The Washington Football Team has been under a lot of scrutiny over the past year. They went through a name change and were fined $10 million dollars by the NFL. You can say things have gone completely wrong for the franchise. However, during all of this, the WFT actually got better. They have developed guys like Terry McLaurin, and added solid pieces like Antonio Gibson out of the NFL draft. Even their defense has been significantly better. Let’s break down the WFT, and discuss which players you should consider drafting at each position in your 2021 fantasy football league.
Scary Terry
Terry Mclaurin is one of Washington’s rising stars. He’s performed exceptionally well in his first two seasons in the NFL. ‘Scary Terry’ has been one of the main pieces of Washington’s rebuild since being drafted by them in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Coming off a year where he put up 1,118 yards on 87 catches, I don’t see him slowing down. He should pick up where he left off, and even improve on his numbers from last season. I believe the addition of Ryan FItzpatrick helps his chances here. After tallying only four touchdowns last year, I think McLaurin could potentially double that number in 2021. Impressively, McLaurin still managed to finish 20th in PPR scoring, while only catching four touchdowns.
I have McLaurin as a top-10 wide receiver going into this season. At his current ADP according to ESPN (31st overall – 4th round), he’s being drafted as a top-10 wide receiver, and rightfully so. Give me some Scary Terry shares in 2021!
New Work Horse
Antonio Gibson has brought back something the Washington Football Team was missing. They haven’t had a solid running back like Antonio Gibson since drafting Alfred Morris back in the 2012 NFL Draft. Washington only got three solid years out of Morris, and then had to turn to guys like Robert Kelly, Samaje Perine, and an old Adrian Peterson.
In his rookie season, Gibson finished the year with 170 rushes for 795 rushing yards, and 11 rushing touchdowns in 14 games. He also had 247 receiving yards on 36 catches, making him the 13th ranked running back in PPR formats in 2020.
Gibson’s workload will certainly increase this upcoming season. I can see Antonio Gibson finishing the year with over 1,000 yards on the ground and even 500 receiving yards to add to it. Gibson is currently being drafted as the 11th running back, according to ESPN’s ADP (22nd overall – 3rd round), and I love him at that spot. J.D. McKissic will likely take some touches away on the receiving end, but that shouldn’t affect Gibson’s fantasy football production at all. Look for Gibson to push for a top-10 finish in fantasy football once again in his second NFL season.
FitzMagic
The Washington Football Team added Ryan Fitzpatrick during the offseason to try and add some solid quarterback play for the 2021 NFL season. The addition of Fitzpatrick gives the offensive weapons in Washington more value going into this year. Previously, WFT had guys like Dwayne Haskins and Kyle Allen onto the field to start these past couple of seasons; along with Alex Smith – who didn’t perform that well after coming back from a life threatening leg injury.
Even though Ryan Fitzpatrick only played in nine total games last season, he didn’t look bad at all. In fact, he had four games with over 21 fantasy football points. According to Fitzpatrick’s current ADP, he’s being taken as the 23rd quarterback off the board. That’s just about where he belongs. He could finish in the top-20 at his position, but don’t expect much more than that. You could also draft him as a solid, but unspectacular backup. Unless you play in a Superflex league, or a deeper league, taking Ryan Fitzpatrick in drafts isn’t necessary.
Logan Thomas – Downtrend Starts In 2021
The former Virginia Tech quarterback had a career year at tight end for Washington last season. Logan Thomas put up 670 yards on 72 catches, along with six touchdowns. He finished 3rd in PPR scoring last season (7th in standard). He also just signed a three year extension worth $24 million with the Washington Football Team.
Thomas was third among all tight ends in targets last season, third in catches, seventh in yards, and ninth in touchdowns. Now, even though Thomas had a solid year last season I’m staying away from him, and here’s why.
The WFT have added more weapons to their offense this past offseason. They just signed Curtis Samuel, drafted Dyami Brown,, and also added Adam Humphries (a favorite of Ryan Fitzpatrick). There’s a lot more talent and competition for targets this season in Washington, and there’s a good possibility Thomas’ numbers drop.
Thomas thrived off a pretty large volume of targets last season, especially during the last stretch of the season. Thomas’ ADP of 80th overall (7th among tight ends) is too rich for me this year. If he falls outside of the top-10 in your drafts, then consider picking him up. There are other options I like more this year going after Logan Thomas; For example, Robert Tonyan and Dallas Goedert.
Don’t Forget the Defense
Washington’s defense over the last couple of seasons has improved tremendously. In 2020, the WFT ranked fourth defensively. They were the second best defense against the pass, and 13th against the run. They were also ninth in the league in turnovers. Additionally, they were sixth in the NFL in sacks with 47. The WFT also had 16 interceptions in 2020 which was good for fifth in the league.
So far in training camp, the defense has performed dramatically better than the offense has. This is typical, especially with a new quarterback in the system; but it shows that Washington’s defense is clicking and working fantastic together.
Washington has one of the league’s best defensive lines going into the 2021 season, led by Chase Young. One reason why the WFT’s defense will perform as good, if not better, than last year’s defense is because of additions they made; like William Jackson III. William Jackson III is a legitimate number one cornerback who can shadow an opposing team’s top receiver.
Washington also made some defensive additions in the 2021 draft, selecting Benjamin St-Juste in the third round and Jamin Davis in the 1st. St-Juste has been a standout in camp so far, and allows Kendall Fuller to move back into the slot where he’s more comfortable. Jamin Davis was selected in the first round this past draft, and he will be a key factor for them at the linebacker position right out of the gate. Basically what I’m saying is, this team will force turnovers, and has gotten better during the offseason. Expect the Washington Football Team to have a top five defense once again, and potentially be the best defense in the league.
Conclusion
All in all, the players I would target on this team for fantasy football would be Terry Mclaurin, Antonio Gibson, and the Washington Football Team’s defense. Logan Thomas is a pass for me at his current ADP, and Ryan Fitzpatrick could be a decent backup quarterback. Most importantly though, follow your gut and pick whoever you feel will help your team out the most this season!
