Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Battles: DeSean Jackson vs Pierre Garcon

I was recently in a deep conversation with my friend regarding the Washington Redskins and their new look offense.  A new coach and new receiver, along with a healthy Robert Griffin and emerging tight end make the Redskins a favorite to become a fantasy juggernaut this year. We agreed on most, but the major discussion revolved around which wide receiver will perform better this year, DeSean Jackson or Pierre Garcon. In this article, I will discuss the pros and cons of each player and make a final decision on which player you should take in your fantasy draft.

DeSean Jackson - WR, WAS

Jackson’s offseason was tumultuous to say the least.  Rumors spread left and right that Chip Kelly and Philadelphia wanted him out, while off-field issues arose regarding possible gang-relations as well as questionable decision making with his agent.  While these reports were overblown, even the slightest gang-ties after the Hernandez incident is a bad look for any player.  After the Eagles couldn’t find a trade partner, they released Jackson, and the Redskins immediately became the favorite to obtain his services.  He signed a rather team friendly deal, and the excitement started.

DeSean is going into his third offense in 3 years.  Most receivers would have trouble adapting, but because of DeSean’s skillset (run forward very fast), he requires less adjustment than complete receivers.  In a new offense last year, he set personal bests in receiving yards with 1,332, and catches in 82.  He also tied his season-high for touchdowns with 9.  He ranks highly in catch rates among wide receivers, 66%, an impressive feat considering his skillset of a vertical player who rarely goes over the middle.  It shows how good his hands and ball-tracking ability truly are.  He also ranked 17th in yards after the catch, 2nd in plays of 20 yards or more, as well as 13th in first downs, a very intriguing stat that shows he can gain yards in bunches but also make the crucial third down catch, which can help gain the trust of Griffin.  DeSean is also going into a vertical style system under Jay Gruden, who helped develop one of the best young receivers in the NFL the past few years, AJ Green.  While Jackson isn’t the same type of receiver, he will probably be asked to run deep as much, if not more than Green.  With all of this though, the most important thing to know is that DeSean is blazing fast and safeties just can’t cover him.  The second a safety attempts to backpedal with him, they will be burned, and Jackson catches everything deep.

DeSean comes with his fair share of negatives, however.  While he isn’t a pure one trick pony, he only does one thing well (more than well actually, he does it spectacularly).  Jackson rarely, if ever, runs over the middle.  Most of his routes are go routes in which he uses stutter steps and quick cuts to fool cornerbacks and safeties, as well as out routes and corner routes.  He also completely disappears from a ton of games. He had 10 games, including the playoffs, in which he had less than 65 yards of receiving, and 5 of them were under 35!  That is a lot of inconsistency for a player that will be drafted as a top flight WR2.  Jackson is also going to be in an offense for the first time in 6 years in which he is not the top receiving option.  Pierre Garcon will almost certainly receive more targets, while Jordan Reed may see more as well. Jackson’s targets will probably be less than the 126 he saw last year, which could limit his amount of big plays.

Pierre Garcon - WR, WAS

Garcon is coming off of his best season as a pro.  For just the second time in his career, he played a full 16 games, and set a personal best for receiving yards with 1,346.  He led the league in targets and receptions with 184 and 113, respectively.  Garcon was simply unstoppable in many games, as the Redskins used him in screens and a multitude of drags, slants and other players to use his special ability of gaining yards after the catch (in which he ranked 3rd in the league last year).  His touchdown total of 5 as well as inconsistent yardage limited his stardom in standard leagues, but he flourished as a high end WR2 in PPR leagues.

Like DeSean Jackson, entering a new system is nothing new for Garcon.  This will be his 3rd offense in 5 years.  He has an extremely well rounded skill-set which can be used universally in any offense, as he flourishes in the screen game, over the middle, and on the outside.  When he has the ball in his hands, he’s nearly impossible to tackle.  His after the catch ability is outstanding, as he uses his quickness and cutting ability to escape defenders, and his strength to run through arm tackles.  When the ball is in his hands, almost anything can happen.  Griffin looked for Garcon on just about every third down play, and on a multitude of red-zone opportunities as well.  The inclusion of DeSean Jackson and Jay Gruden should help him more as well.  The Redskins had absolutely no deep threats last season.  Aldrick Robinson was asked to run deep routes, but him and Griffin just couldn’t make a connection. Griffin in himself looked horrible on the deep ball, and Robinson couldn’t make a play.  With Jackson, safeties will have to be more honest with the Redskins offense, giving Garcon much more room for routes in the middle of the field and on screens, increasing his chances for yards after the catch.  With a putrid Redskins defense going out on the field once again, we can expect them to be throwing often, making Garcon one of the most targeted receivers in the league once again.  The ceiling is high for Garcon this year.

On the negative side, Garcon does have an issue with drops and injuries.  He had an average catch rate of 62% last year and an impressive drop rate of 3.3%, but a multitude of those catches came within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage.  Last year was also just the second year in which he played a full 16 games, and his health was still a worry before the season started.  He also had just 5 touchdowns, a number that may not increase that much. Because Mike Shanahan is gone, the Redskins will most likely use Alfred Morris on the goalline more (why Shanahan didn’t use him there is beyond any fantasy analyst), and Jordan Reed should also see some red zone looks.  The targets also will clearly not be as high as last year,although not by much.  With the inclusion of Jackson and a healthy Jordan Reed, the ball will be spread around more. Garcon is still clearly the top option on the Redskins in terms of targets, however.

The Fantasy FootBall Impact

The Redskins ranked 9th in terms of passing attempts last year, and 16th in yards.  With a healthier Griffin, an inclusion of Jackson, and a new vertical offense with Jay Gruden, those numbers should each get in the top 8 next year, which is great news for both Jackson and Garcon. In terms of Garcon, it will mean that even though the Redskins have more weapons, his targets will still be very high, and his yardage may even increase with defenses not being allowed to focus on him on the outside.  Jackson is going to an offense that is better suited for his skills, as Philadelphia ranked just 27th in passing attempts last year, and he now becomes a player that can focus on his specialty, the deep ball. However, he goes to an offense where he’s probably going to be asked to be the #3 receiver instead of the #1.

I believe Pierre Garcon will finish as the better fantasy player by year end, and it’s not close.  Jay Gruden makes DeSean an appealing fantasy target, but his inclusion in the offense is better news for Garcon than himself.  I can’t trust DeSean’s consistency, as some cornerbacks can physically shut him down.  He will clearly have a huge game or two, but the amount of duds just make him a player you can’t rely on as a top tier talent for every week.  I’d take Garcon in a standard league first, and I’d take him as a low-end WR1 in PPR, while I’d only take Jackson as a WR3 on a receiver stacked team.

2014 Fantasy Football Predictions

Pierre Garcon: 16 games, 95 catches, 1350 yards, 6 touchdowns

DeSean Jackson: 16 games, 60 catches, 950 yards, 7 touchdowns