Robert Kelley

Most remember Kelley for his Monday night performance against the Packers in Week 11 where he finished with 137 yards and three touchdowns, but they must've missed what ensued after that game. In the final six games of the season, Kelley averaged just 3.33 yards per carry on 84 carries with two touchdowns. He averaged just 8.05 fantasy points per game in that stretch, leading the Redskins to go out and snag Samaje Perine in the NFL Draft. You shouldn't bet on him to retain the starting job for very long, as he can only contribute on first and second down, making the offense predictable.

Robert Kelley expected to open 2017 as starter

Washington Redskins beat reporter Rich Tandler believes Robert Kelley will open the 2017 season as the team's starting running back. "I don’t see any way that Kelley is not the running back on the field for the first offensive play of the year against the Eagles, making him the 'starter,'” Tandler said via CSN Mid-Atlantic. "After that, all bets are off. How it unfolds as the season wears on will be interesting to watch."

Fantasy Impact

The Redskins, who employ Kelley, Chris Thompson, Matt Jones and Samaje Perine at running back, appear to have a reliable stable of rushers entering the upcoming season. Although Kelley is expected to start, he is not a lock as Perrine, a rookie, could contest for the job. However, barring an unforeseen turn of events, Kelley will be the Week 1 bell cow. Thompson has the change of pace/ primary receiver out of the backfield role down pat, leaving Jones the odd man out of the equation. I wouldn't be surprised if Jones is released or waived at some point before training camp. After all, he was the subject of trade talks during the draft. Although Washington's backfield appears to be volatile, it's not. It's Kelley's job to lose. From a fantasy football perspective, Kelley is the team's RB1, but if you draft him, be sure to draft Perine as well. If Kelley struggles during the season, I'd expect the Redskins to turn to the rookie sooner rather than later.