Howell beat out Jacoby Brissett to be the No. 1 quarterback in Washington, and Howell is worth drafting with a mid- to late-round pick in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. Howell has upside even in one-quarterback leagues, but he's more likely someone to monitor as a potential waiver-wire addition during the season. He started Week 18 for the Commanders in 2022 and scored 19 Fantasy points with 169 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception, along with 35 rushing yards and a touchdown. Howell could be a surprise rushing quarterback since he ran for 828 yards and 11 touchdowns at North Carolina in 2021, and that would make him appealing for Fantasy. He also has solid weapons in Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel and Logan Thomas. Howell has sleeper appeal with that set of weapons and the ability to add points with his legs in Fantasy.
Commanders' Sam Howell: Sit in 2QB/Superflex (Start/Sit)
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Howell had a historic game in Week 3 against Buffalo for all the wrong reasons. He had four interceptions and was sacked nine times, becoming the first quarterback to be sacked nine times while throwing four interceptions in a single game since Warren Moon vs. Dallas in 1985. Also, the 19 sacks the Commanders have allowed so far are tied for the second most through three games of a season since 1970. And now Howell has to face the Eagles and their defensive line. Good luck. I'm sitting him in all formats in Week 4.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Mistake-filled effort in loss
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Howell completed 19 of 29 passes for 170 yards with no touchdowns and four interceptions in the Commanders' 37-3 loss to the Bills on Sunday. He also rushed once for 18 yards.
The second-year signal-caller came into the day having helped the Commanders to a 2-0 record and with just one interception on his 2023 ledger, but both his and the team's fortunes took a drastic turn Sunday. Buffalo's relentless defense took Howell down a whopping nine times while holding him to 5.9 yards per attempt, and two of his four picks led to a combined 10 points for the Bills. Howell's yardage total was also a season low, but he'll have to quickly recover from Sunday's physical and psychological grind considering the Eagles defense now awaits in a Week 4 road matchup.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Week 3 Waiver Priority List
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Howell had a quality outing in Week 2 at Denver with 25.3 Fantasy points, and he's averaging 21.3 Fantasy points per game for the season. I don't love his matchup in Week 3 against Buffalo, but Howell has the chance to help Fantasy managers this season during bye weeks, as well as an injury replacement if needed. He should be rostered in all Superflex and two-quarterback leagues, but in one-quarterback leagues he's worth stashing for 1 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Leads comeback victory
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Howell completed 27 of 39 pass attempts for 299 yards and two touchdowns while adding 13 rushing yards on two attempts in Sunday's 35-33 win over Denver.
Howell and the Commanders were down 21-3 early in this contest, but the quarterback stayed poised and helped lead his team to victory. The 2022 fifth-round pick has thrown for 501 yards with four combined touchdowns and one interception while going undefeated in his first two starts with Washington this season. Howell will look to continue his early success against the Bills next Sunday.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Adds/Streamers (QB Preview)
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I'm not letting a mediocre performance in Week 1 scare me off Howell in Week 2. He got into the end zone once with his legs and I would expect Terry McLaurin to be more help in Week 2. Expect more than 31 pass attempts as well since the Commanders aren't facing the Cardinals anemic offense.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Week 2 Waiver Priority List
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I thought Howell underperformed in Week 1 against the Cardinals when he passed for 202 yards on 19-of-31 completions with one touchdown and one interception, along with 11 rushing yards and a touchdown. He scored 17.2 Fantasy points, but I had higher expectations against the Arizona defense. There's room for more Fantasy production, and Howell is worth stashing on your bench in one-quarterback leagues. I also don't mind starting him in deeper leagues in Week 2 at Denver, and Howell should be added for 1 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Accounts for two scores Sunday
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Howell completed 19 of 31 passes for 202 yards with a touchdown and an interception in Sunday's 20-16 win over the Cardinals. He added 11 rushing yards and a TD on two carries.
The second-year quarterback got sacked six times and lost a fumble that resulted in an Arizona touchdown, and a late hit from linebacker Kyzir White briefly knocked Howell out of the game in the first quarter, but he wound up getting his revenge early in the fourth when he put the Commanders ahead for good with a six-yard TD scramble. It wasn't the most auspicious start to the season for the Washington offense under new coordinator Eric Bieniemy, and Howell will face a potentially tough test in Week 2 on the road against Patrick Surtain and the Broncos.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Sleeper QBs
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Howell had a strong preseason, and hopefully that carries over to this Week 1 matchup against the Cardinals. It would be great if Terry McLaurin (toe) is healthy, but Howell should take advantage of this Arizona defense at home. I'd love to see him use his legs, and he ran for 828 yards and 11 touchdowns at North Carolina in 2021. Look for Jahan Dotson to have a big game, and Howell is worth starting in all Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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Howell had a strong preseason, and hopefully that carries over to this Week 1 matchup against the Cardinals. It would be great if Terry McLaurin (toe) is healthy, but Howell should take advantage of this Arizona defense at home. I'd love to see him use his legs, and he ran for 828 yards and 11 touchdowns at North Carolina in 2021. Look for Jahan Dotson to have a big game, and Howell is worth starting in all Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Adds/Streamers (QB Preview)
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Howell is the only streamer I would consider starting over Anthony Richardson, and I understand if you can't quite get there. I expect big things from Eric Bienemy's offense in Washington and I don't expect Arizona to provide much resistance. Howell topped 19 Fantasy points in his lone start of his rookie season and rushed for 35 yards. Considering he ran for 828 yards and 11 TDs in his final season at North Carolina, there may be more upside here than his ADP suggested.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Week 1 Waiver Priority List
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Howell has two things going for him that make him worth a late-round flier in all leagues, as well as a great waiver wire add for at least 1 percent of your remaining FAB. He could be a surprise Fantasy quarterback, and I'm excited to see what he can do as a first-time starter for Washington. He has dual-threat ability since he ran for 828 yards and 11 touchdowns at North Carolina in 2021, and he has solid weapons, led by Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson. But Howell is also an excellent streaming option in Week 1 with his matchup against Arizona.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Not playing Saturday
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Howell and most other starters will be held out of Saturday's preseason finale against the Bengals, Matthew Paras of The Washington Times reports.
