Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald said Monday that he's "optimistic" QB Geno Smith (knee) will be able to practice this week and play against the Vikings on Sunday. "We’re fortunate," Macdonald said. "A lot of positive, optimistic signs coming out of the test. Geno’s a beast, man — he’s in here, working out in the morning, working through it. I know he’s still feeling it, but this guy’s tough as nails." We'll track Smith's status throughout the week. QB Sam Howell would be a tangible downgrade for the passing game if forced to start.
Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald said after Sunday night's loss to the Packers that QB Geno Smith's right knee is "structurally" ok. "(It was) severe enough for him not to come back in the game," Macdonald added. "We'll do all the tests tomorrow and kind of figure it out as we go. ... I know we'll do everything humanely possible to go play, but just don't know right now." We should get another update by the end of today, but it sounds more likely than not that Smith misses time. That'd leave Sam Howell under center. He struggled badly in relief of Smith against Green Bay, completing just 5 of 14 passes for 24 yards and an INT. Howell was a mixed bag as Washington's starter last year, throwing for 3,946 yards and 21 TDs but also tossing 21 INTs and taking 65 sacks. He's a clear downgrade from Smith -- but better than most backups in the league.
Seahawks QB Geno Smith injured his right knee in the third quarter of Sunday night's game vs. the Packers. He headed back to the locker room with trainers and is officially questionable to return. We'll update his status when we know more. Smith has been replaced by QB Sam Howell.
Seahawks QB Geno Smith returned to the field Monday after missing four practices with knee and hip issues.
Seahawks QB Geno Smith missed practice Wednesday and Thursday. HC Mike Macdonald said afterward that Smith is "working through a couple things" and that he'll get imaging on knee and hip issues Thursday night.
The Seahawks shipped 2024 third- and fifth-round picks to the Commanders for QB Sam Howell. GM John Schneider said shortly after making the trade that QB Geno Smith remains the starter. "Geno's the guy and Sam will be backing him up," Schneider said. We're buying that considering Smith still played quality football last year, ranking 12th among 30 qualifiers in Pro Football Focus passing grades. Smith, of course, is 33 now and carries a big $38.5 million cap hit in 2025. So there's a chance that Howell replaces him then. "We were just really excited to be able to acquire him," Schneider said of Howell. "We know he's a serious dude. He's into it, he works his tail off. We got great reviews on him and we loved him coming out of college. So yeah, we're happy to get him in the mix." Howell is worth keeping stashed in most dynasty leagues.
The Commanders will start QB Sam Howell in Week 18. While he’s faced a tough stretch of defenses – Cowboys, Dolphins, Rams, Jets, 49ers – Howell’s play has fallen off over the second half of the season. Week 18 turns up a rematch with a Dallas team that defeated Washington 45-10 on Thanksgiving. Howell posted 300 yards, 0 TDs, and 1 INT in that one. The 23-year-old will remain a superflex-only option.
Commanders QB Jacoby Brissett is inactive for today’s game vs. the 49ers. QB Sam Howell will be back under center but would be tough to trust in fantasy lineups after getting benched the past two weeks.
Commanders QB Jacoby Brissett (hamstring) is "unlikely" to play vs. the 49ers today, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. "But the team wants to see how he feels in pre-game warmups before making any decisions," Schefter adds. We'll get Washington's inactives around 11:30 am ET, but it sounds like it'll be QB Sam Howell back under center today. He's been so bad the past two weeks that he's been benched for Brissett. Howell would be tough to trust even as a QB2 in Week 17 fantasy lineups.
Commanders QB Jacoby Brissett hurt a hamstring in Friday's practice and is now questionable for Sunday's game against the 49ers. We'll have to watch his status through the weekend. No Brissett would mean another start for Sam Howell. The San Francisco matchup hasn't been awful for QB scoring but has certainly been negative. Howell, meanwhile, has been awful over his past three games. He has finished three straight weeks with 127 passing yards or less, getting pulled in each of the past two games. He doesn't belong in any fantasy lineups, and his recent performance would mean bad news for Washington pass-catchers vs. Brissett starting. Watch for rankings updates as the situation becomes clearer.
The Commanders named QB Jacoby Brissett the Week 17 starter. Brissett has provided a spark over the past two weeks, totaling 224 yards and 3 TDs on a 78.3% completion rate. We’re not excited about the former Colt as a fantasy starter – especially against the 49ers. But Brissett raises the outlook for Washington’s WR corps, most notably Terry McLaurin. See where he and Brissett sit in our updated Week 17 rankings.
Commanders QB Sam Howell was benched in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Rams. He went 11 of 26 for 102 yards, one TD, and one INT, producing just seven points. QB Jacoby Brissett will finish this one out for Washington. We're guessing that Howell will be back under center next week -- but he gets brutal matchups the next two weeks vs. the Jets and 49ers. You should be looking for an alternative if you've been rolling with Howell as your fantasy starter.
Update: HC Ron Rivera said after the loss to the Rams that Howell remains the starting QB.
