Preseason Week 2 Fantasy Football Game Recap: Baltimore Ravens vs. Washington Commanders

• Washington’s backfield remains a 50/50 split: Washington continued to rotate Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson every few plays — and that could continue all season long.

• Justice Hill makes the case to be the RB2: Hill started for the second consecutive preseason game and made three plays of 10 or more yards on his one drive.

• Monitor Terry McLaurin’s health: The Commanders' top wide receiver suffered a toe injury at the end of the first half.

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Washington’s unique running back rotation: While the snap share appears similar to last season, the running backs' roles have been different.

• Brian Robinson has started both preseason games over Antonio Gibson.
• In both games, Robinson played between four and seven snaps in a row, then Gibson would play between four and seven snaps. And that would continue as the starters were still playing.
• The tendency last season was for Robinson to play during clear running situations and Gibson to play in clear passing situations.
• It’s certainly possible Washington will continue this rotation in the regular season. It’s also possible they return to a rotation like last season and are just using the players in this way to get them more experience in all situations, just in case the other gets injured.
• Regardless, this running back room seems like a 1a and 1b situation rather than the team having a clear starter. 
• This gives both backs a high ceiling but also a low upside, as both backs should play roughly 50% of the offensive snaps.

Justice Hill continues to fight for the backup job: Hill started his second straight game for the Ravens and played only one drive before exiting the game.

• Hill touched the ball three times on his drive. He produced a 15-yard run, a 10-yard run and a 13-yard reception.
• Melvin Gordon III took over at one point to give Hill a rest on the drive. Gordon then took over on the following drive.
• Undrafted rookie Keaton Mitchell — who has received some first-team reps in training camp — started playing in the second quarter.
• Gus Edwards was named a captain for the game but ended up not playing. 
• He played in the second quarter of their first preseason game, implying he was behind Hill on the depth chart, but his lack of snaps against the Commanders implies he’s ahead. 
• Regardless, it was odd that Edwards was named a captain in a game he didn’t play.

Miscellaneous Notes

• The Ravens rested several skill players, including quarterback Lamar Jackson, running back J.K. Dobbins, wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr., Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor, and tight end Mark Andrews.
• First-round rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers played one drive, caught two passes for 37 yards and a touchdown, and his day was done.
• Devin Duvernay also only played the first drive. Beckham, Bateman, Agholor, Flowers and Duvernay will make up the top five wide receivers, and all five may get significant playing time this season.
• Isaiah Likely missed practice earlier in the week with an undisclosed injury, which is why Charlie Kolar was the primary tight end with the starters.
• The Commanders Logan Thomas was the only skill player on the team who didn’t play for the team. He is dealing with a calf strain.
• Washington’s starting wide receiver rotation was the same as last week and last season — Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson played every down, while Curtis Samuel played in three-receiver sets.
• McLaurin hobbled to the sideline on a play at the end of the half after getting tackled. He was able to get off the field on his own power, so he is hopefully okay, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.
• Right tackle Andrew Wylie was the first starter to exit the game for Washington — he left after the first drive — which is why the Commanders chart highlights the first drive.

Table Notes

• Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats have these plays removed.

• Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.

• Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.