yards in 2025. Again, expectations are low given that Deebo Samuel represents the only true threat that is 100%
Simply, it is okay to look elsewhere other than Mariota especially with the news that Daniels might actually play by the end of November. Do we agree with it? No. Could it happen? Yes.
