We're not ready to invest more than a late-round pick on McCaffrey in redraft this season, but that doesn't mean there's no reason to be excited about the rookie in the future. He's an older prospect at 23 years old, but he has above-average speed and athleticism, third-round draft capital, and NFL genes working in his favor. He was also a QB for his first three years of college, which helps with understanding coverages and gives more reason to believe he has room to grow as a pass catcher. Expect him to fill the big slot role as soon as he's ready to contribute and hope he can find the same red zone success he did his final year in college when he scored 13 touchdowns. McCaffrey is worthy of a pick in Round 3 or 4 of rookie-only drafts.
Commanders' Luke McCaffrey: Three catches in NFL debut
Rotowire
McCaffrey caught all three of his targets for 18 yards in Sunday's 37-20 loss to the Buccaneers.
McCaffrey actually led all Washington wideouts in receiving yards in his NFL debut, besting Terry McLaurin by one yard. The rookie third-round pick's total was fourth on the team overall behind running backs Austin Ekeler (52) and Brian Robinson (48), as well as tight end Zach Ertz (28), as quarterback Jayden Daniels spent all game either checking the ball down or scrambling. The rookie quarterback-receiver combo has a chance to develop a strong connection down the line, but both Daniels and McCaffrey are still raw heading into Week 2 against the Giants, which was illustrated by McCaffrey's inability to get his feet inbounds after getting open on a two-point conversion attempt late in the loss to Tampa Bay.
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Commanders' Luke McCaffrey: Week 1 Waiver Priority List
Rotowire
The Commanders traded Jahan Dotson to the Eagles, which opened the door for McCaffrey, Noah Brown (10 percent) and Dyami Brown (0 percent) to be the No. 2 receiver behind Terry McLaurin. None of these guys will be Fantasy starters right away, but one of them could emerge by the end of the season as an option in deeper leagues. I'd stash McCaffrey first based on upside, but this is a receiving corps to monitor early in the year.
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Commanders' Luke McCaffrey: Not separating from other WRs
Rotowire
McCaffrey hasn't emerged as an obvious top-four wide receiver to open the season for Washington, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.
Even after the Commanders' trade of Jahan Dotson this week, McCaffrey hasn't earned a starting role in Washington. It sounds like Dyami Brown and Olamide Zaccheaus are pushing for playing time behind Terry McLaurin, and even slot man Jamison Crowder could be in the mix. McCaffrey is relatively new to the wide receiver position after playing it for just two seasons. If McCaffrey doesn't open the season in three-wide sets, it's not out of the question that he finishes 2024 in a prominent role.
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Commanders' Luke McCaffrey: Facing less snap competition
Rotowire
McCaffrey has less competition for playing time after the Commanders traded Jahan Dotson to the Eagles on Thursday.
McCaffrey strictly worked with Washington's second- and third-string offenses in the first two preseason games, but a lack of talent at WR behind Terry McLaurin suggests it may not be long before the rookie third-round pick gets regular playing time. Dyami Brown and Olamide Zaccheaus have been splitting perimeter snaps opposite McLaurin on the first-team offense, with Dotson getting most of the slot work pre-trade. McCaffrey has worked both outside and inside this summer, and at 6-foot-2 with 4.46 speed he isn't necessarily limited to the slot.
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Commanders' Luke McCaffrey: Washington adds in third round
Rotowire
The Commanders selected McCaffrey in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 100th overall.
McCaffrey originally arrived to Nebraska as a coveted quarterback recruit, but he couldn't stick at the position and ended up making the switch to receiver after transferring to Rice. He's a bit thin at 6-foot-2, 198 pounds and has little catch radius to speak of, but his athleticism tested well at the NFL Combine (4.46-second 40-yard dash, 6.7-second three-cone drill), and his production at Rice was generally encouraging, especially since he just started playing wideout in 2022. It's possible that McCaffrey might need some more developmental time after switching from quarterback, but the bloodlines are obviously highly favorable, and he clearly possesses starter-caliber athleticism. Washington simply now waits to see how much he can improve with experience.
