2015 Washington Redskins Fantasy Outlook

Fantasy Relevant Losses:

• None

Fantasy Relevant Additions:

• RB Matt Jones (rookie)

In the words of Scott Bakula’s character Sam from Quantum Leap “Oh boy” how do I write-up this preview.

Overview

Looking at the 2015 Washington Redskins on paper you’d think “holy shit, they’re a fantasy gold mine!”  I mean look at some of the offensive weapons on the squad, wide receiver DeSean Jackson, a man who had more 40-plus yard receptions than any other receiver last season, a man who can take a simple quick hitch and with one move turn it into an 80 yard dash for six points.  Then on the other side you have Pierre Garcon who is a big burly possession receiver who is deceptively fast and like DJax can turn a short pass play into a big gainer by not just out running guys but straight up abusing them along the way with some of the most vicious stiff arms in the game. Not to mention wide out Andre Roberts — in his second year as a Redskin — who many think will have a break-out season, and rookie wide receiver out of Duke Jamison Crowder who, despite his size, is turning heads at camp.

At tight end the Redskins finally have genetic freak Jordan Reed healthy (for how long no one knows) and running the ball the always reliable Alfred Morris.  All of this should translate to huge fantasy points for all of the starters listed above, but there is one huge kink in the works, and that kink is Robert Griffin III.

Listen I could go on and on about the potential all these pass catchers have to put up big fantasy numbers, or how over the past three seasons no running back in the league has been more consistent than Alfred Morris, but honestly none of that means anything if Griffin continues his downward spiral into the biggest quarterback draft bust ever.

DJax — and the rest — for all of their skills, don’t amount too much other than pretty fixtures on the team if the man under center can’t get them the ball. As far as Morris is concerned, if there is no passing threat teams will stack eight guys in the box consistently and he will have nowhere to go.

Offensively, fantasy and reality wise, everything depends on Griffin.  Sure DJax, Garcon, and the rest will probably have a game or two — where they put up big numbers because the Skins will be playing weak defensive opponents — but unless Griffin can look decent under center I can’t, in good conscience, tell you to draft any of these guys high in your draft, that is unless you’re a psycho like me and you’re in a 12 team league, to which if you’re near the bottom of the third round, Jackson might be your best choice.

So basically what I’m trying to say here, draft the Redskins’ offense with caution. If Robert can return to a semblance of his 2012 rookie year, all of the above could have some big games and the Skins could surprise a lot of people.  However, that is a big “if” right there.  DJax, Garcon, and Morris are safe late round bets.

Quarterback Grade: D-

Wide Receiver Grade: C

Tight End:  C

Running Back: B

Defense

Defensively the Redskins have improved greatly, the additions of Stephen (Pot Roast) Pea at defensive end, Terrance Knighton at nose tackle, Chris Culliver at corner back, and the recent addition of Junior Galette at outside linebacker have quickly made the Redskins look like a formidable foe on defense.

So does this mean you should take them high when defenses start coming off the board in your drafts?  No, they’re still weak as hell at safety so that means a wide out with decent speed could have big multiple touchdown games against the Redskins, not to mention they have a new defensive coordinator that last went 0-16 when he was the DC in Detroit.  This is still a work in progress but the upside for the Redskins is that their pass rush should be much improved which will help the secondary.  I’m not sure I’d want the Skins as my starting defense since we’re not 100% sure what we’re going to get out of them.

Defense Grade: B-

The Redskins going into 2015 have a lot of question marks but have potential upsides.  Taking a late pick on some of their skill positions could benefit you as back-ups or if RGIII steps up his game you might get a high reward out of them.

UPDATE!

Okay dear reader, I’ve got an update for you on this article.  Since it went live there have been a few changes to the Redskins and honestly I think it’s made the team better.

First and foremost RGIII is out and Kirk Cousins is in.  In my view this greatly upgrades the QB position for fantasy owners here.  I rated RGIII a D- because, well, he’s not very good, but with Cousins in there that changes a lot.  Now I’m not recommending he be your starter, but he could be a decent bye-week QB and a spot starter.  Cousins’s overall record isn’t very good just 1-7 but he puts up big yardage numbers as well as TDs.  Against the right defenses he could do quite well for you.  I’m upgrading the QB to a C+.

With the change at QB I have more confidence in the Redskins receiving core as well.  They graded out as a C last month but I now upgrade them to a B-.

Also at TE Niles Paul went down but Jordan Reed finally looks like he’s at 100% and in that Raven’s game he looked it.  So I’m upgrading him to a C+.  He’ll probably be around in many drafts by round 7 after proven TEs may have been taken earlier.  He could be a real steal for everyone.

ATTN Dynasty Commissioners: Do you want to do something cool for your league? How about a 1-hour live show dedicated to YOUR league? Team-by-team breakdowns, rankings, and more. For details and to book a show, visit: GoingFor2.com/plp.

The GoingFor2 Live Podcast