Robert Griffin III: Analyzing Redskins QB's Fantasy Value for Rest of the Season

Washington Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III hasn't been a fantasy football star over the last two weeks, but there are plenty of reasons why fantasy owners shouldn't worry about the young star's ability to be a productive player in their league's playoffs.

The Redskins have lost three straight games and four of their last five, but Griffin isn't the sole reason for the team's recent lack of success.

He hasn't been turning the ball over a lot, and the Washington defense has given up a lot of points this season, which puts a ton of pressure on Griffin and the rest of the offense to score points.

The Redskins are 3-6 and have seven games remaining this season, but most of them are against teams that present favorable fantasy matchups for Griffin.

Here are the five teams that Washington will play to end the 2012 regular season:

Week	Opponent	Pass Defense (NFL Rank)
11	Philadelphia Eagles	15th
12	Dallas Cowboys	5th
13	New York Giants	26th
14	Baltimore Ravens	22nd
15	Cleveland Browns	23rd
16	Philadelphia Eagles	15th
17	Dallas Cowboys	5th

As you can see, the Redskins don't play many good pass defenses for the rest of the season, and even though the Cowboys are ranked fifth in this category, they allowed Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan to throw for 342 yards on Sunday night.

With several good matchups for Griffin in the final part of the season, fantasy owners should feel comfortable about the young quarterback's chances of giving their team enough points in crucial late-season and playoff games in their fantasy league.

Griffin has been very accurate this season with a 65.6 completion percentage and has thrown eight touchdown passes with just three interceptions.

His 529 rushing yards and six touchdowns make up a better stat line than a lot of NFL running backs have this season, which is one reason why RGIII is a must-start in any type of fantasy league.

Griffin has run the ball eight or more times in seven of his team's nine games this season, and since he has a 6.5 yards-per-carry average, he's a threat to give your team another four or five points from his running ability each week. Four or five points can sometimes be the difference between winning and losing your fantasy matchup.

The Redskins' chances of making the playoffs this year are slim, but the chances that Griffin does well for fantasy owners over the final eight weeks of the season are pretty good.

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