Dynasty Capsule: Washington Redskins

As part of the premium content package, we’re again unveiling dynasty capsules for every team in the NFL leading up to free agency and the NFL Draft. This year, we’re again going to do a follow-up on all the teams after all the free agency and NFL Draft movement to assess the impact of any players teams have gained or lost. Since these capsules are always done as a simple snapshot in time, we figured that was the best way to tackle the off-season and provide ultimate value for our subscribers. All in all, we’ll have close to 500 player profiles found in these capsules over the off-season.

We continue onward with a team that took a major step back in the Washington Redskins.

Quarterbacks

Robert Griffin III

The beloved team captain of the Washington Redskins had a down year from a statistical standpoint and from a team success point of view as well. The Redskins front office fired head coach Mike Shanahan and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan in the wake of their disastrous season. Subsequently, they brought in an offensive minded head coach in Jay Gruden and promoted Sean McVay to offensive coordinator. McVay is thought to be a young offensive genius and Gruden has a track record of success with lesser talents than Griffin. RGIII will need to learn to slide and absorb less contact from defenders for dynasty owners to feel more comfortable about their blood pressure levels. With all of the talent around him, there is no apparent reason Griffin cannot have a “bounce back” year.

Kirk Cousins

The Washington Post reported last week that the Redskins are actively shopping Cousins and looking for a second round draft pick. Cousins has played sparingly in the past two seasons with varying levels of success. In 2012, he played in three games. In those games he posted an impressive 69% completion percentage to go along with four touchdowns. This past season was not as impressive, though, as Cousins threw seven interceptions in five games and only completed 52% of his passes.

Rex Grossman (UFA)

All accounts state Grossman as being a great locker room presence over the last couple of seasons. Griffin has even pointed to Grossman as being a player who helped him become familiar with the Shanahan playbook. Grossman is not under contract and is not a dynasty asset even in the deepest of leagues.

Running Back

Alfred Morris

The 2012 season saw a late round draft pick turn into a rookie sensation as Morris carried the Redskins on his back while averaging 4.8 yards per carry and rushing for thirteen touchdowns. The 2013 season was not as kind to Morris as his team consistently fell behind on the scoreboard, taking the running game out of the picture. Morris was surprisingly consistent given his teams lack of success, though. He still averaged a healthy 4.6 yards per carry last year. The knock on Morris has always been his lack of involvement in the passing game. The new coaching staff may choose to use him out of the backfield more in the future. Don’t forget – Morris was the leading receiver in the Pro Bowl with 69 yards.

Roy Helu

Helu was used almost exclusively in the passing game last year. He is the unquestioned handcuff for Morris owners, but he will have to show more in the running game to hold on to his roster spot. He averaged 4.4 yards per carry last year, but he was normally facing prevent defenses late in the game. Helu may not have much value to dynasty owners outside of his role as a handcuff.

Wide Receivers

Pierre Garcon

The 2013 season was Garcon’s best of his career. He ended the season with 113 receptions for 1,346 yards. Despite these impressive numbers, he still has room for improvement statistically as he only found the endzone five times last year. His new Head Coach has shown his willingness to force feed his top option as AJ Green had nearly 100 receptions each of the past two seasons. Garcon is still only 27 years old and should be considered a top twelve wide receiver option by dynasty owners for the foreseeable future.

Aldrick Robinson

If you open up the dictionary, you’ll find a picture of Robinson under the word “inconsistency”. Maybe that is only in my house, where I’ve scotch taped pictures of Robinson in my dictionaries. That isn’t weird is it? In all seriousness Robinson has shown the ability that I’d compare favorably to Kenny Stills. He can get open deep, very easily. He has the top end speed and deceptive moves to get into space in the blink of an eye. His hands have been his downfall, though. Hopefully, for Robinson’s dynasty owners, the new coaching staff can teach him how to do the things that translate to consistency on the field. He should be viewed as a late round roster stash in dynasty leagues.

Leonard Hankerson

Despite the popular narrative on Hankerson, he actually has all of the tools to be a serviceable pass catcher in the big leagues. He has battled injuries his entire career and as we know, “NFL” stands for “not for long.” If you can not stay on the field, you will not be considered for playing time. If you aren’t considered for playing time, you won’t be very useful for an NFL team, let alone a dynasty roster. I’d consider Hankerson as a “keep your eye on” type of player with the probability he won’t be in the league much longer.

Santana Moss

The Redskins have reached out to Moss to sign him to a short term deal. Unless Moss is willing to take a veteran minimum contract laced with incentives, butI doubt he comes back to the team. I would doubt even less that he goes to another team to end his career. Moss has been a great player for dynasty owners over the last decade, but his best years are behind him.

Tight Ends

Jordan Reed

Dynasty owners were surprised last season as Reed outperformed many of our expectations. He was in the mix for Rookie of the Year honors before concussion issues sidelined him for the final five games of the season. Reports from Ashburn, VA, state Reed is completely healthy and should be 100% in time for training camp. He is viewed by many as a top five option at the position and I find it difficult to disagree. He currently is the clear cut number two receiving option on the roster. It will be interesting to see if he can stay healthy for the next few years as the sky will be the limit for this kid.

Logan Paulsen

Some players are good at what they do, but their skill sets do not translate to fantasy football. Paulsen fits that mold perfectly. He plays well on special teams, blocks well, can catch an outlet pass for a first down and is a fan favorite. Despite his many accolades, he will never be anything more than a bye week filler in fantasy football. He is below average with the ball in his hands and cannot get downfield to catch the long ball. We all know chicks dig the long ball and so do dynasty owners. Paulsen is waiver wire fodder in most dynasty formats.