The Redskins turned to Haskins as the full-time starter Week
8 of the 2019 regular season. The former first-round pick from
Ohio State went on to deliver what you would expect of a rookie
quarterback thrust into the starting role on a bad offense, with
a completion percentage of under 60% and as many interceptions
as touchdown passes.
Haskins led the Redskins to a pair of wins in his eight starts,
including an impressive 29-21 win on the road over the Carolina
Panthers.
The jury is out on whether or not Haskins will be the long-term
solution at quarterback for Washington. The team has a new coaching
staff with head coach Ron Rivera and offensive coordinator Scott
Turner.
From a fantasy perspective, Haskins should not be considered
an option in anything other than deep superflex leagues, as there
are far better options at the position.
There is no doubt that Derrius Guice is a talented running back
who has the skillset to be a starter in the NFL. There are, however,
more than a few reasons why fantasy owners should be concerned
when drafting the former LSU Tiger.
First and foremost are his injury history and his inability to
stay on the field. Guice suffered a season-ending knee injury
in his rookie season, only to follow up with a meniscus tear in
his other knee at the start of 2019. He would then suffer a season-ending
grade 2 MCL strain against the Packers in Week 14 against the
Packers.
Another concern is the fact that veteran Adrian Peterson continues
to hang around and produce solid numbers, and the Redskins added
an impressive rookie in Antonio
Gibson in the 2020 NFL draft.
When on the field, Guice delivered mixed results. His 5.8 YPC
average looks impressive, but most of that came on a few big runs
against the Panthers, a team that was missing three starting defensive
linemen. In his other found games of at least seven carries, Guice
failed to top more than 42 rushing yards.
It makes sense that the Redskins will give Guice a chance to
be the starter based on the high draft capital used on him back
in 2018. However, he comes with a ton of risk and could be a bust
once again if his body breaks down.
Peterson and Frank Gore continue to lead the geriatric running
back party or players who should have retired but who cannot seem
to give up the game. At age 35, Peterson once again looks to be
a thorn in the side of Derrius Guice truthers, despite the fact
that he has barely averaged more than four yards per carry over
the past two seasons.
If Peterson does make the squad and is not a training camp cut,
look for him to share the first and second down role with Guice.
Rookie Antonio Gibson from Memphis is a talented back who could
also eat into the carry load of each player, and free agent signees
Peyton Barber and J.D. McKissic are also in the mix.
It would not surprise us to see the Redskins backfield become
a wasteland of no value and something that owners may want to
avoid altogether.
McLaurin was the one bright spot on an otherwise dreadful 2019
Washington Redskins team. The former Buckeye caught 58 balls for
919 yards and seven touchdowns in just 14 games, including an
impressive 5/125/1 debut against the Eagles.
He enters the 2020 season as the No.1 receiving option for the
Redskins and a favorite low-end No.2 WR for fantasy owners. His
32% target share among Washington wideouts is exactly what you
want in a fantasy player, and his 12 red zone targets also led
the team.
Surprisingly, he fared better when Case Keenum was under center
and not his former teammate from Ohio State. McLaurin’s
worst games came in a stretch from Week 8 to Week 14 when Haskins
was the starting QB. The decline is more of an indictment on Haskins’
poor play than McLaurin’s, but it is something to consider
when you draft this summer.
After a slow start to the season, rookie Steven Sims came on
late for the Redskins with 16 catches for 190 yards and four touchdowns
on 29 targets in the team’s final three games of the season.
Of those 29 targets, seven were in the red zone, and three resulted
in a touchdown.
The team did not do much in free agency or the draft to bolster
their receiving corps outside of the selection of WR Antonio Gandy-Golden
in the fourth round. On paper, Sims looks to be the No.2 receiving
option on the team, albeit on a bad offense with a second-year
quarterback who struggled as a rookie.
The volume does not project to be there for Sims to be anything
more than a low-end WR3, but an injury to McLaurin could open
the door and make Sims a late-round sleeper.
Vernon Davis and Jordan Reed are no longer on the team, opening
the door for a new tight end to emerge as the go-to tight end
option for Dwayne Haskins. On paper, none of the options on the
depth chart look very appealing.
Only the Bears, Patriots, Steelers, and Jags scored fewer fantasy
points at the tight end position, and no Redskins tight end posted
more than 62 receiving yards in any game last year. Perhaps this
will change with the new coaching staff. But until we know more
and have a clear picture of who will start, it makes sense to
avoid all tight ends in Washington this year.
