Washington Redskins Fantasy Breakdown

Everyone is talking about the Washington Redskins these days but I haven’t seen much chatter surrounding their fantasy assets. Washington was one of the worst offenses last season but it’s a new regime and there could be some diamonds in the rough like McLaurin was last season. Let’s dive into this fantasy Breakdown of the Washington Redskins. 

Offseason additions: RB Peyton Barber, QB Kyle Allen, RB Antonio Gibson (R), WR Antonio Gandy-Golden (R), RB J.D. McKissic, TE Richard Rodgers, WR Cody Latimer, TE Logan Thomas, TE Thaddeus Moss (R)

Offseason subtractions: TE Jordan Reed, TE Vernon Davis, QB Case Keenum, WR Paul Richardson, QB Colt McCoy, 

RB Chris Thompson, RB Wendell Smallwood, 

Quarterback: Sophomore QB Dwayne Haskins had a miserable rookie campaign. Last year’s 15th overall draft pick was the worst QB in Completion percentage and yards per attempt. He did improve towards the end of the season but he only ended up with 7 touchdowns in 9 games. He’s the starting Quarterback for Washington but veteran Kyle Allen could bump him out if the year two jump doesn’t happen. With McLaurin as the only reliable target on this offense, Haskins doesn’t warrant being drafted in single QB leagues. 

Running Back: 2018 2nd round draft pick Derrius Guice has only 49 touches in the NFL and that alarming injury history of his has caused the team to move to a committee approach. With no shortage of competition behind him and an offense that lacks talent in the passing game, Guice’s ceiling isn’t too high even if he can stay healthy. Future Hall of famer Adrian Peterson is sure to have a between the tackles and short yardage role at the least. 2020 will be AP’s 14th season but the 7 time pro bowler has shown he still has plenty left in the tank with 2,290 scrimmage yards on 499 touches in 31 starts for Washington the past two seasons. The signing of Peyton Barber really crowds this backfield. It was an uphill battle for Barber in Tampa, causing him to sign with Washington on a gross 2 year $3 million deal. I guess you can’t get more than that when you have a career YPC of just 3.6. Antonio Gibson is a Swiss Army knife type of player, playing both RB and WR at the University of Memphis which was a big reason why the Redskins spent the 66th overall pick on him. Rivera compared Gibson to Christian McCaffrey so if Guice goes down again or doesn’t get much work, Gibson could be a big contributor in this committee. He could step into a role in the running game but I think he’ll mainly contribute on passing downs. Former Seahawk J.D. McKissic could also get some work in the passing game. If this running back stable wasn’t crowded enough, Bryce Love definitely pushes it over the edge. Love tore an ACL in his final college game which caused him to fall to the 4th round of the 2019 draft. He spent his entire rookie season on injured reserve. As of now, Guice is the favorite to lead this crowded backfield making him the only one who has any real value here but he is a big risk especially at his ADP of around #80. If you do draft Guice, getting Gibson or AP in the late rounds would be very wise. 

Wide Receiver: Rookie sensation Terry McLaurin is the Redskin to have on your team in 2020! Head Coach Ron Rivera compared McLaurin to DJ Moore and said that McLaurin is a guy that could be on the verge of stardom. The 2019 third round pick was one of the best steals of the fantasy season last year and he could be this year too. He had more points per game than fellow rookie breakout A.J Brown but yet has a current ADP 36 spots lower than Brown’s. If Haskins can improve his level of play McLaurin could have a huge season due to the lack of competition. His rookie stat line of 58/919/7 on 93 targets in 14 games can be surpassed easily making him a very safe WR 2 or 3. 2019 undrafted rookie WR Steven Sims is generating some buzz due to his play making ability and the way he ended last season. In the last 3 games he caught 4 touchdowns and racked up 190 yards on 16 catches. If that is an indication of what’s to come Haskins could rely on Sims often making Sims a sneaky pick up in deep leagues or on waivers. 2018’s Mr. Irrelevant proved to be just that last season finishing as the WR #106. Yeah, Trey Quinn missed a few games but he wasn’t scoring any points anyway. I actually was high on him last season thinking he could be productive out of the slot. He still could be but WR/RB Antonio Gibson looks like he’s going to take some slot work. There’s not much talent here so I should probably mention that Kelvin Harmon could also carve out a role for himself. The sixth round pick has an okay rookie season appearing in all 16 games and catching 30 balls for 365 yards. McLaurin will get all the work he can handle and behind him is wide open. Someone could emerge as a solid fantasy option if this offense heats up. 

Tight End: This unit has very little pass catching experience in the league. The seven Tight Ends that are currently on the roster don’t even have 200 receptions combined. Veteran Richard Rodgers has 121 but do you really want to come out of a fantasy draft with Richard Rodgers on your team? I didn’t think so. I once won a championship with Jeremy Sprinkle in my lineup but he should never be relied upon. Former Quarterback Logan Thomas signed a two year deal with Washington this offseason so he could be in the mix. Undrafted rookie Thaddeus Moss is the most exciting out of this group but that’s not saying much at all. He showed flashes of elite talent at times for LSU but just being the son of Randy Moss is enough for me to keep an eye on him on waivers. I wouldn’t advise you to draft anybody here unless you’re in a very deep league, this position is really a wait and see situation. 

Defense: Washington finished as the D/ST #25 last season with a meager 5.4 PPG. 2nd overall pick Chase Young, and the pair of Super Bowl Champion cornerbacks in Ronald Darby and Kendall Fuller definitely make this unit more formidable. Washington shipped Fuller to Kansas City in the Alex Smith trade but after Fuller made a few huge, crucial plays in Super Bowl 54, Washington scooped him up as a free agent on a four year $40 million deal. There are definitely better options out there but this squad will definitely have some streaming value. 

The team name is only one of many unknowns for Washington but that’s when you can really get some nice value picks for your fantasy team. A lot rides on if Haskins can make the year two leap which I think Ron Rivera will help with, I just don’t know how long it will take. If not, Kyle Allen is a serviceable starter and the running game should continue to be the focal point of the offense. The only one I’d draft with confidence is obviously Terry McLaurin but don’t be afraid to roll the dice on the others.