Fantasy Football Breakdown: The Washington Redskins

After winning their final four games of the 2007 season to sneak into the playoffs, many Washington Redskins fans felt 2008 would be their year to win the NFC East and make a big Super Bowl push.

At the start of the season, that looked to be the case, as Washington jumped out to a 4-1 start and at the half way point were sitting pretty at 6-2. However, the Redskins forgot that an NFL season doesn’t end at the midway point as they struggled during the second half of the season going 2-6, causing them to miss out on the playoffs for the seventh time in nine years.

Despite the late season meltdown, the Redskins had some key fantasy football contributors in ’08. Clinton Portis led all NFC East running backs with 370 touches and his 1,705 total yards were also tops in the division while fourth in the NFL. The team’s leading receiver was wide receiver Santana Moss, who through eight weeks led all wide outs in fantasy points.

But, as the Redskins began to struggle so, too, did Moss. Despite finishing the season with 1,004 receiving yards and six touchdowns, the veteran had just 386 receiving yards and one touchdown over the season’s final eight games. The third and final fantasy option out of Washington was tight end Chris Cooley. His 83 receptions and 849 receiving yards were both career highs, but his one touchdown reception was a full five shy of his previous low. Still, Cooley acted as a TE1 as he had 10 games of five or more fantasy football points.

KEY ADDITION

Albert Haynesworth (DT)—After recording just 24 sacks in ‘08, the Redskins biggest off-season goal was to acquire a top tier defensive tackle, and they did just that by landing Albert Haynesworth.

The price to land the two-time Pro Bowler was a hefty $100 million over seven years, but for the first time in over a decade, the Redskins have a tackle that can get to the quarterback and stuff opposing running backs. Known as the best run stopper in all of football, Haynesworth will have no problem fitting right into a Washington defense that allowed just 95.4 rushing yards per game last season.

Despite playing with injuries and missing two games, Haynesworth led all Tennessee Titans in sacks with 8.5 a year ago and his 51 tackles were amongst the league leaders at his position. With the move to the NFC East, Haynesworth will be playing against more experienced quarterbacks and some of the leagues best running backs, but this grizzled veteran should have no problem earning his salary if he can stay healthy.

KEY DEPARTURES

Shawn Springs (CB) and Jason Taylor (DE)—It’s a good sign when your biggest losses during the off-season are an aging 34-year old cornerback (Springs) and a once great, now injury prone defensive end (Taylor).  After recording 36.5 sacks from 2005-2007 as a member of the Miami Dolphins, Taylor could muster just 3.5 sacks in 13 games in his only season as a Redskin.

As for Springs, there was a time when he was one of the best defensive backs in the game only to see his skills diminish over the past four years, evident by his seven interceptions over the course of 49 games played. Neither of these guys played a big role in the Redskins defense last season and they won’t be missed as the team moves forward.

BRUNO BOYS SPOTLIGHT

Jason Campbell (QB)—There is no doubt about it, this is a sink-or-swim year for the fifth-year quarterback out of Auburn. When the Redskins drafted Campbell with their first-round pick in 2005, they felt that two years of grooming under veteran QB Mark Brunell would help him progress into a reliable NFL quarterback, but that hasn’t been the case.

At times, Campbell has shown signs of progression, but he has yet to put together the complete season. Since 2007, he has started 29 games but has only 25 touchdown passes to show for it; however, what leads us to believe he is primed for a breakout 2009 season is his ability to limit turnovers. Campbell attempted 506 passes last season, but threw only six interceptions, which led all NFL quarterbacks with at least 250 passing attempts. 

Plus, defenses will be scheming to shut down running back Clinton Portis, allowing Campbell to find some room to play with. Look for Campbell to continue to mature and finally turn the corner, as he becomes a reliable QB2 for his fantasy football owners.

ROOKIE TO WATCH

Brian Orakpo (DE)—Entering the 2009 NFL draft, Orakpo was arguably the best athlete in the draft and when he fell to Washington with the 13th-pick, owner Daniel Snyder wasted no time drafting the former Texas Longhorn.

In college, Orakpo won the Bronco Nagurski Trophy, which is awarded to the nation’s best defensive player, and was named a First-team All-American by five different publications. What the Redskins like about Orakpo is that he has the physical ability to play any position on defense and the brains to adapt to the professional game right out of the gate. In fact, the plan is to start him as the strong side linebacker on early downs and a defensive end on later days.

Though his position on the field will change, one thing is for sure—Orakpo will produce at a high enough level to be owned in fantasy football leagues that reward points for individual defensive players.

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