This is our Sunday Night Football DFS breakdown, running through all the relevant player salaries on DraftKings and FanDuel while forecasting the potential game outcomes as the Washington Commanders face the visiting Seattle Seahawks.
Sunday night's game between the home-team Commanders and visiting Seahawks features a role reversal relative to offseason expectations, with the playoff-favorite Commanders stumbling through injuries to a 3-5 record while the Seahawks, generally ranked as the worst team in the NFC West, has exceeded expectations with a 5-2 record.
The over/under is 48.0 with the visiting Seahawks favored by 3.0.
QUARTERBACK
Jayden Daniels ($11600 DK, $12800 FD) is a dangerous fade on any one-game slate, and this one is no exception. That's true even with the issues in the surrounding offense, namely the absence of WR1 Terry McLaurin. Meanwhile, slot wideout Deebo Samuel gets a potentially difficult matchup against distinguished slot defender Devon Witherspoon. It's plenty possible that Daniels throws for fewer than 200 yards in this game.
Even if Daniels finishes under 200 yards passing, though, he could do substantial damage on the ground. Given Washington's 3-5 record and sinking playoff ambitions, Daniels might be willing to resort to risks as a runner that he would normally eschew out of durability concerns. If it's all on the line now, though, then Daniels doesn't have as much reason for caution, no matter the danger level.
Sam Darnold ($10600 DK, $12000 FD) is a central consideration on this slate in his own right. The absence of slot wideout Cooper Kupp might sting to some extent, but the Seattle run game should thrive here and as long as offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has a run game to leverage he tends to put the quarterback in good spots. That's one thing to keep in mind with respect to Darnold, the other is that the Washington defense is worse than it was last year, and probably by a lot. Washington's defense has looked like a bottom-10 defense for most of this year. With that said, the Seattle offense is not pass-happy by design and it's unlikely that Darnold will provide yardage volume unless he posts a very high YPA average. Daniels is likely the player with the better best-case scenario, even if there are more perils facing Daniels in this setting.
RUNNING BACK
Guessing which of Kenneth Walker ($7600 DK, $11200 FD) or Zach Charbonnet ($7000 DK, $8600 FD) will post better fantasy numbers in a given game figures to be an ongoing, tormenting impossibility. Walker is the clear enough RB1 in a technical sense, but Charbonnet is valued enough as a blocker and short-yardage runner that Charbonnet often deprives Walker of otherwise fruitful usage opportunities.
With all that said, the Washington run defense is plainly vulnerable and in this particular game it might be safe to assume that both Walker and Charbonnet will prove cashing-viable picks rather than neither. The Seahawks are projected as clear favorites, and if they do end up winning decisively it could be a game where Walker and Charbonnet can both find the end zone, even if the latter is somewhat more likely to get the touchdowns and Walker more likely to get the yardage.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt ($7400 DK, $9400 FD) offers tempting big-play ability and the Commanders seem committed to him as a starter, regardless of the results. That Jeremy McNichols ($4400 DK, $4400 FD) can do as much or more is something Washington ignores until they fall behind like last week, at which point they give McNichols more opportunities in a pass-catching script. In a game where Washington is projected to lose, a pass-catching hurryup script could occur at the expense of JCM and to the benefit of McNichols. Chris Rodriguez ($2800 DK, $2600 FD) is a good running back as well and has always produced as well as JCM, but Washington hasn't cared so far and Rodriguez is therefore unlikely to see any opportunity, despite how otherwise automatic he is with opportunity.
WIDE RECEIVER + TIGHT END
Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($12000 DK, $13400 FD) is an advised start on this slate, even if he's mega-chalky. Smith-Njigba has been matchup-proof to this point, and the absence of Kupp could leave even more slack for JSN than usual. It's not to say you can't pick both, but if you must pick one between JSN and Darnold there's a strong case to go with JSN. But there's also a strong case to go with both.
Tory Horton ($3200 DK, $3000 FD) is an extremely tempting bargain, to the point that he's almost an advised start as well. Horton can't give Seattle the rugged slot reps that Kupp normally does, but Horton's game as a boundary receiver is solid and there's reason to think he can beat the Washington corners. Other than JSN and Horton, the best bet for receiving production in Seattle might be in the tight end room. AJ Barner ($3000 DK, $5600 FD) is the starting tight end, and at this price he's fairly tempting. It might even be worth rostering both Barner and Elijah Arroyo ($2400 DK, $3400 FD) – the rookie Arroyo might be a backup to Barner, but he's almost like a different tight end sub-type, with Barner the 'inline' tight end and Arroyo the 'move' tight end who blocks less and runs more routes pre snap than Barner. The absences of Kupp and TE3 Eric Saubert could be big for Arroyo's playing time and usage in this game.
Deebo Samuel ($9600 DK, $10400 FD) has produced badly enough lately and costs enough on this slate that his ownership should be relatively low. The concern is that the reasons for his low ownership are good ones – Samuel hasn't done much in easier matchups than this, when he figures to face off primarily against slot defender Devon Witherspoon – the best defensive back the Seahawks have. Zach Ertz ($6200 DK, $7200 FD) is a strong candidate to lead Washington in receptions if Samuel does not, and if Samuel is occupying Witherspoon then Ertz really might have some room to work with.
The remaining Washington pass catchers otherwise don't seem like great candidates to lead the team in targets or receptions, but Chris Moore ($3400 DK, $2200 FD) was good enough as McLaurin's replacement to warrant serious consideration at his low price. Moore might not offer a high reception count, but the big play downfield could be there. Meanwhile, prospects Luke McCaffrey ($5400 DK, $5000 FD) and Jaylin Lane ($3800 DK, $3800 FD) are more promising than they are reliable, and their projected points per dollar isn't great compared to cheaper options like Moore, Horton, or the Seattle tight ends. John Bates plays quality snaps but almost always as a blocker, reducing him and TE3 Ben Sinnott to desperate punt plays.
KICKER
Either or both kickers might provide cash-viable returns in this game, but if so it would likely be more a product of circumstance than their own abilities. It's likely that neither is better than average.
Matt Gay ($4800 DK, $6400 FD) is a shaky pick for a Washington team projected to lose, and he's returning from a back injury that hopefully isn't an ongoing issue.
Jason Myers ($5000 DK, $6000 FD) has the conventionally better projection as the kicker for the projected winner, and the weakness shown by the Washington defense raises the possibility of Seattle regularly entering scoring range. Meyers has double-digit fantasy points in four of his last five games, with an average of just under 13.0 fantasy points per game in those four double-digit games.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
The Seahawks ($4000 DK, $6800 FD) are more tempting than anyone figured they would be in this matchup, though that mostly has to do with injuries suffered by Washington. Between the McLaurin injury and Washington's disheveled state, the Commanders simply appear more vulnerable than anyone would have guessed in the preseason.
The Commanders ($3600 DK, $6000 FD) are probably not an advised start. Their defense has been one of the more disappointing ones in the NFL in 2025, and the Seattle offense has been one of the most surprisingly good ones. With the Washington offense shorthanded as well, it just doesn't look like a good setup for the Commanders defense.
