2021 Fantasy Preview – Washington Football Team

Studs

• Terry McLaurin: McLaurin has had to endure more than most WRs do in their first two years in the league. He has had a rotating cast of Alex Smith, Dwayne Haskins, Kyle Allen, and Case Keenum throwing him the ball his short career. Despite this, he has produced back-to-back 900+ yard seasons and a WR2 finish last year. Now he has Ryan Fitzpatrick, the best QB he’s played with in his career, and a gunslinging QB at that. McLaurin should be primed to produce at a borderline WR1 level this year and is only 25 for those dynasty teams.
• Antonio Gibson: Despite missing basically 3 games in 2020, Gibson produced just outside the top 12 RBs (RB13). He broke out his rookie season and all signs are pointing towards the team giving him the rock more this year. He was efficient with his opportunities and should continue that with a more balanced offensive approach in 2021. For dynasty leagues, he’s only 23 and should continue to be a borderline RB1 for years to come.

Role Players

• Ryan Fitzpatrick: Through the first 6 weeks of last season Fitzpatrick was a top 10 QB. Then he started switching out time with Tua even though it looked like Fitz was on the verge of leading Miami to the playoffs. Now with Washington, there isn’t a young QB that looks to be the future face of the franchise like Tua was in Miami. Fitz should get to start the whole season, but as good as he can be, fans have all seen his down games as well. Even though he can be a roller coaster, he should be a solid fantasy starter and a good one-year stopgap for dynasty teams.
• Curtis Samuel: Samuel has flashed a lot of potential in his time with Carolina, but has always at least been the second or third option in the offense. He is a dynamic player that can lineup everywhere on the field, even the backfield at times. Now at Washington, he looks to be the clear number 2 option next to a receiver in McLaurin that demands the defense’s attention. He should be a great WR3, potentially WR2, for the 2021 season. But his job following the season could be in question with Day 2 draft pick Dyami Brown biting at his heels.
• Logan Thomas: Thomas quietly had a great season in 2020 as the second option in the Washington offense. They have brought in both Curtis Samuel and Dyami Brown who could end up taking some targets away from Thomas. That being said, Thomas should still be a solid middle-tier TE1 at a sparse position. 
• JD McKissic: McKissic was the definition of a PPR RB2. His 110 targets and 80 receptions were the biggest factor in him finishing as the RB17 in PPR leagues. Gibson should progress in his sophomore season and take some of those targets away, but McKissic should still produce at about the same clip as valuable as he is in the passing game.

Keep an eye on

• Kelvin Harmon: Harmon had a quiet rookie season in 2019 and then wasn’t able to show any improvements in 2020 after he tore his ACL. Coming off of his injury, there are reports that he looks good in camp and could contend for a starting spot in 3 wide sets. He showed a lot of promise coming out of college and could have a second opportunity to prove his worth in the NFL. A situation to keep an eye on.

Dynasty Stashes

• Dyami Brown: Brown was a third-round selection and selected to solidify the lacking WR core behind Terry McLaurin. He looks to be behind Curtis Samuel in the depth chart but could also be fighting with other WRs for the starting 3rd wide receiver position. As a rookie, he doesn’t have much stand-alone value. But dynasty leagues he is an excellent stash as his talent and draft capital suggest he should have a role in this offense soon enough.
• Antonio Gandy-Golden: AGG started the season off fighting for a playing time in a crowded WR group, but suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out a majority of the season. Coming back in 2021, he is yet another WR vying for that third starting WR position. At only 23, he still has time and could be a deep dynasty league stash.