There aren't any fantasy slam dunks in the nation's capital. SI Fantasy expert Shawn Childs runs down the Washington roster and breaks down the entire team with fantasy insights & analysis.
Coaching Staff
Washington gave Jay Gruden six seasons to bring the team back to prominence. Unfortunately, four years of mediocrity (31-32-1) sandwiched around two poor seasons (4-12 and 3-13) led to a search for a new head coach.
Washington brought in Ron Rivera to run the franchise after a solid run over eight seasons with the Carolina Panthers (76-63-1), which included four playoff appearances. His highlight year came in 2015 (15-1 with a loss to Denver in the Super Bowl). Rivera worked as a defensive coordinator over six seasons for the Bears and the Chargers while having 23 years of coaching experience.
Scott Turner worked as the quarterbacks coach for the Panthers in 2018 and 2019. He held the same position for three seasons for the Vikings from 2014 to 2016. Turner has eight years of experience in the NFL.
After sitting out two years after losing the head coaching job for the Raiders, Jack Del Rio takes over Washington's defense. Over 12 seasons as a head coach, Del Rio went 93-94 with three playoff appearances. His best success came in 2005 (12-4), 2007 (11-5), and 2016 (12-4). In 2000, he helped the Ravens win the Super Bowl as the linebacker coach for the Ravens. Del Rio has 20 years of coaching experience.
Free Agency
Washington focused on improving their secondary in free agency by signing CB Kendall Fuller, CB Ronald Darby, and S Sean Davis.
Fuller graded well in coverage in his two seasons with the Chiefs. He missed five games last year due to a broken thumb. Fuller failed to intercept a pass in 2019 with a decline in his defended passes (2).
Darby played well in coverage in 2017 and 2018, but he lost his way last year. Over the previous three seasons, he missed 20 games.
Davis missed 15 games last year with a torn labrum in his shoulder. Over his first three years after getting drafted in the second round by the Steelers, he made plenty of tackles (70, 92, and 80) with five interceptions and 20 defended passes.
Washington added Kevin Pierre-Louis and Thomas Davis for depth at linebacker.
They moved on from QB Case Keenum, WR Paul Richardson, RB Chris Thompson, CB Kayvon Webster, RB Wendell Smallwood, and CB Coty Sensabaugh.
The offensive line lost G Ereck Flowers. He struggled to make an impact at left tackle before moving to left guard last year. His game improved in pass protection while still showing downside as a run blocker.
Washington signed T Cornelius Lucas and G Wes Schweitzer for depth on the offensive line while also releasing C Tony Bergstrom and T Donald Penn.
The upgrades in depth at tight end came from the additions of Richard Rodgers and Logan Thomas. Washington added Peyton Barber for insurance at running back.
Draft
With the second overall pick, Washington drafted DE Chase Young. He projects as an impact pass rusher with a devastating combination of speed, quickness, and athletic ability. Even with a limited foundation in his pass-rushing moves, Young piled up numerous sacks (27) over his last two seasons. His game is built on attacking, but he needs to develop more awareness to improve his play in run support. A franchise-type player who should have a long successful career.
In the third and fourth rounds, Washington went the developmental play-maker route at the wide receiver position (Antonio Gibson and Antonio Gandy-Golden).
Gibson checks in at 6'0" and 228 lbs with an impressive showing in the 40-yard dash (4.39) at the NFL combine. His vision grades well while showing the ability to break tackles. Circle player meaning a fantasy owner needs to pay attention to where he goes in drafts.
From a size (6’4” and 225 lbs.) and strength (22 reps in the bench press at the NFL combine) perspective, Gandy-Golden looks ready for the NFL. His change of direction quickness hurts him when asked to work the short areas of the field or on comeback routes. Gandy-Golden does show a better release than expected with the ability to create after the snap when moving forward. He’ll threaten to score in the red zone with the talent to high ball contested catches.
Before 2019, drops were a problem, which may work back into the equation by playing with a quarterback with more zip on his passes.
Washington invested in T Saahdiq Charles and C Keith Ismael in the fourth and fifth rounds.