Commanders QB Sam Howell threw for just 127 yards on 12-of-23 passing with 1 INT and 0 TD passes in Sunday's blowout loss to Miami. He took a modest 3 sacks from a Miami defense playing its first game since losing Edge Jaelan Phillips to an Achilles' tear. But the Dolphins still managed 9 QB hits on a day that found Howell consistently pressured. The QB saved his fantasy line by running for the team's only two TDs -- including one from 13 yards out. He also connected with TE Logan Thomas for a 2-point conversion after the second. The positive view: Howell's rushing ability is worth factoring into his fantasy outlook. He entered the day ranked 10th among QBs in rushing yards on just the 16th-most carries. And Howell now has 5 rushing scores for the year. But we can't expect him to score on the ground most weeks. The passing yardage against Miami marked a season low. And the 23 attempts matched his low. So we probably shouldn't worry too much about this outing. After a Week 14 bye, though, Howell gets a rough closing schedule. The Rams in Week 15 look fairly neutral for QB scoring. The Jets and 49ers present two of the position's worst scoring matchups. Altogether, it's the second-worst QB schedule over the final three fantasy weeks (for most leagues). Look for not only a Week 14 fill-in for Howell, but consider potential platoon partners for the fantasy playoffs.
Commanders QB Sam Howell threw for just 255 yards and 1 TD despite attempting 45 passes in Sunday's loss to the Giants. He also took 4 sacks and tossed 3 INTs. It was a surprisingly tough day for Howell, considering how much the Giants have struggled lately. But it was his second rough outing against the Giants this season. Washington's QB did save his fantasy day with 35 yards and a TD rushing. Howell gets a (supposedly) tougher matchup at Dallas in Week 12 that just might push him outside the top 12 in our QB rankings. Then comes a home date with Miam and a Week 14 bye. Howell should be startable in Week 13 but doesn't look especially helpful overall for the next three weeks. And he'll return from the bye to find a just-OK Rams matchup, then poor matchups with the Jets and 49ers. This might be a time to consider trading Howell if you're otherwise OK at QB.
Commanders QB Sam Howell threw for 325 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT in Sunday's win over the Patriots. He also took a more-reasonable-than-usual 3 sacks in the game. It marks the second straight week of at least 325 yards for Howell, who gets a plus matchup with the Seahawks in Week 10 as well. A home date with the Giants in Week 11 looks trickier. They've been the fifth-toughest scoring matchup for QBs on the season, according to our adjusted fantasy points allowed. And the Giants just held Washington to 7 points while sacking Howell six times in their Week 7 meeting. Another positive outing for Howell in Week 10, however, could make him tough to leave out of the top 12 for that week. After that sit a negative matchup with Dallas and a positive spot vs. Miami before a Week 14 bye.
The Athletic's Dianna Russini hears that, "there is a strong belief in the building that the Commanders have found their franchise quarterback in Sam Howell, and now it’s about building for 2024." Howell has taken too many sacks this season but has completed 67% of his passes at a decent 7.0 yards per attempt. He's certainly not a finished product, but it sounds like Howell has shown enough to at least be Washington's starter in 2024. He's a solid hold in dynasty leagues.
Commanders QB Sam Howell had an efficient outing in Week 6 vs. the Falcons, completing 14 of 23 passes for 151 yards with 3 TDs. Each of Howell’s scoring tosses on Sunday came within 25 yards of the end zone and returned a very solid 18.3 fantasy points despite the lack of passing yardage. With this performance, Howell has now finished as the QB13 or better in five of six games in 2023. Week 7’s matchup vs. the Giants sets up nicely for the second-year starter to continue his streak of fantasy relevance.
QB Sam Howell and the Commanders were pathetic in the first half of Thursday night's game vs. the Bears, digging themselves a 27-3 hole. Howell headed into the break with just 71 yards, 0 TDs, and 1 INT on 9-of-13 passing. He chucked it another 38 times in catch-up mode in the second half, though, and threw for 317 yards and a pair of scores to finish with a 388-2-1 passing line. It wound up being a strong fantasy outing -- but it's tough to feel good about Howell moving forward after this performance. He failed to get WR Terry McLaurin (4-49-0) or WR Jahan Dotson (3-30-0) going and took another five sacks against a Bears defense that had TOTALED two sacks over the first four weeks. Howell gets favorable matchups again the next two weeks vs. the Falcons and Giants but won't be a recommended QB1 play.
Commanders QB Sam Howell threw for 290 yards and a TD -- with 0 INTs -- in Sunday's OT loss at Philadelphia. He found WR Jahan Dotson for the game-tying score at the end of the fourth quarter but watched the team's other two TDs get scored on the ground. Howell added 40 rushing yards on 6 carries. That more than doubled his rushing-yardage total from any of the first three games. It was an encouraging outing for the second-year QB, especially after his brutal 4-INT performance in Week 3. Howell carries some superflex and deep-league appeal into a Week 5 home date with Chicago.
Commanders QB Sam Howell tallied only 170 passing yards, 0 TDs, and 4 picks in Week 3. He took 9 sacks in the loss to Buffalo. The first-year starter didn’t have much of a chance in this one, as the Bills pressured him on 69.2% of his dropbacks (per Next Gen Stats). Howell faces another tough matchup next week at Philly.
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