Alex Smith's injury left Washington without a QB and without cap flexibility. They will get Derrius Guice back, whose injury-delayed debut will likely see him paired with first-round rookie signal-caller Dwayne Haskins, though Haskins will first need to beat out Colt McCoy and trade acquisition Case Keenum.
2018 Review
Record: 7 - 9 (17th in NFL)
PPG: 17.0 (29)
YPG: 299.7 (28)
Pass YPG: 188.8 (28)
Rush YPG: 110.9 (17)
PAPG: 31.8 (26)
RAPG: 25.9 (14)
2018 Fantasy finishes
QB: Alex Smith - QB32; Josh Johnson* - QB40; Colt McCoy - QB45
RB: Adrian Peterson - RB19; Chris Thompson - RB54; Kapri Bibbs* - RB72
WR: Josh Doctson - WR67; Jamison Crowder* - WR87
TE: Jordan Reed - TE15; Vernon Davis - TE29
*No longer with team
Number to know: 5.8
The fewest targets per game Jordan Reed has averaged in any of his six NFL seasons is 5.8. Always a target hog, a healthy Reed could be a Fantasy steal with Jamison Crowder no longer in town to compete with for short-area looks.
2019 Offseason
"If you're the 15th pick in the draft, I think you have to give him an opportunity. He has all the tools to be an exceptional quarterback." - Jay Gruden, on Dwayne Haskins
Head Coach: Jay Gruden (6th year)
Offensive Coordinator: Kevin O'Connell (1st year - previously QB Coach, WAS)
Draft Picks
1. (15) Dwayne Haskins, QB
1. (26) Montez Sweat, DE
3. (76) Terry McLaurin, WR
4. (112) Bryce Love, RB
4. (131) Wes Martin, G
5. (153) Ross Pierschbacher, G
5. (173) Cole Holcomb, LB
6. (206) Kelvin Harmon, WR
7. (227) Jimmy Moreland, CB
7. (253) Jordan Brailford, DE
Additions
QB Case Keenum, OL Ereck Flowers, LB Jon Bostic, DB Landon Collins
Key Departures
WR Jamison Crowder, WR Michael Floyd, WR Maurice Harris, OL Ty Nsekhe, LB Preston Smith, LB Zach Brown, LB Pernell McPhee, DB HaHa Clinton-Dix
Rankings and Projections
| | Heath Cummings' projected offensive stats | |
| QB | Dwayne Haskins | 3,810 YD, 23 TD, 12 INT |
| RB | Derrius Guice | 221 ATT, 884 YD, 6 TD; 20 REC, 141 YD, 1 TD |
| RB | Chris Thompson | 68 ATT, 314 YD, 1 TD; 60 REC, 447 YD, 3 TD |
| RB | Adrian Peterson | 80 ATT, 321 YD, 3 TD |
| WR | Paul Richardson | 85 TAR, 48 REC, 645 YD, 4 TD |
| WR | Kelvin Harmon | 58 TAR, 35 REC, 489 YD, 4 TD |
| TE | Jordan Reed | 95 TAR, 64 REC, 651 YD, 4 TD |
| TE | Vernon Davis | 42 TAR, 29 REC, 406 YD, 2 TD |
Biggest Question
What can we expect from Derrius Guice?
"Guice was kind enough to post videos of his rehab from a torn ACL on his social media all offseason. He's looking good, but the Redskins' decision to bring back Adrian Peterson can't be viewed as a positive. Washington's annual usage of a passing-downs back hurts the touches for both Guice and Peterson. So if Guice isn't a lock for 180 touches, he can't be a No. 2 Fantasy runner." - Dave Richard
One sleeper, one breakout, and one bust
Sleeper: Jordan Reed
The question with Reed is always health, but he's always been solid when on the field, a true target hog at a position where few exist. In terms of PPR points per game, Reed has actually finished as the number one tight end twice, just three and four years ago in 2015 and 2016, and has been worse than TE13 just once in six seasons (his TE18 finish last year). Because his health has burned Fantasy owners so many times -- he's never played 16 games -- his ADP sits around TE20, making him a free gamble. It's possible he's lost a step, and the offense isn't great, but with Jamison Crowder out of town, the targets should still be there as long as he's on the field.
Breakout: Paul Richardson
There probably won't be a breakout on this roster - Derrius Guice makes some sense but his price tag is pretty fair, weighing some upside but also factoring in the risk he won't get a feature workload coming off injury. So Richardson it is, a guy who's 2018 barely got going after signing for $16.5 million guaranteed last offseason, and is now going undrafted. A superior player to Josh Doctson, Richardson can make plays downfield and could have a Robby Anderson type impact if he sees No. 1 volume. He might not be worth a pick on Draft Day, but he's someone to monitor if Haskins starts and puts a jolt into Washington's offense.
Bust: Josh Doctson
Just as there may not be a breakout here, no one outside the fairly-priced Guice is being picked high enough to really qualify for bust status. So let's discuss why Doctson, a former first-rounder, isn't worth consideration as a potential post-post-hype sleeper. Already turning 27 during the 2019 season, Doctson entered the league an older prospect and has done little but repeatedly fail to even earn targets, let alone do anything with them, in offenses over the past several seasons that have needed someone to step into a No. 1 role. The fact that he's earned just five targets per game over the past two seasons is almost nearly as bad as his 51% catch rate and 6.6 yards per target. Even if this offense overperforms, it's hard to imagine Doctson suddenly being usable.