Wild Card Round at Houston
DeAndre Washington had seven rush attempts for 43 yards and also caught two passes ball for 14 yards in a 24-6 loss against the Broncos in Week 17. This three-way committee makes any backfield option extremely hard to trust even in a great matchup vs. Houston according to RB aFPA.
Week 8 at Tampa Bay
DeAndre Washington had a five-carry, 16-yard performance in a 33-16 win against the Jaguars in Week 7. We can again enjoy this four-way committee from afar, just hopefully not anywhere near our lineups.
Week 7 at Jacksonville
DeAndre Washington had a 10-carry, 49-yard performance in a 10-26 loss against the Chiefs in Week 6. We can again enjoy this four-way committee from afar, just hopefully not anywhere near our lineups.
Week 6 vs. Kansas City
DeAndre Washington had a nine-carry, 23-yard performance in a 34-31 win against the Chargers in Week 5, where he added five receptions for 29 yards and played 51 percent of the snaps. The Raiders are a slight home underdog against the Chiefs, who are one of the most favorable opponents in the league in regards to RB aFPA. The Raiders are a team that is projected to be much better this yearm and with an improved defense, will be able to lean heavily on the power running game. With Latavius Murray likely out yet again, Washington will be a low-end RB3 against the Chiefs.
Week 5 vs. San Diego
It should be around a 60-40 split in favor of DeAndre Washington over Jalen Richard thish wek. Jamize Olawale, however, should get the majority of the short yardage work. In Week 5, the Chargers have given up more receptions to RBs than any team in the league and have the worst aFPA in the league to the position.
Week 2 vs. Atlanta
DeAndre Washington had a five-carry, 14-yard performance in a 35-34 win over the Saints, where he added a reception for 10 yards and played just 11% of the snaps in a now muddled backfield of four capable players. DeAndre Washington was taken in the fifth round by the Raiders to be Latavius Murray’s complement in the passing game, though he has the frame and ability to be much more. He averaged 3.8 yards per carry in the preseason on 32 attempts, so I am not ready to give up on him yet. He is a road favorite against the Falcons, who are near the top of the league in RB aFPA. Washington may still have value early spelling Murray in 3rd down situations, but he will be a RB4 against the Falcons.
Week 1 at New Orleans
DeAndre Washington was taken in the fifth round by the Raiders to be Latavius Murray’s complement in the passing game, though he has the frame and ability to be much more. He averaged 3.8 yards per carry in the preseason on 32 attempts. The Raiders are road underdogs against the Saints, who are near the top of the league in RB aFPA. Oakland is a team projected to be much better this year, and with an improved defense, will be able to lean heavily on the power running game. Where Washington will have value early is spelling Murray in third down situations. Washington will be a RB4 against the Saints.
Fantasy Upside
With Roy Helu headed to the IR, rookie DeAndre Washington finds himself as Latavius Murray’s primary competition. What Washington has going for him is that he excels where Murray is least useful. Murray finished fourth in snaps at the position, but just 19th in targets, averaging just 5.7 yards per catch and committing several memorable drops in 2015. I believe this fact alone could push this past the “just hype” category surrounding Washington as he has a storied history of pass catching going back to his college days. GM Reggie McKenzie has already said they see Washington as more than a third-down back.
Fantasy Downside
The competition was historically inefficient last season but Murray did finish as a top-10 running back on mostly volume alone. There is a chance Murray gets first crack at this backfield and performs well behind one of the leagues best offensive lines. The schedule is extremely soft to start the year which favors Murray since he will most likely start the year as the clear lead back.
2016 Bottom Line
Washington is fully capable of a three-down role if called upon. We’ve seen time and time again that teams have no problem going with the better receiver in close competitions but in this case we know that Murray is going to get the first shot. If Washington hopes to get on the field he is going to have to vastly improve in pass protection. I wouldn’t be surprised if by the end of the season Washinton has carved out a Giovani Bernard-type role in this offense.
Pages
- « first
- ‹ previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
