Commanders Week 2 Fantasy Football Outlook: Should You Start Jayden Daniels, Jacory Croskey-Merritt and More?

We'll continue our look at the Thursday night game by going over the Washington Commanders.

Here's the recap of the Green Bay Packers.

Having trouble deciding who to start in week 2? Let the FantasySP start/sit tool help you make a decision.

Jayden Daniels Fantasy Outlook

Daniels is one of the best fantasy quarterbacks in the game because of his dual-threat ability.

He was pretty good in week 1, completing 63.3% of his passes for 233 yards, a score and no interceptions. Daniels added 68 rushing yards on 11 attempts.

Daniels will face a much stiffer test against the Packers' defense in week 2. Green Bay's defense allowed Jared Goff to throw for 225 yards, but it took 39 pass attempts to get there. Goff isn't the dual-threat guy Daniels is, and he also threw a pick.

Daniels is the No. 2 fantasy QB on the projection page, set for 22 points. I have him as my QB5 going into the week, so I'm not quite as high on him.

While I'm down on Daniels a bit, his dual-threat ability still makes him a good/great starting option, and worthy of a start in all formats. Don't overthink things - you drafted him early, so utilize him every week he's active.

The Commanders' offense is fully healthy, giving Daniels a good outlook despite it being a short week.

Running Back Fantasy Outlooks

The Commanders' backfield is starting to take shape after the organization traded Brian Robinson away.

In week 1, Austin Ekeler led the way with 33 snaps played. He had nine touches, rushing six times for 26 yards and catching all three of his targets for an additional 31 yards.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt played 23 snaps and led the way with 10 touches. He got all his touches in the running game, going for 82 yards and a score. Croskey-Merritt didn't catch his only target.

Jeremy McNichols played 13 snaps and got four touches, rushing four times for 25 yards.

Croskey-Merritt is the highest-projected Washington back, set for 10 PPR points. So is Ekeler though, which makes starting either guy a not-so-easy choice.

I do not have any Washington backs in my top 30 for week 2.

Part of that is because of the matchup. Last week against Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, Green Bay allowed just 44 rushing yards on 20 attempts. Backs had 14 catches, but it resulted in just 49 yards.

So while the matchup looks favorable, it might take a ton of touches to get any Washington back to a decent PPR score.

Croskey-Merritt is the better rushing option, while Ekeler is the better PPR guy. Since I'm using PPR marks, I'm calling Ekeler the top fantasy option for tonight, but both guys are standard league options.

I prefer them better in deeper leagues, and could justify starting both guys. I'd stay away from McNichols in week 2.

Wide Receiver Fantasy Outlooks

Surprisingly, it was Deebo Samuel Sr. who led the Commanders' wideouts in week 1.

He played 54 snaps and got 10 targets. Samuel made seven grabs for 77 yards.

Terry McLaurin, the No. 1 wideout, played 55 snaps. He caught two of his four targets for just 27 yards.

Noah Brown was on the field for 33 snaps, making two grabs across three targets for 27 yards. Jaylin Noel played 21 snaps, making an 11-yard catch across two targets. Chris Moore had a 34-yard catch on his lone target across 19 snaps.

McLaurin is still the top fantasy wideout in Washington. He's projected for 14 PPR points, but Samuel is hot on his heels at 13 PPR points.

McLaurin is my No. 21 fantasy wideout for week 2. I don't have Samuel in my top 30, but he was close.

Green Bay allowed opposing wideouts to go for just 97 yards on 11 catches in week 1. A touchdown upped the fantasy total a bit, but they were stout in the opener.

I don't love the matchup for the wideouts, but am still OK with starting McLaurin in a standard league for another week. I'm not giving up on him after a week.

Samuel is a standard league option, but I prefer starting him in deeper formats only. The deeper a league, the better an option he becomes.

I don't really like any of the team's other wideouts. In order, I'd take Brown, then Lane, then Moore. None of them are good options, even in the deepest of leagues.

Tight End Fantasy Outlooks

Zach Ertz is the team's top tight end.

He bailed fantasy owners out in week 1 by scoring a touchdown. Ertz made three catches across five targets for just 26 yards though.

Ertz played 45 snaps, which was good enough for third-most on the team. Keep that in mind.

Backup TE John Bates played 37 snaps, but didn't get a target. Ben Sinnott only played eight snaps. Neither of those guys are near fantasy starting relevance, even though Sinnott has some value in deeper leagues, and dynasty/keeper setups.

Ertz is projected for eight PPR fantasy points in week 2. I have him as my No. 14 TE for this week, which is one spot ahead of Packers' TE Tucker Kraft.

The Packers' defense allowed Sam LaPorta to go for 79 yards on six catches and nine targets in week 1. For that reason, I like Ertz a bit going into the week.

He might be the clear No. 3 pass-catching target behind McLaurin and Samuel, but if those two guys are taken away, maybe Ertz can deliver again tonight.

He's not a must-start option in standard leagues, but he's a sneaky good option. In deeper leagues, I'd be all for starting Ertz this week. There's a chance he really surprises this week.

Kicker Fantasy Outlook

Matt Gay is the Washington kicker. He didn't get a field goal try in week 1, but was perfect on his three extra points.

This game has a 48.5 over/under mark, so that alone makes Gay a decent starting option.

He's projected for six fantasy points going into the game. While that's not the best total, his 31% own mark and 27% start mark show you how much fantasy owners like the Commanders' offense.

I'm skeptical of Gay in week 2 because of what the Packers' defense did in week 1. I actually dropped Gay in a league and went after a kicker on a team with a more favorable matchup instead, so that's what I'd suggest you do as well. 

Defense/Special Teams Fantasy Outlook

The Commanders' D/ST will have a stiffer test in week 2. Washington limited the New York Giants to 231 total yards.

The Commanders also had two sacks in week 1. The defense didn't create a turnover.

The Packers' offense is much better, so it's not the best outlook for the Commanders' defense tonight.

The projections really don't like Washington, as it's projected for just five points. The D/ST is still rostered in 24% of leagues and starting in 14% of those.

I'd be looking elsewhere for D/ST starting options this week. In really deep leagues, sure the Commanders' defense could start, but after not creating a bunch of big plays against the Giants, I wouldn't be thrilled to start them against a much-better Packers' squad.

There has to be some better options available to you. Do a little digging and see what you can come up with. It's just too risky to start them.