The long list of players sitting out includes RBs Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson and WRs Terry McLaurin (toe), Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel. With the Commanders using their final preseason game to focus on back-end roster spots, Howell & Co. can soon turn their focus to a Week 1 home game against the Cardinals. McLaurin's availability is one of the big questions for that game.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Throws for 188 and two TDs
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Howell completed 19 of 25 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns in Monday's preseason game against Baltimore, adding three carries for 17 yards.
Three days after being named the Week 1 starter, Howell led the Washington first unit to 17 points on four drives while playing the entire first half against Baltimore's second/third-string defenders. He played well even considering the soft competition, though he also showed some of the bad in his scouting report when he took a 13-yard sack on a second-and-2 after needlessly bailing from a relatively clean pocket. Howell bounced back with a 16-yard dart to TE Cole Turner on the next snap, leading Washington to an opening-drive field goal before adding second-quarter TD passes to RB Antonio Gibson and WR Dyami Brown. The biggest negative was WR Terry McLaurin exiting in the second quarter with a toe injury, though it may not end up being a big deal given that X-rays came back negative, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. The prolonged playing time Monday likely means Howell and other starters will be rested for their preseason finale Saturday against the Bengals, leaving a 20-day gap before a favorable Week 1 home matchup with the rebuilding Cardinals.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: May get one half of work Monday
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Coach Ron Rivera told Lisa Salters of ESPN before Monday's preseason game against the Ravens that Howell will "probably see a good half" of action, Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.
Just three days removed from Rivera announcing Howell as the Commanders' starting quarterback for the 2023 season, he'll get a decent amount of run in the team's second exhibition. This follows the 2022 fifth-round pick working three series in the preseason opener against Cleveland, when he completed nine of 12 passes for 77 yards and one touchdown. It's unclear if stalwarts like WRs Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson and RBs Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson will stay on the field as long as Howell, but he'll likely be afforded at least a series or two with the quartet.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Confirmed as starter
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Coach Ron Rivera announced Friday that Howell has been named the Commanders' starting quarterback, Zach Selby of the team's official site reports.
Howell will thus draw the nod in the Commanders' regular-season opener against the Cardinals, with veteran signal-caller Jacoby Brissett set to work as his top backup. In addition to confirming Howell as the team's Week 1 starter, Rivera also relayed that the 2022 fifth-rounder will play in Monday night's preseason contest against the Ravens, JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington reports.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Sharp in preseason opener
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Howell completed nine of 12 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown in Friday's preseason win over the Browns. He also gained eight yards on his only carry.
The Commanders' first two possessions ended in a punt and a safety due to a holding penalty in the end zone, but Howell got the offense rolling on his third and final drive, capping it off with a 26-yard TD strike to Jahan Dotson. The second-year quarterback remains on track to take over the starting role this season, and Howell holds some deep-league fantasy appeal given his solid receiving corps and the possibility that new coordinator Eric Bieniemy can recreate even a fraction of the success he had in Kansas City.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Likely to debut Week 18
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Howell is slated to dress as the Commanders' backup quarterback behind Taylor Heinicke in Sunday's game against the Cowboys and is expected to get the chance to play his first NFL snaps, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
While Carson Wentz was on injured reserve from Weeks 7 through 12, Howell had served as the top backup, but he didn't see any game action behind Heinicke. However, with the 7-8-1 Commanders having now been eliminated from the playoffs after suffering a 24-10 loss to the Browns this past Sunday in Wentz's return to the starting lineup, head coach Ron Rivera appears prepared to drop Wentz to third on the depth chart in order to get an evaluation on Howell in the No. 2 role. It's unclear when the Commanders plan on having Howell enter the game in relief of Heinicke or if the two quarterbacks will alternate series, but the rookie fifth-round pick out of North Carolina looks like he'll finally get the opportunity to showcase his skills to some extent.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Healthy again Week 15
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Howell (coach's decision) has been deemed inactive ahead of Sunday's game against the Giants.
Howell was ruled a healthy scratch in each game before stepping up as the Commanders' No. 2 quarterback behind Taylor Heinicke since Week 7. However, previous starter Carson Wentz (finger) is now set to take over the team's backup duties after being activated from IR on Monday. Barring additional injury to Wentz and/or Heinicke, it's likely Howell will remain sidelined for the foreseeable future.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Slide ends with Washington
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The Commanders selected Howell in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 144th overall.
Howell, like many of the 2022 rookie quarterbacks, slid further than many assumed, but he lands in an intriguing spot with the Commanders. A three-year starter at North Carolina, Howell is hardly a dynamic athlete out of the pocket, but he's mobile enough to extend plays at times and can make every throw at the NFL level. Given that the uninspiring duo of Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke sits above Howell on the depth chart, the 21-year-old could be in position to compete for a starting job in the near future provided he's able to develop and clean up his mechanics in Washington.
