The Washington Commanders will host the Philadelphia Eagles for an NFC East showdown on Saturday night in Week 16 and wide receivers Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel and quarterback Marcus Mariota will all be in action.
Mariota is taking the reins of the starting quarterback job once again in Week 16 and will do so for the rest of the season after fellow signal-caller Jayden Daniels aggravated his elbow injury, leading to the team shutting him down.
Samuel and McLaurin have served as the Commanders' top two receivers this season, but Samuel leads the team in receiving yards going into Week 16 after McLaurin missed a handful of games earlier in the campaign.
Now, a look at some start or sit advice for Mariota, Samuel and McLaurin ahead of their Week 16 contest against the Eagles.
Terry McLaurin start or sit advice
Since returning from injury in Week 13, McLaurin has posted 13 catches for 206 yards and two scores in that span, ranking as WR14 overall in that span, making McLaurin a solid WR2 play.
Mariota starting isn't really a concern for McLaurin, as he's posted 7/96/1 and 3/69/1 stat lines over the veteran signal-caller's last two starts.
The Eagles do present a tough matchup, with Philly's defense ceding the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season, but there's also a potential for major volume for McLaurin if the Commanders find themselves chasing points.
Despite the difficult draw, we still feel good about McLaurin this week based on what we've seen out of him since returning from injury.
Verdict: Start
Deebo Samuel start or sit advice
While Samuel has been a fairly reliable flex option this season, his production has taken a noticeable dip since McLaurin's return, with Samuel ranking as WR41 overall in the last three weeks.
Samuel has been productive with Mariota under center, but he also faces an Eagles defense giving up the fifth-fewest fantasy points per contest to wideouts in 2025.
With his lackluster production of late, and with the difficult matchup against the Eagles, we wouldn't put Samuel in lineups this week.
Verdict: Sit
Marcus Mariota start or sit advice
Mariota is one of the better backup quarterbacks in the NFL, so this is one of the rare occasions where you can consider starting a backup for an injured starter.
Mariota has made seven starts this season, and in those starts he has finished with rankings of QB6, QB17, QB19, QB13, QB9, QB3 and QB23.
With a mixed bag like that, it's all about the matchup this week.
The Eagles are giving up the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks in 2025, so this is a bad matchup for Mariota.
We would consider Mariota just short of being a viable starter in Week 16.
Verdict: Sit
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