|
BREAKING DOWN THE REDSKINS
Transactions
Current FA's: None
Gains: Roydell Williams (WR), Trent Shelton (WR), Marcus Mason (RB), Anthony Alridge (RB), Dave Rayner (K)
Losses: James Thrash (WR)
Fantasy Offense Draft Picks:
7th Rd-Eddie Williams (TE) Idaho
7th Rd-Marko Mitchell (WR) Nevada
Depth Chart: (updated 7/8/09)
QB-Jason Campbell, Todd Collins, Colt Brennan, Chase Daniel (rc)
RB-Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts, Anthony Alridge, Rock Cartwright, Marcus Mason,
Dominique Dorsey
FB-Mike Sellers, Jonathan Evans, Eddie Williams (rc)
WR1-Santana Moss, Malcolm Kelly, D.J. Hackett, Marko Mitchell (rc), Trent Shelton,
Keith Eloi (rc)
WR2-Antwaan Randle El, Devin Thomas, Marques Hagans, Jaison Williams (rc),
Roydell Williams
TE-Chris Cooley, Fred Davis, Todd Yoder, Robert Agnone (rc)
K-Shaun Suisham, Dave Rayner
Notes: The following players have been placed on IR-
Practice squad-
2009 Weekly Schedule (all times EST)
Sept. 13 at NY Giants 4:15
Sept. 20 St. Louis 2:00
Sept. 27 at Detroit 1:00
Oct. 4 Tampa Bay 1:00
Oct. 11 at Carolina 1;00
Oct. 18 Kansas City 1:00
Oct. 26 Philadelphia 8:30
Nov. 1 BYE
Nov. 8 at Atlanta 1:00
Nov. 15 Denver 1:00
Nov. 22 at Dallas 1:00
Nov. 29 at Philadelphia 1:00
Dec. 6 New Orleans 1:00
Dec. 13 at Oakland 4:05
Dec. 21 NY Giants 8:30
Dec. 27 Dallas 8:20
Jan. 3 at San Diego 4:15
Strength of Schedule Rankings:
Team schedule (based on '08 records)-16th (125-129)
Passing-10th-208.4 yards allowed per game
Rushing-30th-123 yards allowed per game
| 2008 Washington Redskins Percentages |
| Total Passes |
510 |
52% |
|
|
|
|
| Total Rushes |
478 |
48% |
|
|
|
|
| Total Plays |
988 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Target |
% |
|
Rec |
Yrds |
TD |
| Santana Moss |
138 |
27% |
|
79 |
1044 |
6 |
| Chris Cooley |
111 |
22% |
|
83 |
849 |
1 |
| Antwaan Randle El |
87 |
17% |
|
53 |
593 |
4 |
| Clinton Portis |
36 |
7% |
|
28 |
218 |
0 |
| Ladell Betts |
35 |
7% |
|
22 |
200 |
0 |
| Devin Thomas |
27 |
5% |
|
15 |
120 |
0 |
| James Thrash |
20 |
4% |
|
9 |
81 |
1 |
| Mike Sellers |
15 |
3% |
|
12 |
98 |
1 |
| Malcolm Kelly |
13 |
3% |
|
3 |
18 |
0 |
| Todd Yoder |
10 |
2% |
|
8 |
50 |
1 |
| Fred Davis |
10 |
2% |
|
3 |
27 |
0 |
| Thrown Away |
6 |
1% |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Rock Cartwright |
1 |
0% |
|
1 |
-7 |
0 |
| Shaun Alexander |
1 |
0% |
|
1 |
9 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Totals |
510 |
100% |
|
317 |
3300 |
14 |
News and Notes:
Jason Campbell is not a fantasy starter, he has not been a player you even want on your roster, but he has seen his attempts, completions, completion percentage, yards, and touchdowns go up each year of his career, which is promising. From everything I ever hear, Campbell is extremely impressive during practices and workouts but it just has not translated into Sunday's. He has the potential to be a solid number two fantasy prospect in larger leagues but as of right now is nothing more than a number three. There is not much behind Campbell at this point, a career backup in Todd Collins, a rookie in Chase Daniels that does not have the tools to be an NFL quarterback and Colt Brennan, the jury is still out on Brennan.
Clinton Portis again remains one of the most underrated players in the league, being ranked in the mid teens by a number of publications. Portis gets carries, yards, touchdowns, and adds value in the receiving game and the Redskins have the 30th ranked rushing strength of schedule this season. I would not be shocked to see him finish as a top five-fantasy player. Ladell Betts remains a solid handcuff option but his upside is minimal and his value is limited, as he does not see much goal-line work. Anthony Alridge, acquired from Denver is an interesting prospect but he is only 5'9" likely limiting him to change-of-pace status.
