Roy Helu

Redskins HC Mike Shanahan praised Alfred Morris's preparation, setting the bar high for his second season.

“A lot of people come out of college and they just don’t spend the time on catching the ball. He has spent a lot of time in the offseason catching the football, running routes and you can see that hard work has paid off because he’s a lot more natural,” Shanahan said. “It gives you another dimension.”

Thanks to his offseason dedication, Shanahan said Morris has a much better chance of staying in the game on third down, as he brings the most weapons to the huddle.

“[Morris] has always been a blocker – he’s got that strength – but he does have a different type of gear and he does have excellent hands. You just couldn’t see it right away because he didn’t work on it,” Shanahan explained. “There have been a lot of backs in the past that have been in colleges that really don’t throw the football a lot. They emphasize the running game and Alfred was one of those types of guys.

“He’s elevated his game and he will be able to catch the ball and be a lot more instrumental in our passing game.”

If Morris starts to catch passes, watch out. He only caught 11 balls last season and we currently have him projected for 22 in 2013. If he gets into the 30-35 range, he'll have Marshawn Lynch-type value in PPR formats. It's difficult to project a huge jump in catches now that Roy Helu is back and healthy.