2006 RECORD: 5-11  -  2007 RECORD: 9-7  -  2008 RECORD: 8-8

Fantasy Stats Scoring System

Team Fantasy Points: 1426.9 FP – 25 of 32

KEY ADDITION: DL Albert Haynesworth (TEN)

KEY LOSSES: WR James Thrash (UFA)

KEY DRAFT PICK: DE Brian Orakpo – Texas

COACHES: The Redskins finished the 2008 season by losing four of their last five games including loses to the 49ers and Bengals. We find it somewhat surprising that their three front line coaches are returning in 2009. HC Jim Zorn returns for his second season but will be on a short leash. Sherman Smith begins his second season as offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator Greg Blache enters his second season in Washington as well.

STATS SLANT: Which Redskins team will we get in 2009? Will we get the one that opened 6-2 or the one that finished 3-5 in 2008? These coaches know football, we just wonder about the talent around them and their ability to pull the right strings to keep the players focused. Overall we wouldn’t suggest that you hook your Fantasy wagon to any Redskin player based on the coaching staff.

QUARTERBACK (QB): Jason Campbell enters his fourth NFL season and second as the QB1 in Washington. Campbell seemed to struggle somewhat with the West Coast Offense (he had never played in a WCO system) last season and it showed in his numbers. His 240.1 FP was the 17th best OA QB ranking in 2008. Part of his mediocre season comes from trying to learn the WCO but part was also due to a lack of talent around him. Campbell had 506 pass attempts (10th most – Brees 635 1st) so at least they were letting him toss the rock around. Despite all those attempts, Campbell threw just six INT all season. That was a league low for QBs that had at least 380 attempts. Todd Collins and Colt Brennan will battle in camp for the QB2 position in Washington but neither has any Fantasy value.

STATS SLANT: We had Campbell listed as a sleeper candidate heading into the 2008 season but he and his supporting cast never seemed to get on the same page at the same time. With his low 2008 FP total and no new weapons, Campbell has some sleeper value again this season. A year under his belt learning the WCO system will certainly help his cause. The Redskins coaching staff have liked what they have seen from him so far in camp. With all that said, consider Campbell as your backup QB and he should be drafted as a low end QB2.

RUNNING BACK (RB): Clinton Portis is back for his eighth season as the undisputed RB1 in Washington. CP got off to a quick start in 2008 but faded badly in the last half of the season. Part of the reason for his decline in the second half was due to various minor injuries but he also appeared to be running on empty from Week 11 on. Portis had 155 FP through the first eight games and just 97 FP over the last eight games. While CP is still relatively young at 27 he doesn’t look like he can be a 320 carry RB anymore. The Redskins OL is also aging but they did manage to get some help when they acquired Jeremy Bridges from the Panthers on May 3, 2009. Bridges has been arrested twice in the past year so he will need to clean up his act. If he can manage to stay clean he will be a definite upgrade at the right tackle position for the Skins. Ladell Betts is the handcuff for CP in Washington and Rock Cartwright is also in the mix.

STATS SLANT: A RB who is gassed half way through the season is not a good thing in the NFL or Fantasy Football. We were high on CP heading into last season and we had him in the OA top five at the RB position. The fact that CP caught just 28 passes (47 in 2007) is a cause for concern as the WCO is very RB – screen pass friendly. This year we are going to push him back down some and recommend him as a low end RB1. With CP showing signs of wear, you will need to get Betts as a must have handcuff.

WIDE RECEIVER (WR): As was the case in 2008, Santana Moss and Antwaan Randel El head into the preseason as the Skins starting WR tandem. We didn’t expect much out of them last season at this point and that’s what we got. Moss came in as the 17th OA WR with 222.1 FP and Randel El came in at 43rd with 143.1 FP. The Skins were busy WR shopping in the NFL 2008 Draft as they got WR Devin Thomas out of Michigan State (R 2 34th OA) and WR Malcolm Kelly out of Oklahoma (R 2 51st OA). Neither of them was a Fantasy factor in their rookie season as they both spent time dealing with injuries. Thomas has been dealing with a hamstring injury and Kelly is coming off knee surgery. Both have been working out at mini camps and are said to be close to full health. Thomas could take over the WR2 role in the pre-season and force Randel El into the slot receiver position. Before that happens though it would be nice just to see Thomas stay healthy. Kelly may need another year of conditioning, with some spot duty this season, following his microfracture knee surgery.

STATS SLANT: As mentioned, we weren’t too high on this crew last year and we are of the same opinion in 2009. Select Moss as a mid range WR3 and watch who wins the WR2 battle. Whichever player wins the battle should be considered as a low end WR7.

TIGHT END (TE): Chris Cooley survived the year-one WCO experiment in Washington and came in as the 5th rated OA TE with 174 FP in 2008. That was down from his 2007 FP total of 195. In his defense, Cooley did more blocking and was double teamed for most of the season last year. He ended the season with career highs in receptions (84) and receiving yards (849) but shockingly managed just one TD (Week 5 PHI). Until someone can step up and take some coverage away from Cooley you can expect more of the same out of him.

STATS SLANT: By default, Cooley is the Redskins best receiving weapon after Moss. Some would argue that he’s their best receiving option and we wouldn’t argue the point. That being said the WCO is not overly TE friendly and teams will be able to key on Cooley again in 2009. He is however a stud and should be taken as a high end TE1 on Draft Day 2009.

PLACE KICKER (PK): Incumbent Shaun Suisham enters his 4th season in the NFL and 3rd with the Skins. This year he has company in camp though as the Skins signed Dave Rayner (CIN) to compete for the PK duties. Neither of these two are very consistent or accurate and should not be considered as a Fantasy option in 2009.

DEFENSE-SPECIAL TEAMS (D/ST): It’s been said that DL Albert Haynesworth burned through two cell phones when he hit the FA market on February 27, 2009. Bert was one of the most sought after FA defensive players in the past decade. The Redskins were just being the Redskins when they paid him $66 million dollars more than the Titans were offering. Good Luck Bert, you’ll need it! The Redskins D/ST ranked second last OA in FP scoring with a laughable 68 FP in 2008. Only Denver, with 64 FP, was worse.

STATS SLANT: $100 MILLION? It’s actually slightly less but $100 MILLION looks better to Bert and his agent. Bert was 15th OA with 8.5 sacks (OLB DeMarcus Ware BAL 20).  He had 51 tackles and another 10 assists while forcing three fumbles. We understand this guy is good, but is he $100 MILLION good? We think not. The addition of Bert has many bumping this unit up on the rankings list for 2009. We are not buying what they are selling and have them ranked as a high end D/ST2 at best.

RED FLAG: The Redskins are the Redskins with their cast of role playing players. There aren’t any major red flags but there aren’t many Fantasy stars here either. There has been talk that Zorn and Portis have been going at it in camp already. Portis is still in the midst of his huge eight-year, $50.5 million contract so he isn’t going anywhere soon. That’s just CP being CP.

Keep a pre-season eye on: How the WR health, looks, touches and positions are handled and eventually set in Washington.

Stats Sleeper: WR Devin Thomas

Strength Of Schedule: 16 of 32

Summary: The Redskins are another team with very few stars but lots of key guys that you can use on your bench. Draft them accordingly!

StatsGuru

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