Santana Moss and Antwaan Randel El once again are the one-two punch at receiver for the Redskins. Malcolm Kelly, Devin Thomas, and D.J. Hackett will battle for the third receiver role with the potential of overtaking Randel El and putting him back in a more comfortable slot receiver role. Thomas and Kelly were highly touted rookies last season and neither came close to living up to the hype. Both have much more upside than either starter. According to the Washington Post, both came into the league very cocky and have matured. There are still healthy concerns with both receivers as both missed time in mini-camp but unless these linger they should not be long-term issues. Worth keeping an eye on. Look for Thomas to start living up the hype this season while overtaking Randel El next season. A deep sleeper is one time Titans receiver Roydell Williams who has talent but has never played in a west coast offense. I would be surprised if he even makes the roster. A couple of deep-deep sleepers are seventh round pick Marko Mitchell and an undrafted free agent out of Nebraska-Omaha named Keith Eloi who, according to Redskins.com, caught everything thrown in his direction no matter how poorly thrown. They are long shots to make the team and could end up on the practice squad but if Thomas and Kelly continue to struggle do not think somebody else can't step up.
Chris Cooley posted career highs in receptions and yards but only scored one time. The fact that he has scored six, seven, six, and eight touchdowns in the previous four seasons makes me think last season's lack of touchdowns was a fluke and I would have no problem calling him a number one tight end fantasy option. Fred Davis is looking for more playing time this season, playing more two tight end sets with Cooley and according to a Redksins.com blog post, Davis has been impressive in practices and has shown very good speed and ability after the catch. Davis's play has not gone unnoticed as coach Jim Zorn has quoted on CBSsports.com as having this to say, "He has progressed along and now he is looking forward to stepping into a role and actually playing. Last year he was wondering what it was all about. He was excited to be on the team and he has kind of grown up to know to be on the football field you have to things right and you have to play fast." Davis himself added, "Last year I was new to the system, now I'm more familiar with it and more comfortable. I can play with the speed I'm accustomed to playing at. I don't have to think as much-I can rely on my instincts and just go out there and play." Unless you are in a 12 to 14--man league that carries two tight ends I do not see any value in Davis this season but he could be nice bye week option in the right situation and his upside is huge.
The Redskins brought in Dave Rayner to compete with Shaun Suisham at kicker and while I except Suisham to retain his starting role I do not see good fantasy value from either of them.
----------
I.D.P. and Defensive Notes
by Jon Rascon
Base defense: 4-3
2008 Fantasy leaders:
Tackles: London Fletcher (133), Rocky McIntosh (87), Chris Horton (76)
Sacks: Andre Carter (4), Jason Taylor and Demetric Evans (3.5)
Interceptions: Chris Horton (3), LaRon Landry, Carlos Rogers and DeAngelo Hall (2)
Ascending: LaRon Landry. Maybe I was a year early on Landry last year. But this year he puts it together as he gets more opportunities.
Descending: Albert Haynesworth. This guy is a stud no doubt. But he's working with less talent than he had in Tennessee and will he stay motivated now that he's paid?
Notes:
Albert Haynesworth instantly makes this defense better. He may not approach 8.5 sacks like he did last year, but his presence will give everyone on the defense better angles and more time to react. For fantasy purposes, let someone else take him unless you are obligated to take a defensive tackle. Andre Carter could benefit from Haynesworth's presence, but he's getting up there in years, and Phillip Daniels is nothing more than a bye week fill-in, if he's even the starting defensive end. Brian Orakpo was selected in the first round, and he has potential oozing out of him. If he stays at defensive end for all 3 downs, he could be a nice surprise as a rookie.
The linebackers are a solid group from a fantasy standpoint. Middle linebacker London Fletcher had 133 combined tackles last year and makes for a safe pick as a low-end number one IDP selection. Rocky McIntosh has been consistent the last couple years, averaging 87 combined tackles. I see similar production in 2009, but maybe with a couple more bonus plays.
The Redskins have several viable fantasy starters in the defensive backfield. Chris Horton and LaRon Landry will man the safety spots, and either makes for solid picks in 2009. Landry had a disappointing season statistically in 2008, but I expect a bounce back season. Horton racked up 76 combined tackles and 3 interceptions in 2008 as he established himself as a capable starter. This year, a slight bump is stats could be in order. Carlos Rogers and DeAngelo Hall hold down the cornerback positions. Both are borderline starting options, with a slight nod towards Hall.
