2016 Fantasy Football Team Preview: Washington Redskins

 

2015 Fantasy Recap

2015 was a great year to be a Redskins fan. They won the NFC East and made the playoffs, which is always a plus for the Washington franchise. Well, from a fantasy point of view, this team vastly underachieved due to numerous injuries across the board. The offense mostly will look the same this year, so I’m not expecting a major leap in production and the defense has improved somewhat with some key additions. Overall, I can see this team making some noise once again in the NFC East but I’m not quite as confident in their fantasy value for the 2016 season.

Key Additions and Losses

Additions:

• Josh Norman CB
• Pierre Thomas RB
• Vernon Davis TE
• Kendall Reyes DE

Losses:

• Alfred Morris RB
• Robert Griffin QB
• Keenan Robinson ILB

QuarterBack Fantasy Outlook

I really like Kirk Cousins as a late-round quarterback option for our fantasy teams this season! He’s easily going to be a Top-15 fantasy option at his position and has the potential to be even better this year. In 2015, Cousins completed 69.8 percent of his passes, throwing for 4,166 yards, 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He has plenty of talented receiving options around him but those key guys will have to find a way to stay healthy this season. Other than Cousins, the Redskins also have Colt McCoy at the quarterback spot, who is actually a viable backup option. Overall, Cousins could be a sneaky sleeper option in your upcoming drafts and the sky is the limit to what he could do for our squads this year.

Grade: B-

 Running Back Fantasy Outlook

Washington has a few quality options at the running back spot this season. Since Alfred Morris is now a Dallas Cowboy, we’ll be seeing a variety of different options at the position. The loss of Morris could be bad for this backfield though because he added a veteran presence to the running back corps. I’m honestly not sure who will end the year as the starter but for now, I think it’s Matt Jones’ spot to lose. Jones is the most dynamic back on the team and will more than likely be the top fantasy option at the position.

The next guy on the depth chart would most likely be Chris Thompson, who did see some reps last year for Washington. Newcomer Pierre Thomas will also be in the mix at running back and will bring some power to the backfield. After years of being a Saint, maybe a new home will be just what Thomas needs in order to get back to his fantasy producing ways!

Grade:  C-

Wide Receiver Fantasy Outlook

Redskins’ wide receiver Jamison Crowder said the other day that Washington has the best wide receiving corp in the league. Well, sadly for him that’s not true but they actually have a talented group, honestly. Both DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon are ultra-viable options if they can both stay healthy. Garcon was by far the best fantasy at receiver for Washington last year, catching 72 balls for 777 yards and six touchdowns. He actually stayed healthy for all 16 games last year, so that’s something to think about for your upcoming drafts.

Last season, Jackson was only able to get into 10 games for the Redskins. In 2015, he caught just 30 passes for 528 yards and four scores. He always seems to have some type of soft tissue injury, so I just can’t count on him for my fantasy rosters. Also, Washington has both Ryan Grant and Crowder on their depth chart. Crowder is a super fast receiver who could capitalize off an injury to one of the previously named big starters.

Grade:  C+

Tight End Fantasy Outlook

The tight end spot is actually the most intriguing aspect of this Redskins roster from a fantasy standpoint. Jordan Reed is one of the most dynamic players at his position and could be a monster fantasy play this year. In just nine games started last season, Reed caught 87 passes for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns. Just think if the kid could get in a full 16-game season?! The team also brought in former 49ers and Broncos tight end Vernon Davis. Davis has almost fallen off of the fantasy radar but could be relevant again this season. Reed very rarely makes it a full season without an injury, so Davis could get some action on the field.

Grade: B+

Defensive Fantasy Outlook

This defense was downright terrible last season! As a team, they only managed to score a terrible 94 fantasy points on the season in 2015. They did make one super expensive addition to their roster in Josh Norman, so that’ll bring some excitement to this defense. Alongside, DeAngelo Hall and Dashon Goldson, Norman will shut down most team’s top receiver every single week.

The linebacker corp is slowly getting better for the Redskins. Guys such as Will Compton, Ryan Kerrigan and Junior Galette should all perform well on the defensive side of the ball in 2016. As of right now, ESPN has this Washington defense ranked 32nd, so I’m not expecting a ton of fantasy relevancy this year from them. They’ll most likely be a matchup-based play that shouldn’t be sniffed at in your fantasy drafts this year.

Grade: D-

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