Charles is another upside swing, thanks to his quickness and athletic ability. His strength and base aren’t where they need to be. Charles should improve with better technique and the development of his hands. His first step is better balance and timing off the snap.
Ismael projects well as a run blocker while having experience at guard and center. He gets off the ball quickly with the ability to gain leverage at the point of attack. Ismael can be hit or miss vs. power, and his vision isn’t ideal.
Washington focused on their defense with their final three selections – LB Khaleke Hudson, S Kameron Curl, and LB James Smith-Williams.
Hudson is a powerful man with the quickness to win off the snap in the pass rush. His cover skills are lacking while being too big to be a true safety and too small to be a difference-maker at linebacker in run support. Hudson has a disrupter mindset while lacking the 30 to 40 lbs needed to win versus big bodies inside.
Curl is a second player added to this defense who plays with strength and speed (4.6 forth). His feel for pass routes looks to be an asset, Curl does have risk vs. deep speed, and his change of direction feel isn’t great. He should play well when moving forward in run support. Curl can’t match the quickness of top slot wide receivers.
Smith-Williams worked hard to add strength (28 reps in the bench press) and bulk to his body over his NC State career. His speed (4.6) looks to be an edge, but his quickness and explosiveness are trailing. Smith-Williams has a long history of injuries while lacking impact production. His game has a chance to be a factor in the pass rush with the fight to help against the run.
Offensive Line
Washington ranked 22nd in rushing yards (1,774) in 2018 with nine TDs. Their runners gained over 20 yards on 11 plays while gaining 4.4 yards per rush.
Washington fell to last in the NFL in passing yards (3,205) with 18 TDs and 13 Ints. Their offensive line allowed 50 sacks and 97 QB hits.
LT Geron Christian
Over his first two years in the NFL, Christian only made two starts while only seeing 189 snaps in his career. He missed most of his rookie season with a torn MCL in his right knee. In his limited playing time in 2019, he allowed only one sack while struggling as a run blocker.
Washington took a chance with OT Geron Christian in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He needs to add more strength in his upper body to improve his success in run blocking on quick-hitting plays. His foot speed grades well in pass protection while showing the ability to be a move blocker. Christian comes with useful base techniques except for his hands, which may improve with more fire in his guns. His next step in his development comes from deciding when to attack or let the defender come to him.
LG Wes Schweitzer
In mid-March, Washington signed Schweitzer to a three-year deal for $13.5 million. Last year he battled a shoulder injury while also missing some time with a concussion. His game doesn’t create an edge in either run or pass blocking, but he did minimize the damage in sacks over the last two seasons.
C Chase Roullier
Despite a sixth-round draft value in 2017, Roullier played well in pass blocking each year in the league. He has experience at left guard as well. Last year he improved as a league-average player in run blocking.
RG Brandon Scherff
Scherff has been an asset after getting drafted in the first round in 2015. Last year he missed five games with ankle, elbow, and shoulder injuries. In December, Scherff had surgery to repair a torn labrum. He continues to improve in pass protection with success in run blocking in most seasons.
RT Morgan Moses
Moses played at a high level in 2016 and 2017 after struggling in his rookie year. Over the past three seasons, he settled into only a steady option while allowing plenty of sacks early in his career. Washington rewarded him with a five-year extension in April of 2017. Moses is a former third-round pick.
Offensive Line Outlook
This offensive line has two steady players with Brandon Scherff being the top option. The left side of the line does have risk while hinging the development of Geron Christian. I expect more success in run blocking than upside in pass protection. Washington will rank below the league average on the offensive line.
Offensive Schedule
The data shows the strength of schedule as far as rushing attempts (RATT), rushing yards (YDS), yards per attempt rushing (YA), rushing touchdowns (TDs), completions (COMP), passing attempts (PATT), passing yards (YDS), yards per attempt passing (YA), and passing touchdowns (TDS).
This information is based on 2019, which will work as our starting point for 2020. We’ll look at all the changes on offense on each team in the NFL plus the upgrades and downgrades on each team on the defensive side. We’ll update this table when we finish the research on all 32 teams.
