Fantasy Football Training Camp Update: Terry McLaurin doesn't report amid contract standoff with Commanders
Jamey Eisenberg assesses how often holdout situations result in successful seasons

The Commanders and Fantasy managers are now playing the waiting game when it comes to Terry McLaurin since the receiver did not report to training camp Tuesday. McLaurin, who is headed into the final year of his contract and set to make $15.5 million this season, is seeking a new deal.
We'll see how long this plays out, and Washington general manager Adam Peters said Tuesday the team wants to take care of McLaurin.
"I think everybody in this building values Terry very much," Peters said. "In terms of where we're at, we've had conversations recently and we'll look to have more conversations. We're going to do everything we can in order to get a deal done."
McLaurin, who turns 30 in September, previously skipped mandatory minicamp in mid-June, and he spoke to the Washington media last week about his frustration over his current contract.
"Everything that has transpired up to this point has been disappointing and frustrating," McLaurin said. "I want to continue my career here; I've created my life here. My wife and I have bought our first home here. So this has been somewhere where I've always wanted to be. Just to see how things have played out has been disappointing.
"Obviously, I understand everything is a business, but at the same time, I want to put myself in a position where I'm valued and I feel appreciated and things like that. Unfortunately, that hasn't transpired the way I want it to, so I'm just trying to take things day by day."
McLaurin is coming off a career-best 15.8 PPR points per game in 2024 in his first season with Jayden Daniels. McLaurin scored a career-high 13 touchdowns to go with 82 catches for 1,096 yards on 117 targets. It's the fifth year in a row he's topped 1,000 receiving yards with at least 77 catches.
If he can sign a new deal soon then Fantasy managers should continue to draft McLaurin in Round 4 in all leagues. But the longer McLaurin is away from the team during training camp then his Fantasy stock could plummet.
Based on the recent track record for players who were in contract situations during training camp, being a holdout or hold-in has not worked out well. In 2024, we had Ja'Marr Chase, CeeDee Lamb, Brandon Aiyuk, and Jordan Love miss practice time over a contract issue.
Of these guys, only Chase excelled in 2024. He had a career season when he won the Triple Crown with 127 catches for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns, and he averaged 23.7 PPR points per game.
Lamb went from 23.7 PPR points per game in 2023 to 17.6 in 2024. He dealt with a shoulder injury, and he struggled when Dak Prescott (hamstring) got hurt.
Aiyuk suffered a torn ACL and PCL in his right knee in Week 7. Prior to getting injured, Aiyuk scored more than 9.8 PPR points just once in seven games.
Love only missed four training camp practices before getting a contract extension, but he struggled with knee and groin injuries in 2024. He also went from 22.5 Fantasy points per game in 2023 to 18.9 last year.
In 2023, Jonathan Taylor and Josh Jacobs had contract issues, and both struggled with their production. Taylor missed seven games, and he averaged just 15.6 PPR points per game, which is the second-worst mark of his career. And Jacobs only played 13 games, and he averaged a career-low 13.9 PPR points per game in his final season with the Raiders.
Did the contract situations lead to the injuries or the poor production? There's no way to know, but the history isn't good. It's why we want McLaurin to get this resolved as soon as possible.
For now, McLaurin is worth drafting in Round 5, and I still consider him a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues. But, again, that could change as this continues.
I still plan to draft Daniels as the No. 3 quarterback behind Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, and Daniels is worth selecting as early as Round 3 in one-quarterback leagues. I don't expect to downgrade Daniels much if McLaurin remains out, but Daniels could fall behind Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts to QB5.
Deebo Samuel would benefit the most if McLaurin continues to miss practice time, but Samuel is just a No. 3 Fantasy receiver. The earliest I would draft Samuel now is Round 7, but he could creep into Round 6 the longer McLaurin is out.
We'll continue to monitor this situation during training camp, and hopefully, we have positive news on McLaurin sooner rather than later. Ideally, he gets a new contract and we don't have any concerns. But based on the recent track record of players with contract concerns, this could be a disappointing season for McLaurin, the longer this lingers.
















