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.
Howell completed 28 of 44 passes for 300 yards and an interception while adding 13 rushing yards and a touchdown on two carries in Thursday's 45-10 loss to the Cowboys.
The second-year quarterback played relatively mistake-free ball until a desperation drive late in the fourth quarter ended on a pick-six by DaRon Bland. It's the fourth time in the last five games Howell has thrown for at least 300 yards, but that yardage has come on sky-high volume -- he's attempted more than 40 passes in six straight contests and eight of the last nine as the Commanders' offense tries to compensate for its porous defense. That formula doesn't figure to change much in Week 13 against the Dolphins.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Three picks against Giants
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Howell completed 31 of 45 passes for 255 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions in Sunday's 31-19 loss to the Giants. He added three rushes for 35 yards and an additional touchdown.
Howell continued to take to the air at a prolific rate, as he's now topped 40 pass attempts in five consecutive games. Unlike the last three contests, however, production didn't follow. Instead, Howell averaged only 5.7 yards per attempt and threw multiple picks for the first time since Week 3 -- the final of which was returned for a touchdown to put the game out of reach for the Commanders. Positively, Howell reached the end zone on the ground on a tough seven-yard run, during which he bounced off several defenders. That salvaged an otherwise forgettable performance from a fantasy perspective.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Sit Him (Lineup Decisions)
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We've been rolling with Howell week after week because of his expected passing volume, but this is a matchup where he may not have to throw very much. In fact it would take the Giants offense putting up some points for Howell to have to throw more than, say, 32 passes against them. It should mean a big week for the Commanders run game and the Commanders DST. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect the same kind of upside for Howell as usual and should consider sitting him for Joshua Dobbs, Kyler Murray, Justin Fields and Jordan Love.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: QBs to Start
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My only concern for Howell this week is the potential for a lack of volume given the Giants inability to score. But hopefully the Commanders continue to let Howell throw at will because that's resulted in plenty of Fantasy production of late. He comes into Week 11 with three games in a row with at least 44 pass attempts and 312 passing yards. In two of those outings, Howell has thrown at least three touchdowns and scored at least 30.2 Fantasy points. Howell only has two terrible Fantasy games so far this season, and one was at the Giants in Week 7 when he had 249 passing yards, no touchdowns and one interception, along with 15 rushing yards, for 9.5 Fantasy points. I expect a much better performance this week against a lackluster opponent, and the Giants just allowed 404 passing yards and five total touchdowns to Dak Prescott in Week 10.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Top DFS Play
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Howell is the No. 4 QB on the slate in my Week 11 projections. He's No. 7 in FanDuel pricing, $1,100 cheaper than Justin Herbert. The pass volume may be down because of the Giants inability to score, but I don't think that's going to stop Howell from getting to 3x value.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Another 300-yard game in defeat
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Howell completed 29 of 44 pass attempts for 312 yards and three touchdowns (no turnovers) while adding 17 rushing yards on two attempts in Sunday's 29-26 loss to the Seahawks.
Howell's midseason surge continued with his third consecutive 300-yard passing performance and fourth overall through 10 starts this year. The sophomore starer has generated eight touchdowns to two turnovers over his voluminous three-game stretch, effectively cooling off his seat following an inconsistent start to the campaign. Howell will ride his personal hot streak into a favorable matchup against the Giants next Sunday.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Start Him (Lineup Decisions)
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The Seahawks were utterly embarrassed last week, so I'd expect a big-time bounce-back game from them on both sides of the ball. That should mean their offense puts up some points while their defense does all they can to make the Commanders one-dimensional. That's been part of the formula that's made Howell a good Fantasy quarterback in the first place! I'm ready to give Howell another shot ahead of Baker Mayfield, Trevor Lawrence, Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: QBs to Start
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Howell didn't have a big game in Week 9 at New England with 19.7 Fantasy points, but he topped 300 passing yards for the second game in a row. He also attempted at least 41 passes for the fifth time in his past six outings, and his volume is leading to quality Fantasy production. We'll see how he does against a fiesty Seahawks' defense on the road, especially after Seattle was just embarrassed at Baltimore in a 37-3 defeat. It wouldn't surprise me if Howell needs garbage time to get his points, but they should come in this matchup.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Tops 300 yards in win
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Howell completed 29 of 45 passes for 325 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Sunday's 20-17 win over New England. He added five rushing attempts for 27 yards.