2019 LG Average = the league average of all stats from all 32 teams in 2019.
2019 Results = this is the results for each team in the NFL.
2019 Adjustment is based on the 2019 league average and the 2019 results for each team, this number will show if each team is above or below the league average in each stat category and the basis for the strength of schedule.
Washington has almost a neutral schedule for their rushing offense. They should have the most success running the ball against the Bengals, the Browns, and the Panthers with the most struggles coming vs. Baltimore, and two games against Philadelphia.
Washington has four favorable matchups (ARI, DET, and NYG X 2) for their passing offense. They will be challenged in the air in four games (CLE, BAL, PIT, and SF).
Offense
For Washington to become relevant in the passing game, they need a trusted pass-catcher at tight end and development of their wide receiving corps. The strategy here is to play good defense and run the ball, which points to a balanced offense. To achieve this goal, Washington has to win more games. Their first step is running more overall plays to increase the value of their offensive players in the fantasy market.
Here’s a look at the early projections for Washington, which will be fluid all summer after taking in all injury updates and training camp news:
Quarterbacks
Washington didn’t give Haskins his first start until Week 9. Over seven games as their top QB, he passed for 1,225 yards (175 YPG) with seven TDs and three Ints.
His game was trending forward over his final one and half contests (394/4) with strength in his completion rate (72.1).
Haskins suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 16, which ended his season.
Washington has a weakness at TE (44/467/3) and underwhelming options at WR (178/2069/13) other than Terry McLaurin (59/919/7). Both Antonio Gibson and Antonio Gandy-Golden offer upside, but they will take time to develop.
Haskins has talent, but he needs more weapons to push his way up the QB rankings. Look for growth this year, while still lacking a front line WRs and a viable option at TE.
As a sophomore for Ohio State with a starting job, Haskins passed for 4,831 yards with 50 TDs and eight Ints. His completion rate (70.0) edged out Kyler Murray while offering no upside as a runner (79/108/4).
He came to the NFL with a big arm and with prototypical size (6’3” and 220 lbs.). Most of his snaps came out of the shotgun in college while receiving a big passing window on a high-volume of plays. His game gives me a Philip Rivers feel while looking stronger with more rip on his throws.
Haskins can extend plays with subtle movements in the pocket, but his lack of trust in his speed kills his chances of breaking many runs over three yards. He will be a threat to beat defenses in the deep passing game while needing to improve his decision making when forced to settle for mid-level throws.
Fantasy owners priced him as the 31st quarterback with an ADP of 204. I have Haskins projected for 3,329 combined yards with 19 TDs and 12 Ints.
Other options: Alex Smith, Kyle Allen, Steve Montez
Running Backs
Despite moving in the wrong direction in wins, Washington did improve in yards gained rushing (4.48) and yards per catch (8.76) from 2018 (4.30 and 7.57). Their running backs finished with almost identical touches over the past two seasons (401 and 410).
Over two seasons in the NFL, Guice already has three injuries (a torn ACL in his left knee, a torn meniscus in his right knee, and a sprained left knee).
He looked electric based on his 5.8 yards per rush and 11.3 yards per catch over his five games played. His best game came in Week 13 vs. the Panthers (10/129/2 with two catches for eight yards).
Over his final two years at LSU, Guice gained 2,868 combined yards with 29 TDs and 27 catches.
He attacks the line of scrimmage if the play calls for him to be a north/south runner plus run with vision and acceleration to the outside. His burst upfield is sneaky, leading to defenders being left in the dust if they fail to take the correct angle on a tackle. Guice creates space and separation with his quick cuts and the ability to downshift and upshift in a couple of steps. He’ll break many tackles while also taking some unnecessary hits in his quest to finish runs. Guice has a talent for breaking out of tight quarters when a play looks dead in the water.
A risk/reward player who will be found at the backend of the RB pool with an ADP of 92 as the 33rd RB off the table. My conservative bar comes to 766 combined yards with four TDs and 33 catches.
