James Washington has seen a spike in production over the past few weeks. Does he have a place on your fantasy football roster?
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Player Profile
Washington, a third-year veteran, has been generally the fourth-choice wide receiver this season for the Steelers. He’s posted only 28 receptions on 48 targets. He has scored five touchdowns this season, including one touchdown in each of the past two weeks.
In 2019, Washington posted a respectable 44 receptions for 735 yards and three touchdowns, surprisingly leading the Steelers in receiving yards partly due to JuJu Smith-Schuster playing only 12 games. In 2020, it’s a different story, as Washington currently sits fifth on the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards.
It may be a case of commentators being dramatic, but James Washington is allegedly Ben Roethlisberger’s go-to target when he needs a catch, which we have seen a bit over the past two weeks. I’d take that with a grain of salt, but Washington definitely passes the eye test and apparently has Roethlisberger’s trust.
State of the Offense
The continued emergence of Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson combined with the stabilization of JuJu Smith-Schuster has led to a very crowded receiving room, and that’s before accounting for Eric Ebron and the running backs. As I mentioned previously, Washington is a bit down the pecking order as it stands now. He did, however, take over for Diontae Johnson after a series of drops last Sunday night. I am viewing that as a temporary punishment for Johnson versus a permanent one, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on.
The Steelers have plenty of receiving weapons from a skill perspective, but they don’t really throw enough to maintain consistent production for any of them. They rank pretty much right in the middle of the pack with 246.5 passing yards per game this season.
There may be a glimmer of hope, however, as the Steelers have been throwing more lately. It’s no secret that Pittsburgh’s rushing game has been basically nonexistent this season, ranking 31st in the league with only 89.1 rushing yards per game. The Steelers may just be embracing that they are a pass-first offense, as four of Roethlisberger’s pass-heaviest games came over the past five weeks, and he has three of his four 300-plus yard passing games over the past six.
There has been a clear shift towards the pass lately, but all of the receivers have struggled to generate any consistent output, and I don’t think Washington will be able to separate himself from the pack.
Washington’s Outlook
To be frank, it’s extremely risky. Washington is buried behind a bunch of high-quality receivers, though he has shown the ability to produce lately, and the Steelers have been throwing a lot more.
The Steelers are now in must-win mode, as they’ve lost two games in a row after starting the season with 11 straight wins. They have a good Week 15 matchup against the Bengals and face an allegedly tough Colts defense in Week 16, but the Colts have been a bit porous lately.
Washington is too risky to confidently start in the fantasy football playoffs, but he does have a fairly high ceiling if you are extremely desperate and need a risk/reward play.
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Donald Gibson is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Donald, check out his archive and follow him @DonaldGibsonFF.
