Week 15 at Jacksonville Jaguars
We're going to make this really simple for you. Washington has the lowest implied total in Week 15 at 14.5 points, a full 2.5 points lower than the next worst team. They are on their fourth quarterback. The running game has been extremely inefficient, and the starting tight end is injured now on top of previous injuries to wide receivers. There isn't a single Redskins player we feel comfortable starting in fantasy football for Week 15.
Week 14 vs. New York Giants
My, how the Redskins have fallen in 2018, potentially going from first to the worst team in the division by the end of the season, due in large part to so many notable injuries. Washington is now on its third quarterback in Mark Sanchez, and have an implied team total of fewer than 20 points this week, bottom five in the league. New York does rank near the bottom in aFPA to RBs, but with Adrian Peterson's volume means it's hard to recommend Thompson. Thompson is not any kind of substantial threat for touches in the way he was early this season. He is not a starting consideration.
Week 13 at Philadelphia Eagles
The return of Chris Thompson in Week 13 should give fantasy managers an instant boost to their FLEX position, if needed. In his four healthy games, he's posted double-digit PPR production in three of them and more than 20 points in two of them. However, Washington has lost a couple starting receivers since then and their starting quarterback. Their implied team total is bottom five in the league this week, which means it's hard for us to project Thompson much higher than FLEX status, given the lowly state of this offense.
Week 8 vs. Atlanta Falcons
Adrian Peterson is getting fantasy RB1 bellcow-like workloads. He has 17, 25 and 27 touches in his last three games, which is not a good sign for Chris Thompson, who only saw five touches last week. He has been limited this week in practice with rib and knee injuries and reportedly will have to play through pain due to the rib issue. It's a great match-up, but due to these factors, it's hard to recommend Thompson for anything more than a risky FLEX right now.
Week 8 at New York Giants
The Washington-New York game has the second-lowest over/under of Week 8 at just 43.5 points. That's not a good sign for most fantasy players, but if Chris Thompson can return from injury, he's seen enough of a target share to re-insert him into your starting lineups. He was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday. Monitor his status. The Giants are just 24th in aFPA to RBs, further showing Thompson should produce PPR RB2 numbers if healthy for Week 8.
Week 7 vs. Dallas Cowboys
Washington and Dallas is a game that's expected to be low scoring, as it is the second-lowest total on the Week 7 slate. Trying to get back on the field, Chris Thompson was limited with knee/rib injuries both Wednesday and Thursday. Monitor his status. If he can go, he should be on the FLEX radar against a Cowboys defense that is top-10 in aFPA to RBs. Dallas is third in rushing yards allowed to running backs but bottom six in receptions allowed to backs. This could set up nicely for Thompson in Week 7, if healthy, as he caught 13 passes against the Cowboys last season.
Week 6 vs. Carolina Panther
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Chris Thompson (ribs/knee) is out Week 6.
Week 5 at New Orleans Saints
Washington comes off its early bye week and heads to New Orleans for a game that's tied for the second-highest over/under of Week 5's Sunday and Monday slate. The Saints rank 7th aFPA to RBs. This is a total pass funnel defense, with the Saints ranking 3rd in rushing defense and 30th in passing defense. That should mean a much better situation for Chris Thompson than Adrian Peterson this week. Thompson should be in starting lineups no matter the scoring format in Week 5.
Week 3 vs. Green Bay Packers
Through two weeks, Chris Thompson appears to be a productive fantasy asset no matter the game script. His 11 and 17 touches the first two weeks translated to 47.1 total PPR points. It was a different story for Adrian Peterson. His 28 touches in Week 1 while leading all game against Arizona were far more than the 14 touches he saw last week when trailing most of the game against Indianapolis. His snap count also went from 53 percent to 34 percent. The Packers are ninth in PPR points allowed to RBs this season. With this offense needing to keep up with Aaron Rodgers, expect more Thompson and continued RB2 production with weekly RB1 upside.
Week 2 vs. Indianapolis Colts
In Las Vegas this week, only the Steelers, Saints and Rams have a higher implied team total than the Redskins, illustrating confidence in this offense against a poor Colts defense that allowed 5.2 yards per carry last week to the Bengals' ground game. Plus, the Colts were just 31st last year in aFPA to RBs. Thompson looked electric in Week 1. Coming off injury, and with Alex Smith's penchant for throwing the ball to short or intermediate routes, Thompson should continue to garner targets. He's a fine RB2 option again in PPR formats for Week 2.
