There might be a sneaky solid play on the Washington Football Team in Week 1, as it faces the Philadelphia Eagles. Because Washington looks so depleted, there may only be one smart play: running back Antonio Gibson, who is sitting deep down the board at his position with a $4,000 salary.
It looks like the team wants to highlight the rookie, a Memphis product and a third-round draft choice, after cutting Adrian Peterson and Derrius Guice. Gibson only has Bryce Love and Peyton Barber as a source of competition.
Though Gibson is converting from receiver at Memphis, he’s going to play for coach Ron Rivera, who engineered Christian McCaffrey’s success as both a pass-catcher and a runner. If Rivera can manage just a fraction of that success with Gibson, he’ll have an outstanding season in 2020.
The rest of the offense might be due for a tough season opener — and likely a tough season. Receiver Terry McLaurin put together a very respectable rookie season, with 58 catches, 919 yards and seven touchdowns. But he’s sure to get increased attention in Week 1, and though the Eagles secondary has long been a bunch of slouches for years, they acquired cornerback Darius Slay in 2020. He could erase — or at least limit — McLaurin during the season opener. If McLaurin struggles, then it’s easy to imagine the rest of the passing offense doing the same, with quarterback Dwayne Haskins and company having difficulty moving the ball.
So the team may need a big game from Gibson, both as a runner and a check-down option in Week 1.