Adrian Peterson
As Peterson enters his 15th season in the NFL, he ranks fifth all-time in rushing yards (14,216) with a longshot chance of climbing to third (needs 1,132 yards). Over the past two seasons, Peterson gave Washington multiple good games as an injury cover to RB Derrius Guice. Washington picked up his option for 2020, but his role will be lower this year. Peterson is only an insurance card at this point in his career with minimal value in the passing game.
In his only season with starting snaps for Memphis, Gibson worked in a split role at running back (33/369/4) and wide receiver (38/735/8). He scored a TD on 16.9 percent of his touches (plus two TDs on kick and fumble return) while gaining massive yards per rush (11.2) and yards per catch (19.3).
I’m looking at him as a running back option in 2020 due to the injury risk of Derrius Guice. Right kind of target, and I expect him to gain momentum in fantasy drafts (ADP of 195 in early June) over the summer.
Bryce Love
After Christian McCaffrey left Stanford for the Panthers, Love rushed for 2,118 yards with 19 TDs while offering minimal value in catches (6/33). The next season he battled injuries during the year before his season ended with a torn ACL in his right knee. Bryce finished with 838 combined yards with six TDs and 20 catches in his senior year in 2018.
Other options: J.D. McKissic, Peyton Barber, Josh Ferguson
Wide Receivers
Despite a last-place ranking in passing yards, Washington's wide receivers finished with 48 catches for 836 yards and seven TDs more than 2018 (145/1694/8). Their wide receivers gained 63 percent of their passing yards.
McLaurin hit the ground running in his rookie season after getting drafted in the third round.
Over his first five games, he caught 23 of his 38 targets for 408 yards, and five TDs highlighted two impact games (5/125/1 and 4/100/2).
When his college teammate took over at quarterback, McLaurin only played well in Week 15 (5/130/1) and Week 16 (7/86).
Washington took a pair of fliers on big WRs (Antonio Gibson and Antonio Gandy-Golden), which almost ensures that McLaurin will be their top target again in 2020.
His early projections came to 72 passes for 1,071 yards and seven TDs with an ADP of 27.
Steven Sims
Washington signed Sims as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He came to the NFL as an undersized wide receiver (5’10” and 176 lbs.) while offering speed and quickness.
Over the first 13 games, Sims had a minimal role (18 catches for 120 yards – 6.7 yards per catch). He offered sneaky value over his final three games (5/45/1, 6/64/2, and 5/81/1) while receiving 29 combined targets.
Washington remains in flux at WR with the hopes of their two 2020 draft options developing down the road. Sims has a churn-and-burn feel if he’s getting starting snaps. I set his bar at 51 catches for 633 yards and four TDs.
Overall, he needs more overall development with his route running, but his game did show growth in 2019. Over his two seasons at Liberty, Gandy-Golden caught 150 passes for 2,433 yards and twenty touchdowns with his best success coming last year (79/1396/10).
Even with an edge in build, Gandy-Golden may struggle to make plays over the middle of the field when faced with tight coverage and a looming safety coming hard at him.
Possible 45 catches for 560 yards and three TDs with an ADP (290).
Other options: Trey Quinn, Cody Latimer, Cam Sims, Darvin Kidsy, Jester Weah, Emanuel Hall
Tight Ends
Washington struggled to make plays at tight end in 2019, which led to only 44 catches for 467 yards and three TDs on 73 targets. The dropdown in production was tied to weakness in talent at the position.
Jeremy Sprinkle
After two minimal seasons (2/13/1 and 5/41/1), Sprinkle took advantage of the injury to Jordan Reed to post 26 catches for 241 yards and one TD. In his top two seasons, he caught 60 passes for 769 yards and ten TDs. Low-upside player who will split time with multiple other options.
Other options: Logan Thomas, Richard Rodgers, Thaddeus Moss, Hale Hentges, Caleb Wilson
Kicker
Dustin Hopkins
Over his five seasons in the NFL, Hopkins made 84.9 percent of his field goals with success over 50 yards (11-for-21). He has seven missed extra-points in his 146 chances. His only relevant season came in 2016 (34-for-42 of his field goals with 36 extra-points). Last year Hopkins made 25 of his 30 field goals while Washington scored only 28 touchdowns. Solid leg, but the offense still has a ton of work to do offensively.
