Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update: James Washington, WR PIT

Richard Jenkins Posted On May 8, 2018

Editor’s Note: To help you dominate your rookie drafts, this series will feature a look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of over 40 dynasty rookie draft prospects and run all through the month of May and even into June. We’ll cover all the premier prospects but also give you critical information on some of the lesser known talents. All of these rookie updates will be loaded into our ever-evolving 2018 Rookie Draft Guide – the ultimate resource for dynasty enthusiasts all over the world.

Name: James Washington

Born: April 2, 1996

Position: Wide Receiver

Pro Team: Pittsburgh Steelers

College Team: Oklahoma State

Draft Status: Round two, 60th overall

Be sure to keep checking our Complete Dynasty Rookie Rankings for constantly updated rookie values!

Highlights

Combine Review

Height: 5’11”
Weight: 213
Hands: 9 3/4”
Arm Length: 32 3/8”
Bench Press: 14 reps
40 Yard Dash: 4.54 seconds
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.32 seconds
60 Yard Shuttle: 11.56 seconds
3-Cone Drill: 7.11 seconds
Broad Jump: 120″
Vertical Jump: 34.5″

Strengths

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Washington, the 2017 Biletnikoff winner recipient, is by far the most prolific deep ball receiver we have seen in some time. In his four collegiate years, Washington amassed an insane 19.8 yards per receptions average on 226 career receptions to go along with 39 touchdowns. He has been nearly un-guardable on the go route despite being under six feet tall and having a less than desirable 4.54 forty. Since 2015, Washington has averaged 61 catches, 1,236 yards, and ten touchdowns in each of the last three seasons.

It’s hard to say that the pass-happy system at Oklahoma State hasn’t benefitted Washington. The Cowboys have finished in the top 25 nationally in total offense the past three seasons, but it’s his consistency and efficiency that has separated Washington from other “deep threat” wide receivers. He has an incredible ability to track the ball and is hard to bring down after the catch. Since most of his targets are deep throws, Washington also has the ability to catch the ball in extreme traffic.

Weaknesses

Just as his strengths are catching the deep ball, Washington’s main weakness is playing the intermediate game. He was not asked to run short to intermediate routes within ten yards of the line of scrimmage. His game in that part of the field is extremely limited and his route running will need some work to improve on. Short line speed and creating his own ways to get open will also be a struggle early for Washington, but it is probable that he will eventually evolve into a better possession receiver.

Opportunities

Washington will immediately have the opportunity to see playing time in Pittsburgh’s three wide receiver sets. His target share will be limited though as he will be competing for targets with Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Le’Veon Bell. Over the past three seasons, the Steelers’ WR3 has averaged 69 targets, 41 receptions, and 700 yards.

Threats

Pittsburgh is loaded offensively so it is natural that Washington will have a lot of other receiving threats. Brown, Smith-Schuster, and Bell would all seem to command more targets than Washington in the early going. Tight end Vance McDonald will also figure to be another target presence. In his only healthy game in the playoffs last year, McDonald led the Steelers in targets with 16 targets against Jacksonville.

Short-term Expectations

Washington will get his shot to produce, though it may not be as large as we all had hoped pre-draft. I would expect him to play a role similar to what Mike Wallace played early on in his career. Wallace was brought in as a speedy deep threat like Washington and he averaged 85 targets, 50 receptions, 1006 yards, and eight touchdowns through his first two seasons (20.2 YPR).

Long-term Expectations

Washington will never see the alpha role on this team as long as Antonio Brown is around. Pittsburgh consistently supports multiple strong fantasy assets, and Washington could develop into one of those players. With Brown turning 30 before the season and Bell’s contract situation, it’s possible the pass catchers could look very different before Washington’s rookie contract is over. If Washington can follow the same trajectory as Wallace, he could be a viable option for many years. Wallace’s best season came in 2011 when he posted a 72-1193-8 line on 114 targets and finished as the PPR WR9 overall.

The next and maybe most important part on James Washington’s long-term expectations is his quarterback. Pittsburgh’s very next pick after Washington was his college quarterback, Mason Rudolph. Both players already have a strong rapport, playing 42 total games together. As Ben Roethlisberger nears the end of his career, the transition to Rudolph will be completely natural to the progression of Washington’s game.

NFL Comparisons

Finding a comparison to Washington is challenging because there is no one like him. Another thick-framed receiver who is a natural deep threat with huge college production is hard to find. I’ve seen comps to both Corey Coleman and Roddy White which I believe are about as close as we can get. White was an extremely productive receiver for the Falcons, and we may never see the full potential of Coleman.

Projected Range for a Rookie Draft

DLF’s latest version of rookie ADP had Washington as the WR6, number 14 overall. He is in an ADP cohort of wide receivers that includes Calvin Ridley, Courtland Sutton, Christian Kirk, Michael Gallup, Washington, Anthony Miller, and Dante Pettis that ranges from WR2-8. This class is very deep with no real answers on who is going to have the greatest impact.

I would be buying Washington at his current ADP as I have him as my personal WR4, a late first-round selection. It’s plausible that Washington will be scattered around in rookie drafts, as high as a mid-first and as low as a mid-second. Since no one can seem to come to a consensus on WR rankings, the safest route would be to trade into the 1.10-1.12 range to almost guarantee a shot at him.

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