Howell threw for 176 yards in the first half but had an ugly interception in the end zone on 1st-and-goal in the final seconds before halftime, leading to a 14-10 halftime deficit. He threw a 33-yard touchdown to Jahan Dotson to tie the score at 17 apiece in the third quarter. Howell moved the offense effectively and averaged 7.2 yards per pass while Patriots quarterback Mac Jones had just 220 yards on 44 pass attempts (5.0 Y/A). After throwing for 300-plus yards only once in his first eight NFL starts, Howell has hit that mark in each of his last two outings heading into a Week 10 trip to Seattle.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Start Him (Lineup Decisions)
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Howell proved last week that he can crush good defenses when he isn't pressured, now he's taking on one of the least pressuring defenses in the league. He also should throw a good amount of the time, possibly seeing 35 attempts because the Commanders run game could struggle. Howell fits in as a top-10 Fantasy quarterback this week. I'd start him over Derek Carr, Gardner Minshew, Will Levis and Geno Smith.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: QBs to Start
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Howell just had his best game of the season in Week 8 against the Eagles with 397 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception, along with 11 rushing yards, for 38.9 Fantasy points. And he was sacked a season-low one time. He's now scored at least 21.6 Fantasy points in five of eight games this year, and I'll trust him again as a No. 1 quarterback in all leagues. The Patriots have allowed big games the past two weeks to Josh Allen (28.3 Fantasy points) and Tua Tagovailoa (27.8), and Howell will hopefully stay hot in this matchup on the road.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Top DFS Play
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Howell was already averaging a league-high 46 dropbacks per game. With Montez Sweat and Chase Young shipped at the deadline, that number may go even higher as the Commanders won't be able to stop anyone. Howell is the favorite to lead the league in pass attempts rest of season and that's not a bad thing for Fantasy when you've got Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson to throw to.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Standout numbers in defeat
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Howell completed 39 of 52 passes for 397 yards with four touchdowns and one interception in the Commanders' 38-31 loss to the Eagles on Sunday. He also rushed three times for 11 yards and committed a fumble that was recovered by Washington.
Howell enjoyed a career-best day in defeat, with both his yardage and touchdown totals serving as new single-game highs for the second-year signal-caller. Howell impressively spread the ball around to nine different targets, connecting with Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Logan Thomas and Jamison Crowder for touchdown tosses of 26, 21, seven and 26 yards, respectively. However, Howell was unable to keep up with Jalen Hurts and his air attack in the fourth quarter, when Philadelphia outscored Washington by a 21-14 margin. The sophomore quarterback nevertheless should draw plenty of confidence from nearly knocking off the defending NFC champions for a second time this season and will next face the Patriots on the road in a Week 9 matchup.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Sit Him (Lineup Decisions)
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After starting the week interested in Howell because of his anticipated pass attempts, I've backed off. I am nervous about trusting not only him but the Commanders playcalling to find answers against an Eagles defense that should deliver pressure even without blitzing and just improved its secondary. After all, the DOLPHINS were stymied by the Eagles defense last week. I know the Commanders have played the Eagles close in recent years but I can't trust Howell on a week when no one is on bye. I've relented and will now start Jordan Love, Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo over Howell.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: QBs to Sit
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Howell had a solid game at Philadelphia in Week 4 with 21.6 Fantasy points, but I don't expect him to do well in the rematch. The Eagles should be able to harass him in this game, and the addition of safety Kevin Byard is a huge boost to the secondary. Howell will likely struggle to avoid the Eagles pass rush, and he's been sacked 40 times already in 2023, putting him on pace to set a new NFL record. Philadelphia just held Tua Tagovailoa to 12.3 Fantasy points in Week 7, and the Eagles should make this a tough day for Howell, even at home. Howell is only worth starting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 8.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Under constant pressure in loss
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Howell completed 22 of 42 passes for 249 yards with an interception in Sunday's 14-7 loss to the Giants.
He also picked up 15 rushing yards on two carries. The second-year QB took another beating in the pocket, getting sacked six times, and while Howell had a little more success in the second half, he still failed to throw a TD for the second time in seven starts this season. Howell's been sacked 40 times already in 2023, putting him on pace to set a new NFL record, and the Commanders will need to solve their protection issues soon if the team doesn't want to stunt the young quarterback's development -- the current holder of the record is Derek Carr's older brother David, the first overall pick in the 2002 draft who never really recovered after being sacked 76 times as a rookie. Howell faces an even more dangerous Eagles front seven in Week 8.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Start Him (Lineup Decisions)
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You'll start Howell with mild expectations -- New York's rough secondary should open up some opportunities for Washington's receivers to make some plays. And New York's offense might pull some of what Atlanta's did last week and give the ball to Howell in prime field position. That stuff will help, and it's almost essential. If the Giants slow the pace of the game down and if the Commanders have success running the ball, both of which are possible, then Howell might not have to do much to help his team earn a win. That's the biggest worry. I'd start him over Brock Purdy, Desmond Ridder and Russell Wilson.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: QBs to Start
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Howell has scored at least 21.6 Fantasy points in four of his past five games, including three in a row, and three of the past five quarterbacks against the Giants have scored at least 20.9 Fantasy points, including Joshua Dobbs in Week 2, Brock Purdy in Week 3 and Tua Tagovailoa in Week 5. I like Howell as a top-10 Fantasy quarterback in Week 7, and I hope he takes advantage of this matchup on the road. Howell was my favorite quarterback to add off the waiver wire this week, and you should feel comfortable putting him right into your starting lineup, if needed, in all formats.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Top DFS Play
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I don't love any of the top QBs on the main slate this week, Howell is on a bit of a roll, and he gets to face the Giants. Stack him with Terry McLaurin and you'll have plenty of room to fit in the top stars at other positions.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Adds/Streamers (QB Preview)
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Yes, I'm cheating a little as the cutoff is generally 65% for the waiver wire, but desperate times call for desperate measures and Week 7 definitely qualifies as desperate times. Howell has topped 20 Fantasy points in three straight starts and should have no trouble with a Giants' pass rush that ranks dead last in the NFL with five sacks.