Defensive Schedule
Washington has a challenging matchup for its defense against the Ravens plus four other tough matchups (SF, SEA, and DAL X 2). Washington has three contests (LAR, CIN, and PIT) vs. teams that struggled to run the ball last year and three mid-tier matchups (DET and NYG X 2).
Their pass defense will be texted in three games (LAR and DAL X 2) while having two matchups (BAL and PIT) vs. teams that ranked low in passing yards in 2019. Both offenses will be improved this season. Overall, their passing schedule looks to be neutral.
Defense
Washington fell to 31st in rushing yards allowed (2,339). Ball carriers gained 4.7 yards per rush with 14 TDs plus only 16 runs over 20 yards.
Washington finished 18th in passing yards allowed (3,823) with 35 TDs and 13 Ints. QBs beat them for nine plays of 40 yards or more while their defense picked up 46 sacks.
DE Ryan Kerrigan
Kerrigan missed the first four games of his career due to a calf injury. He finished with a career-low in tackles (25) and sacks (5.5). Over his previous three years, he posted 37 sacks while averaging about 41 tackles while playing well vs. the run.
DE Chase Young
Over the last two years in college, Young picked up 27 sacks and over 35 tackles for a loss. He’ll instantly upgrade the pass rush and run defense.
DT Jonathan Allen
Allen played well over his last two seasons, which led to 129 tackles and 14 sacks after getting drafted in the first round in 2017. In 2019, his game lost momentum vs. the run.
He has the tools to be an outstanding pass rusher at the next level with enough vision to help vs. the run. Even with talent, quickness, and athletic ability, Allen does come up short in his size (6’3” and 286 Lbs.) for an interior lineman while lacking the speed to be an impact option on the edge. He has upside for sure, but Washington needs to get him into favorable matchups as he can lose his value when doubled or facing size.
DT Daron Payne
Payne picked up 112 tackles, seven sacks, and five defended passes over his first two years. Washington drafted 13th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Payne showed growth defending the run in 2019.
His game is built on power and strength, leading to a massive advantage against the run. His follow-through in the pass rush tends to be boring if stalemated at the line of scrimmage. Payne has more speed than initial quickness off the snap.
LB Reuben Foster
Foster missed all of 2019 with a torn ACL in his left knee. The 49ers drafted him in the first round in 2017, which led to 72 tackles and no sacks. Over three years in the leagues, Foster missed 32 games.
LB Jon Bostic
In his first year for Washington, Bostic set a career-high in tackles (105) while offering no upside in the pass rush. He’s never been a top player while showing risk vs. the run.
LB Thomas Davis
Davis will start 2020 at age 37. Last year he recorded over 100 tackles (112) for the seventh time of his 11-year career. Davis rarely rushes the quarterback while only being a neutral player in run support.
CB Kendall Fuller
In 2017, Fuller ranked highly in pass-coverage for Washington, but he left town for two seasons. His catch rate allowed is rising, which led to him shifting to safety for half of his games in 2019. Fuller adds value against the run.
CB Fabian Moreau
Over seven starts in his 12 games played, Moreau struggled in all areas. He allows too many big plays in 2019 with too many missed tackles. Ronald Darby looks to be his biggest threat, but his game makes the most sense in slot coverage.
S Landon Collins
The move to DC last year led to Collins posting his fourth season with over 100 tackles (117) while adding one sack and four defended passes. He allowed low yards per catch, but receivers scored five touchdowns. His best value still comes defending the run.
S Sean Davis
Washington hopes Davis plays at the level he showcased in 2018 for the Steelers. That season he played at his highest level against the run with some growth in pass coverage. Over his first three seasons in the NFL, Davis has plenty of tackles (242), but his overall game still needs plenty of work.
Team Defense Outlook
Washington has plenty of talent on their defensive line with one linebacker with upside. Washington has risk in pass coverage in their secondary, although Collins can be, at times, one of the best safeties in the game. Overall, they should improve against the run with their success in their ability to shorten the passing window—a sneaky top ten defense with matchup value.