Luke

McCaffrey

McCaffrey’s unconverted look was his first of the entire postseason. The third-rounder ended up having an extremely disappointing rookie year for an undermanned receiver corps in a nevertheless ascending offense. He caught only 18 balls, just six of which came after Nov. 1. There will remain targets for the taking in 2025 as Washington looks to add playmakers and depth behind Terry McLaurin, but it’s a bad sign for McCaffrey’s NFL future he couldn’t command more looks in a 2024 setup that was ripe with opportunity.

McCaffrey was second on the team in catches and tied for third on the team in targets but it certainly wasn’t a big day. Some of that had to do with the Commanders being up by multiple touchdowns for much of the game, but McCaffrey also isn’t seeing many targets deep down the field which caps his fantasy upside.

McCaffrey was out-played by Olamide Zaccheaus in this one, as Zaccheaus drew a season-high six targets in the win. McCaffrey’s lone reception came in the third quarter and went for 17 yards. It helped set up an eventual touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin, but McCaffrey is a non-factor in fantasy at this time.

McCaffrey made a splash early in this one, hauling in a 30-yard catch-and-run pass on fourth down in the first quarter to extend a would-be touchdown drive. He has yet to earn a full allotment of snaps with the Commanders, something that appears unlikely on a weekly basis considering the offseason acquisition of Noah Brown. Either way, he looks like a solid hold in deeper fantasy leagues for now.

McCaffrey was on the field in a rotational role for his second game but failed to see one look through the air. The Commanders also made free agent addition Noah Brown active for this game, putting one more pass-catcher in the mix for WR2 and WR3 duties. No one outside of Terry McLaurin his on the fantasy radar in this receiving room.

The good news is that McCaffrey seems to be the number two wide receiver in Washington. The bad news is that doesn’t really mean much. Most of McCaffrey’s usage was near the line of scrimmage and his biggest play came with the Commanders down 37-13, so he remains off the fantasy radar in most leagues right now.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise. McCaffrey was a consensus Day 3 pick by draft experts and wound up being taken No. 100 overall. The five-year prospect has only been playing receiver for two seasons, and didn’t face the stiffest of competition at Rice. McCaffrey’s elite family bloodlines and athleticism have made him an interesting name to monitor for fantasy managers, but it doesn’t sound like he’s anywhere close to earning a starting gig. Olamide Zaccheaus and Dyami Brown seem to be the No. 2 and No. 3 receivers in Washington for the time being.

Christian McCaffrey’s younger brother — taken by Washington in the third round of the 2024 draft — saw some rushing involvement during his final two seasons at Rice, getting 27 carries for 265 yards and a touchdown. Commanders beat writers noted the team has been experimental with player usage during OTAs and minicamp, so McCaffrey seeing backfield work doesn’t mean he’s going to see such usage during the regular season. He’s working to solidify himself as the team’s primary slot receiver after totaling 129 catches over two years as a wideout in college.

The son of Ed and younger brother to Christian, Luke McCaffrey (6’2/198) is a former quarterback who turned wide receiver ahead of the 2022 season. In just two years as a receiver at Rice, McCaffrey totaled 129 receptions for 1715 yards and 19 touchdowns and averaged 13.3 YPR. McCaffrey played primarily in the slot (75.8 percent slot rate) while at Rice, and displayed impressive hands. A 4.46 40-time and overall RAS of 9.44 makes McCaffrey a legitimate threat as far as athleticism is concerned. He’s a raw prospect as far as his experience as a receiver goes, but McCaffrey could stick around on a roster and eventually earn a role if he continues to show development.

Rice head coach Mike Bloomgren made the announcement earlier this week about the move for McCaffrey (6'2/200). The Nebraska transfer served mainly the RPO quarterback and his passing numbers were not that good as he completed just 50% of his passes and had a TD: INT ratio of 2:4. When he took off to run, he looked good and this is why he has a chance to make an impact this season as a receiver.