RADIO
Rishi Patel looks at the projected fantasy football production for the 2020 Washington Redskins to identify potential values and busts.
In recent memory, the Washington Redskins have generally been irrelevant when it comes to the playoff picture. There has been a lot of turnover at the QB position too, with Kirk Cousins, Alex Smith, and now Dwayne Haskins taking turns playing the signal-caller for the DC team in the past few years.
Amidst all the recent turnover at various personnel groups, the Skins finished with the second-worst record in the league last season at 3-13. They started off 0-5 and were 1-9 at one point. Now, with a new coach in Ron Rivera, along with new offensive coordinator Scott Turner and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, Washington will look to begin its slow growth towards playoff contention once again.
This will not come easy for a team that has only made the playoffs once since 2012 (a 2015 wild-card defeat to Green Bay). In addition, the offense has very young and unproven players. When looking it at from a fantasy perspective, the Redskins may be the NFL team with the least amount of truly fantasy-relevant players. Let’s break this down further to see if there is anyone worth drafting.
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Quarterback
This is sophomore QB Dwayne Haskins’ team now. After being inserted in Week 4 last season against the Giants as his NFL debut, the Ohio State product had learning moments for the rest of 2019.
Haskins appeared in nine games total, amassing 1,365 pass yards, seven pass touchdowns, seven picks, 6.7 pass yards per attempt, 151.7 pass yards per game, a 76.1 quarterback rating, and 101 rush yards. The 23-year-old had a 19.4 percent poor throws per pass attempt rate. Because he played fewer games and still needed to adjust to the NFL, Haskins finished 35th among fantasy QBs.
Expect the same type of growing pains with a young QB this season as the Redskins are still in transition from rebuilding to contention. Haskins still needs to develop more and prove himself on the field before becoming a fantasy-relevant player. On top of that, the QB’s top receivers are either in their first or second NFL year and the TEs unit is unknown and unproven. You can take a chance on him as a backup in redraft leagues, but that should only be for leagues that feature 16+ teams. Other than that, this QB is not fantasy-relevant heading into drafts.
Running Back
The Redskins truly have a carousel of running backs. They enter 2020 with Derrius Guice, the ageless Adrian Peterson, rookie Antonio Gibson, former Buccaneer Peyton Barber, J.D. McKissic, and Bryce Love. There is absolutely no way all these backs can be fantasy-relevant on an offense that is expected to be, well, not explosive.
If anything, Guice and Peterson are the only two who should be looked at in fantasy drafts. For the 23-year-old Guice, it has been difficult for him to get on the field since being drafted in 2018. The back has dealt with injuries, which has limited his chances to be effective for Washington. Prior to his rookie season in 2018, the LSU product tore his ACL in the preseason, which prevented him from playing at all during that campaign.
In 2019, Guice dealt with a couple of injuries, including a torn meniscus and MCL sprain. Ultimately, the 2018 pick played for five games, getting 245 rush yards, 5.8 yards per rush, two rush touchdowns, seven receptions, 79 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown.
Ultimately, there is hope the RB can return to full health and be a factor for this team. He was seen making progress recently and is atop the RB depth chart for the Redskins. If on the field, the Louisiana native can be elite, as he did rush for over 1,200 yards in two of his three seasons at LSU. It’s understandable that owners may be hesitant to take an RB with an injury history, but Guice does bring potential IF he can stay healthy. He should be considered a WR2 or WR3 in redraft.
Meanwhile, Adrian Peterson has been playing with passion and purpose, as the 35-year-old led Washington in rushing yards last season. The ageless back returns in 2020 and is trying to play four more seasons (which is not surprising at all).
Last season, the dependable RB started 15 games for Washington and accumulated 898 rush yards, five rush touchdowns, 4.3 rush yards per attempt, 59.9 rush yards per game, 17 receptions, and 142 receiving yards. Peterson also had 2.5 rush yards after contact per rush, 524 rush yards after contact, and 9.5 yards after catch per reception. In terms of red-zone rushes, the back had 50 percent of the team rushes inside the 5. Though he’s not the same guy as he was on the Vikings, Peterson can still merit flex value in redraft leagues as his role on this team is still decent.
When looking at the other backs, there may be some moments during this upcoming season where they shine, but it’s best to avoid drafting them because Washington does not have a high-powered offense that can help multiple RBs sustain good fantasy value. It’s best to evaluate how these other backs do during the season and pick them up off the waiver wire if they are proving to be of value.
Wide Receiver
The biggest name on this offense is wide receiver Terry McLaurin and for good reason, the dude is a stud. Rounding out the top four receivers on this team are Steven Sims Jr., Kelvin Harmon, and Antonio Gandy-Golden, guys you likely have not heard of much at all.
When breaking this group down, it’s easy to conclude McLaurin is the WR1 and most fantasy-relevant. As a rookie last season, the 24-year-old grabbed 58 receptions, 93/479 targets (19.4%), 919 yards, 15.8 yards per catch, and seven touchdowns. Not bad for a guy who was drafted in the third round. The wideout had plenty of opportunities in 2019, and there is no serious competition for him to lose those chances in 2020 either.
Helping McLaurin’s case is the fact that he already has chemistry with quarterback Dwayne Haskins, as both were teammates at Ohio State in 2017 and 2018. The receiver finished 24th in fantasy at his skill position last season and is a huge bright spot on this offense coming into 2020. He’s a solid WR2 in redraft leagues.
The rest of the receiving corp is where things become a bit unpredictable. Steven Sims Jr. went undrafted last year and signed with the Skins afterward. The 23-year-old did not experience the same amount of success as fellow rookie Terry McLaurin, only getting 34 receptions, 56/479 targets (11.7%), 310 yards, 9.1 yards per catch, four touchdowns, 85 rush yards, and one rush touchdown in 16 games played. The Kansas product should see an uptick in usage and possibly fantasy production, but it’s too risky to guarantee it, especially on an offense that is not potent.
The same thing goes for Kelvin Harmon and Antonio Gandy-Golden. When looking at this receiving corp those on top of the depth chart are relatively new to the NFL. Both McLaurin and Sims are entering their second year and so is Harmon, who was drafted just last year in the sixth round. Gandy-Golden was drafted this year.
NC State product Kelvin Harmon performed modestly last year, notching 30 receptions, 44/479 targets (9.2%), 365 yards, and 12.2 yards per catch in 16 games played.
Rookie Antonio Gandy-Golden played for Liberty and brings huge size (6’4”, 223 lbs). The 22-year-old played two seasons at Liberty, getting 1,000-yard seasons in both. The rookie does bring huge upside, but he still is a rookie though. On top of that, he’s further down the depth chart.
Sims, Harmon, and Gandy-Golden are unproven players who should not be considered in fantasy drafts until they carve a solid, consistent role on this offense.
Tight End
Gone are the dependable Vernon Davis and injury-ridden Jordan Reed. Now, Jeremy Sprinkle headlines this Washington TEs unit. You may not have even heard of him, and you’re not the only one either.
The 25-year-old was drafted out of Arkansas in the fifth round of the 2017 draft. He has played three seasons for Washington thus far, appearing in 16 games in 2018 and 2019. In his first two seasons, the TE compiled a grand total of……54 yards!
Last season, 2019, was by far his “best,” as Sprinkle grabbed 26 receptions, 40/479 targets (8.4%), 241 yards, and one touchdown. Believe it or not, Sprinkle led the TEs unit for the Redskins with these stats last season. However, you better believe this, none of the Redskins tight ends are fantasy relevant at all heading into drafts.
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