----------
VERY PRELIMINARY O-LINE ANALYSIS
by Chris Graley
Starting at LT again will be Chris Samuels. He is one of the best LT's in the league and my only concern with him is his age. He's been pretty durable over his career though and has been to the Pro Bowl the last 4 years. Even if he's playing at 80%, he's better than most LT's.
LG Dockery is reuniting with his old team. He's a great straight ahead run blocker, but don't ask him to pull. Last year he allowed 8 1/4 sacks ranking him dead last among LG's but he's a better pass blocker than that and I think that Jason Peters standing next to him and doing his best impression of a turnstile affected his stats. He's an upgrade over Pete Kendall.
Casey Rabach is back for his 5th season at Center. he's a little undersized, but still a decent run blocker. He's great at setting the line and calling the defenses. He's never going to be an All-Pro, but he brings enough intangibles to keep the team happy at the Center spot. He's 31 this year.
RG Randy Thomas is now 33. Last year he played with a herniated disk in his neck. He had his knee scoped in the offseason and 2 years ago he tore a tricep. He may be replaced by 2008 3rd rounder Chad Rhinehart, but the small school prospect is a project and didn't look close to being ready last year.
RT is projected to be 2007 UDFA Stephon Heyer. He has a great frame to be a RT, but doesn't show much technique or tenacity. I'm not real high on him, but the Redskins must be or they would have signed somebody better than Mike Williams as a back-up.
Last year my biggest concern about this line was the age and it's still my biggest concern this year. They did nothing in the draft to address this and quite frankly Randy Thomas is being held together with duct tape. He risked paralysis playing with the herniated disk last year. The kid that is supposed to replace him isn't ready and if he goes down the team will suffer. And if Samuels goes down for any amount of time the team will downright implode. If Samuels goes down, sell high on all your Redskin players. I'm downgrading both the running and passing game slightly if they stay healthy, and greatly if they don't.
Position-by-position grades and run/pass blocking unit rankings coming in July.
----------
PLAYER TO WATCH/AVOID (at his A.D.P.)
by Stan Feldman
The Undervalued: QB Jason Campbell. Campbell's play for one of the league's most prominent organizations hasn't yet set the world on fire as many have hoped, and it has sent him plummeting down draft boards. What owners have missed while watching the 'Skins struggling is that he continues to improve year after year as Washington expands his role. He has a dynamic group of receivers, including tight end Chris Cooley and receivers Santana Moss, Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly. With an ADP below Marc Bulger, represents great draft-day value.
Overvalued: Redskins D/ST. The unit is getting a lot of attention after landing defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and re-signing cornerback DeAngelo Hall in one of the best and one of the worst moves, respectively, of the offseason. The signings seemingly improved a group that ranked fourth overall in yardage in 2008; in fact, it simply masked more problems. The team still doesn't have pass-rushers (it recorded just 24 sacks, ranking twenty-eighth) or a dynamic secondary (just 13 interceptions), and neither Haynesworth nor Hall (nor first-rounder Brian Orakpo) will fix that.
----------
BURNING QUESTION
by Rick Perkins
Q: Every year it seems "what you see is what you get" with Washington. Plenty of Portis and a plethora of options in the passing game that tease. Any surprises in 2009?
A: From Campbell and the WR corp? No. What you see (mediocrity) really is what you get. Santana Moss has to be the single most enigmatic WR this side of Lee Evans. He'll blow up when least expected versus the unlikliest of defenses and then go 3-38-0 the very next week against a bottom 8 defense. Maddening.
There's really only one Washington receiving option you need to keep in mind. I think he's solidly undervalued at a current average draft position of 7.12 (86th overall).
Chris Cooley.
Now don't get me wrong, it's not as though the fantasy community is sleeping on the guy. He's being selected as the 7th tight end overall. But even that is entirely too low.
To help put this in perspective, Cooley finished 2008 as the #5 tight end. Despite the laughable reception to touchdown ratio of 83:1. Had the guy managed to even match his career average of 6.75 touchdowns a season, he vaults all the way up to #2, trailing only Tony Gonzalez.
And don't underestimate the offseason upgrades on defense. That generally translates to better starting field position and additional trips to the red zone.
With every division we cover I always try to include an "if you only remember one thing" statement and Cooley is it for the NFC East. Take a pass on the top 5 tight ends this year unless they themselves drop below their ADP.
This top 3 tight end will be waiting for you in the late 6th / early 7th round. Don't let him get past you.
|
|
|