• Carson Wentz Fantasy Impact on Scary Terry McLaurin

    Dynasty Posted on  —by Brandon Haye
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    The Washington Commanders traded for Carson Wentz to upgrade their quarterback position. Is this positive or negative for Terry McLaurin?

    Everyone knew Washington was going to upgrade the QB position but not many thought that would include Carson Wentz. I know he has been a punch line the last couple of years but he did post his best rating in three years and tied his second-best year in TDs and INTs in 2021.

    While the shine has fallen off of the former second overall pick, let's look at what this means for Terry Mclaurin.

    Scary Terry Last year

    Mclaurin looked to be QB proof before last year but with the injury to Ryan Fitzpatrick, he never hit a consistent stride with Taylor Heinicke. He had his lowest in yards per game, catch percentage, and yards per target of his career. Mclaurin had similar targets and slot snaps but did not see many quality targets.

    A hot take I had last year before the season was that McLaurin would have a top-five WR season. Early on in the season, it looked good with over 80 fantasy points in the first four games but then it started to slide. In Weeks 1 through 8, he was ranked as WR15. The second half of the season was another story, finishing as WR38 from Weeks 9 to 17.

    Carson Wentz

    Carson Wentz has had up and down moments and since his injury, he does not seem like the same QB but in Philadelphia, he was not done any favors with receivers. Even with that his top WR has finished in the top 26 three times in six years (Alshon Jeffries twice and Michael Pittman in 2021).

    He is not afraid to force-feed the main receiver as Pittman received over 25% target share last year and his top option has over 22% in three of the last four years. Look at this throw to an aging T.Y. Hilton, can you imagine this with McLaurin? There is reason to be excited!

    Fantasy Outlook for Terry in 2022 and Moving Forward

    Terry McLaurin did not meet what many would have hoped in 2021 but he still was a top 25 WR in PPR scoring. As you can see below based on 2021, Wentz outperformed Heinicke in most metrics so, in 2022, McLaurin will see the best QB of his career.

    In my dynasty rankings after the Super Bowl, I had McLaurin at WR10 but after the Russell Wilson trade and Carson Wentz, I have him at WR8, moving ahead of D.K. Metcalf and DeAndre Hopkins. As for redraft, I think he will have his best season as a pro. Michael Pittman finished as WR17 last year and I think McLaurin is much more talented and Washington will not be as run-heavy.

    Thanks for checking out my article on the fantasy impact of Carson Wentz on Terry McLaurin. You can read all my work on my IDP Guys Author Page and find me on Twitter @hayeb3. 

    Brandon Haye

    Dog & Craft Beer Lover. Go Browns, Jags, & Wolverines. Devy Dude for IDP GUYS and fantasy football analyst
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