Terry McLaurin vs Tyler Warren

“With Deebo Samuel and Zach Ertz gone, only Antonio Williams and Chig Okonkwo were added to this receiving depth chart; McLaurin should return to his target hog WR2 ways in 2026. He’s a strong bounceback candidate.”

“Round 4: Terry McLaurin (WR – WAS) Terry McLaurin was the counter-pick, sitting in an almost identical ADP range as Waddle. The preference here comes down to target-share ceiling: McLaurin’s worst-case target competition still leaves him with a strong floor, while his best case could push into the high-20s percentage range given how thin the target competition around him currently looks.”

“Terry McLaurin (WR – WSH) McLaurin’s 2025 season was derailed almost from the jump by a training camp holdout that eventually turned into a three-year, $96 million contract extension. That kind of disruption tends to torpedo a season, and it did here too.”

“Terry McLaurin is a favorite draft target in the fifth round based on ADP.”

“Both Luke McCaffrey and Jaylin Lane are fighting for targets behind Terry McLaurin in the Commanders' receiver room.”

“Through the first six weeks, McLaurin averaged just 4.2 PPR points per game, topped 50 receiving yards only once, and seemed to spend almost as much time on the injury report as he did on the field.”

“Injuries also limited Terry McLaurin to 10 games.”

“McLaurin started the 2025 offseason as a holdout. Then, shortly after reaching a new deal with the Commanders, McLaurin sustained a quad injury in Week 3 and did not return fully until the Commanders' season was all but over in Week 13.”

“When healthy, McLaurin has been an extremely reliable WR2, posting consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 2020 to 2024, yet averaged just 80 receptions each season despite being the first read in the offense. Even with Deebo Samuel and Zach Ertz gone, Washington will look to spread the ball around to tertiary options.”

“Terry McLaurin was faded at ADP 31 with a 6% win rate and 44% top 6% finish, and the verdict was Right.”

“After recording a career-high 13 receiving touchdowns in 2024, McLaurin regressed last year, totaling three scores in 10 games. Yet, fantasy players should expect a solid year from him if Daniels is healthy. Unfortunately, McLaurin's fantasy playoff schedule is awful, facing A.J. Terrell in Week 15, an elite Minnesota pass defense in Week 16, and an underrated Jaguars' unit in Week 17.”

“Early in the offseason, new offensive coordinator David Blough said he wants to build the offense around getting McLaurin 10 targets, and topping his career-high of 134 certainly sounds like a probability if everything clicks.”

“Tyler Warren ’s rookie season and Alec Pierce ’s contract are reasons to believe that the Colts’ offense can continue to get better around Taylor, making his job much easier.”

“This is simply a, “the drop-off from Tyler Warren to Tucker Kraft isn’t going to be as big as you think (and I have Kraft higher, for what it’s worth), and that makes Warren a bad value” sentiment.”

“The Colts passing game operated by committee throughout the year, with each of Alec Pierce, Tyler Warren, Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs filling a specific role within the offense.”

“He continued building around a young receiver corps, adding Emeka Egbuka and later Jameson Williams , and locked down his tight end room early with Tyler Warren , calling him a long-term dynasty asset worth building around even with quarterback uncertainty in Indianapolis.”

“Tyler Warren picked up a small bump but stayed in place at fourth, standing fairly alone in that spot: not close enough to catch third, but comfortably ahead of Tucker Kraft , who settled in as the TE5.”

“Tyler Warren should continue to ascend.”

“While Daniel Jones appears healthy heading into 2026, I expect to see more of Warren taking snaps at quarterback, as he did at Penn State. Warren offers unique upside that has received little discussion this offseason.”

“The Colts offense took a big step forward in 2025, and they will need to rely even more on Tyler Warren to keep that momentum going. Warren had an outstanding rookie year after leading the Colts in targets last season. The departure of Michael Pittman (PIT) will lead to even more looks for Warren's second season.”

“Warren had a strong rookie season, catching 76 of 112 targets for 817 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also added a rushing touchdown. Warren played 84% of the snaps as a rookie, running a route on 83.6% of the team's dropbacks.”

“Tyler Warren has a clear chance to finish as the overall TE1 in 2026. He's the returning member of Indy's receiving corps most likely to handle those middle-of-the-field opportunities that previously belonged to Michael Pittman. Warren saw the second-most targets inside the 10-yard line among all tight ends last season (11), yet he finished with only four spikes.”

“Among the second-tier tight ends, Tyler Warren generated some of the strongest endorsements. He was named a must-draft target thanks to expectations for increased volume and a larger offensive role. The belief is that Warren still has room to grow and could push toward the elite tier if his opportunity expands.”

“I'm not confident enough that Loveland will emerge as the former to draft him multiple rounds ahead of other upside young tight ends like the aforementioned Warren, Harold Fannin Jr. or Tucker Kraft.”