WFT (

23.5) at
Cowboys (

27.5)

Published Sep 18, 2026 · 9:54 PM ET

MJBy MJohnsonBioHide

ABOUT THE WRITER

Mike Johnson has earned more than $500,000 in DFS profit across a wide range of tournament formats. He combines his background in coaching and finance with years of tournament experience to identify market inefficiencies in every matchup.

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GAME OVERVIEW ::

• Washington nearly pulled off a shocking fourth quarter comeback against the Eagles last week despite an exceedingly mediocre offensive performance in which.
• Both the backfield and receiving room are a nightmare to figure out right now for the Commanders.
• Commanders tight end Chig Okonkwo’s status is in question for this game after he sustained a hamstring injury in the season opener.
• The Cowboys offense struggled against the Giants on Sunday night, but benefitted massively from penalties.
• Dallas had only two possessions in the second half against New York as their defense struggled to get off the field all night.

HOW WASHINGTON WILL TRY TO WIN::

Football is a game of inches, they say. But really, football is a game of drives. This isn’t Madden, you can’t expect to be churning out 60-yard touchdowns. In order to score points, you need to move the ball gradually and get first downs. Obviously explosive plays are important as well, but at a foundational level if you can’t consistently get first downs then you can’t stay on the field long enough to make those explosive plays. That was the issue for Washington in Week 1 against an Eagles defense that shuts down the run and blankets the perimeter. This week the Commanders get a Cowboys defense that got gashed on the ground by the Giants and allowed New York to convert nine of 11 third down attempts. New York punted only once all night and, on the surface, this should be a spot where the Commanders are able to keep drives going much more regularly and, in turn, might actually be able to create some explosives.

The Commanders backfield is a bit of a mess. Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Rachaad White operated in basically an even split for almost the entire game, with JCM leading the team in carries and being featured on early downs while White was the passing downs and special situations back who mixed in on early downs occasionally. Then on their final drive of the game, when they were trying to force overtime, rookie Kaytron Allen got three carries without any reported injuries for JCM or White. Dicey at best, but the backs should be involved this week and find more success. Neither is likely to post a huge game, but the group should produce more touches and yards than they did against the Eagles and function more as a help to their offense’s success than they do to their own ability to post a big box score.

Through the air, Washington should also have much greater success away from the Eagles defense. Terry McLaurin is an above-average NFL receiver but isn’t equipped to win that matchup. Stefon Diggs should keep getting more comfortable in this offense. Rookie WR Antonio Williams looked terrific in Week 1 and his role should grow significantly, very quickly. Commanders tight end Chig Okonkwo is nursing a hamstring injury that kept him out of practice on Wednesday and the team doesn’t appear to have much trust at that position behind him. This should lead to increased chances for this underrated trio of receivers. Ultimately the offense’s success is going to fall primarily on the shoulders of QB Jayden Daniels. I expect Daniels and this offense as a whole to look much more functional in Week 2.

DFS+ Interpretation::