It’s never too early to start thinking about fantasy football, is it?
The NFL season only just ended, with the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the San Francisco 49ers, but if you’re a fantasy nerd, like many of us are, the basketball season just doesn’t quite cut it when you have 17 weeks of pure bliss each fall.
While we are a discouraging number of months away from 2020 fantasy mock drafts to be an acceptable meeting place once again, that doesn’t mean you can’t sneak in a little bit of research on the side. With the help of our friends at NFL Network, we are able to do so, as Michael Fabiano ranked the top-200 players to look at going into the next season. For the Washington Redskins, they have seven players making that cut, with WR Terry McLaurin heading up that list at No. 59.
Here’s a breakdown of the seven players tabbed by Fabiano.
No. 59 — Terry McLaurin (WR29)
This rookie was definitely one of the lone bright spots for the Redskins in 2019, and his seven touchdowns and 900+ receiving yards made him a nice contributor for whatever fantasy manager dared to draft him or pick him up off of waivers, early in the year.
With more than 60 yards and a touchdown in both of his first two games, McLaurin became an instant sensation among the fantasy community, and he was able to keep up pretty decent production despite some rocky quarterback play for the Redskins.
As defenses start to key on his strengths, things will definitely get tougher for McLaurin down the road, but he is only going to get better, as the offense in Washington continues to improve.
No. 62 — Derrius Guice (RB26)
Guice was probably drafted in a number of 10-12 team leagues, but subsequently dropped after Week 1 when he suffered a meniscus tear that sent him to the IR for the next couple of months. Upon his return, it took quite a bit of guts to put him back in your lineup and trust him to produce. However, if you did, he rewarded you with a solid stretch of games.
Guice highlighted the season with a great game against the Carolina Panthers where he had two touchdowns and 129 yards on 10 carries, and he undoubtedly helped a couple of fantasy teams make one last playoff push if they were brave enough to start him. Assuming that he can stay healthy, he is the sure-fire feature pack in Washington, and his chance at jumping up to the top 50 on this list is highly likely.
No. 143 — Adrian Peterson (RB49)
The Redskins were once again forced to rely on Peterson to shoulder the load while Guice was sidelined with an injury, and AP delivered for the second straight season.
It may not have resulted in a massive fantasy season, but at the age of 34, Peterson proved to be a solid flex play on most weeks, and he finished the year with five touchdowns and 898 yards rushing. It is unclear what the future holds of AP in Washington, as the team has an option on his contract that they need to decide on. However, given Guice’s injury history, and the stability that Peterson has given them over the past two seasons, it’s safe to assume that they will bring him back for one more year, at least.
Assuming that Guice can stay healthy, and rookie RB Bryce Love can see the field at long last as well, this might finally be the year where we see AP take a smaller role as the younger guys get more run. But if asked to do so, AP can surely shoulder the load once again.
No. 148 — Chris Thompson* (RB52)
This one comes with an asterisk, as Thompson is set to become a free agent once March 18th rolls around, and many believe that the Redskins won’t try to resign him going forward.
However, whatever team ends up bringing Thompson in will have a very solid third-down back on their hands, assuming he can stay healthy. In his best year with the Redskins, which came a few years ago in 2017, Thompson finished with six total touchdowns, and over 500 yards receiving.
No. 176 — Kelvin Harmon (WR69)
Harmon didn’t have a ton of production in his rookie year, but he definitely showed some flashes that are highly encouraging. With a big frame and great leaping ability, Harmon can turn into the Redskins redzone threat and possession receiver over the middle.
Harmon failed to get in the endzone in 2019 and didn’t have a game with more than five receptions, but all anticipation for him becoming a fantasy star is based on his intangibles. If Harmon can step up to the likes of McLaurin, he’ll make this next player an even better fantasy option as well…
No. 187 — Dwayne Haskins (QB28)
It’s nearly impossible for any young quarterback to be a dynamic fantasy option in his first year unless you possess the running ability that Lamar Jackson brings to the table. For Haskins, his rookie season had a lot of bumps and bruises, but if we are to go off of the production he showed in his final two games — four TDs and no interceptions — then there is a solid base to build on.
For most young quarterbacks, the leap from Year 1 to Year 2 is often noticeable, and it will be interesting to see how Haskins develops over the next several months. As a single-year starter in college, Haskins has been thrown into the deep end and forced to learn the NFL ways as quickly as possible. If he can get his game to improve even a little bit, he has the weapons around him to be a solid fantasy option.
No. 199 — Steven Sims Jr. (WR75)
The fact that Sims even made this list at all is an accomplishment in itself. As an undrafted rookie out of Kansas, Sims was one of the final players to make the 53-man roster cut in Washington last season, and he earned some time on offense after impressing in the kick return game.
Sims benefited greatly from the scheming of former OC Kevin O’Connell, and he stands to improve a ton under new OC Scott Turner. Sims finished the year with five total touchdowns on offense. He is the type of player that does well when you just give him the ball and get him into space.
For the Redskins, Sims is quite possibly the greatest fantasy player that nobody has ever heard of.
