Jamison

Crowder

A week after catching three balls for 27 yards against New Orleans, Crowder came down with two of Jayden Daniels’ five touchdowns in a comeback effort against the Eagles. Crowder, who ran a route on just 21 of Daniels’ 48 drop backs, should remain on waiver wires headed into Week 17.

In his first game since Week 1, Crowder stepped in and immediately contributed to Washington’s passing game. The veteran slot receiver caught a five-yard pass on the Commanders’ first possession and moved the Commanders into field goal range on a 10-yard reception late in the third quarter to help the Commanders push their lead to 20-7. Crowder won’t have any fantasy relevance, but he could be one of several receivers the Commanders rely on to move the chains.

The team placed wide receiver Noah Brown on injured reserve in an associated move. Crowder has appeared in just two games for the Commanders this season and is unlikely to contribute in a meaningful way for fantasy the rest of the way.

Crowder signed a one-year deal with Washington in the offseason but is currently buried on the depth chart. Luke McCaffrey will continue to get the bulk of the slot reps for Washington.

Crowder was highly productive as a slot wide receiver over the first seven years of his career before injury-riddled seasons in 2021 and 2022 derailed his momentum. He signed with the Commanders prior to the 2023 season but played more than 60 percent of the team’s offensive snaps in just two of his final 10 healthy games. It appears as if Dyami Brown has not done enough to unseat the veteran, meaning we should expect Crowder to begin the 2024 season as the starting slot wide receiver for the Commanders.

After going for 7-95-1 last week, Crowder crashed back to earth in Week 9. Nobody is going to complain about his six targets, but the big plays just weren’t there to lead to a productive fantasy day. Crowder will be hard to trust in Week 10 against the Seahawks, and will be off the fantasy radar completely if Curtis Samuel (toe) returns.

Crowders’ surprise performance came on the heels of Curtis Samuel (toe) exiting with an injury, and was boosted by a fourth-quarter drive in which he caught three passes for 54 yards and a touchdown. It as a vintage performance for Crowder, who turned in several long receptions on the day, but he’s still a risky bet as far as fantasy is concerned. He’d have some deep league upside if Samuel were to miss any time, but that’s his best case scenario at this point.

Crowder was promoted to the active roster ahead of Week 1’s matchup against the Cardinals, and returned three punts on the afternoon. With punt returner Dax Milne (groin) currently on injured reserve, the Commanders have a need to keep Crowder around for the next three games. Crowder can also provide added depth as a slot receiver, although he didn’t play an offensive snap in Week 1.

Crowder was signed to the team’s practice squad on Wednesday and now gets the call to serve as wide receiver depth for Week 1. Terry McLaurin is expected to play against the Cardinals after dealing with a turf toe injury during preseason, so this move was likely made for Crowder to serve as the primary punt returner.

Crowder, who played four seasons in Washington to start his pro career, will rejoin the team ahead of their regular season opener against Arizona. The Commanders could be preparing for Terry McLaurin (toe) to miss a game or two. In that case, Crowder could be called up to the game day roster.