K.J.

Osborn

The Commanders are down two key players in Cosmi and Payne, but both players were ruled out well-before Sunday. Washington hits the road at near full-strength as they hope to continue their unprecedented run toward a Super Bowl in their first year with head coach Dan Quinn and quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Claimed off waivers from the Patriots on Dec. 11, Osborn has been active only one time as a Commander. It’s a poor sign for the 27-year-old’s NFL future he can’t break into this limited receiver group.

Osborn was added to the injury report Friday with an illness and is officially out against the Cowboys. He was merely a depth piece and his absence should not impact the Commanders’ receiving corps much. Lattimore was declared out due to a nagging hamstring issue on Friday. Martin (illness), Biadasz (ankle), Lucas (groin), and Magee (hamstring) are all also out due to injury.

The Pats signed Osborn as a depth option in the offseason. The former Viking never found a role in the offense and the team eventually waived him after Week 14. Osborn went for 1,845 yards in three years as the Vikings’ No. 3 receiver, proving his worth as a depth option on a strong passing attack. With Noah Brown likely done for the year, he should see plenty of snaps for the Commanders once he gets up to speed with the offense.

Signed to a one-year, $4 million deal this offseason, Osborn was targeted just 18 times as Kendrick Bourne took over as the main third receiver once healthy and both Kayshon Boutte and Ja’Lynn Polk pushed Osborn out of the way for playing time. He’ll likely catch on with another team ahead of the playoffs.

No real surprises here. K.J. Osborn continues to be inactive despite putting together some solid stretches for the Vikings in previous seasons.

S Kyle Dugger (knee) is active. Even with the Pats shaking up their receiver corps, including cutting Tyquan Thornton, veteran Osborn can’t get on the field. The 27-year-old seems like he could be a backup slot asset in a more pass-heavy offense, but pass-heavy this attack is not.

The Patriots are seemingly prioritizing their younger wideouts forming a rapport with Drake Maye in what is all but a lost season. Bourne was active but did not see the field in Week 10 against the Bears. DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte were Maye’s most targeted receivers while Ja’Lynn Polk scored a touchdown. K.J. Osborn is the other veteran receiver on the squad and he saw just one target on the day. Fantasy managers can safely cut Osborn and Bourne from fantasy rosters unless in the deepest of leagues.

Both Osborn and Thornton are healthy scratches and are rumored to be trade candidates ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. That should mean more snaps/potential targets for Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, but the New England passing game is one to avoid right now.

Osborn missed Week 5 with a shoulder injury and was active but did not play any snaps in Week 6. With Demario Douglas sick and Ja’Lynn Polk struggling, he got back in the rotation this week and scored his first touchdown as a Patriot. Despite the score, Osborn won’t be on the fantasy radar for Week 8 as long as Douglas is back to full strength by then.