The Commanders elevated Jefferson from the practice squad ahead of Sunday's game against the Giants.
McNichols (quadriceps) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Giants.
Amos (ankle) has been downgraded to out for Sunday's game against the Giants.
McLaurin (hamstring) remains a game-time decision for Sunday's game against the Giants, with a "slight lean" toward him playing, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.
The Colts placed Key (hamstring) on injured reserve Saturday.
The Colts elevated Westbrook-Ikhine from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday.
Slayton (knee) has been downgraded to out for Sunday's game against the Steelers.
Butler (hamstring) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Giants.
Cosmi (concussion/throat) does not have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Giants.
Omenihu (groin/ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Giants.
FanDuel. With Keenan Allen ruled out due to his mid-week groin injury, it’s an easy pivot for me to Josh Downs. Washington’s secondary has allowed the second most receiving yards per game to first reads (209), on the highest yard per route run (2.53). The Commanders run defense is competent, actually ranking first in FTN’s DVOA early on. Without Allen, Downs should see an increase on his already gaudy 32% first read rate. With 20 targets in the two games since Alec Pierce went down, I’m expecting significant volume for Downs in London. I’d bet this to over 75.5.
Daniel Jones has had a slow start to the season. But he did go above this passing line against the Texans' defense in Week 3. Now Daniel Jones gets a true gift in London...the Washington pass defense. Washington has become quite a pass funnel this season. They have given up the 3rd most passing yards to quarterbacks through the first three weeks. Look for Jones to sail past this line on Sunday morning.
QBs who started in Weeks 2 and 3 after being on the bench for the openers' kickoffs are 6-0 straight-up. Perhaps none looked better than Marcus Mariota, who delivered 33 points against Seattle. Any QB might be able to handle Indy's worst-ranked defense (417 ypg). On offense, Colts cornerstone RB Jonathan Taylor has yet to get untracked; there’ve been no 100-yard games. The drought could continue against the third-rated rush defense. Wash tight end Chig Okonkwo and linebacker Frankie Luvu have rehabbed from injuries and will return. Underdogs are always worth considering in these overseas games.
Kudos to Marcus Mariota in his play vs. perhaps the NFL's premier defense last week. The Colts' defense ranks dead-last in the NFL. But now there's game film of Mariota, and all teams know what to do. No Terry McLaurin will be a problem for Mariota, and the Commanders' 31st-ranked pass defense could offer opportunities for Daniel Jones. Jonathan Taylor and the Colts should have their way up front against an overachieving-but-susceptible Commanders front.
Josh Downs drew 10 targets in Week 3 as Alec Pierce remains sidelined. Downs leads the NFL in average separation score, per Fantasy Points. In other words, he's getting open consistently. This is a dream matchup against Washington's terrible secondary. Look for Downs to post 70-plus receiving yards for the third straight game.
Jonathan Taylor will face one of the leagues best run defense this week when he takes on a Commanders defense that has been elite versus RBs. The Commanders have surrendered just 166 yards to opposing RBs despite facing the Eagles, Seattle, and Dallas. Jonathan Taylor is averaging under 4.0 YPC and the Colts offense is sputtering right now. I had this spot circled after coming away extremely impressed with the Washington run defense. I expect the defensive gameplan to center around slowing down Taylor.
This is a great time to fade one of these teams, with the Commanders catching 4.5 on the lookahead before the surprise win against the Seahawks. Despite the result, Washington was outmatched in that game, gaining just 4 yards per play while allowing 6.8 per play. Just one Commanders drive went longer than 43 yards despite their point total. The Colts held the Texans to 223 yards of offense, and while it's true Houston is down receivers, the Texans moved the ball more easily the previous week. I think Colts -4.5 was the right number, so I'll lay the key number here.
