Washington Football Team

Washington head coach Ron Rivera told the media Monday morning that the turf toe injury that slowed RB Antonio Gibson last season is no longer an issue this season.

Fantasy Impact: He also said they’re finding ways to get creative with getting Gibson the ball in space, whether that be as a pass-catcher or with certain rum schemes. This should be music to the ears of fantasy managers as draft season is right around the corner. Gibson could be looking at a major uptick in volume, both on the ground and in the passing-game, in his second NFL campaign.

Dyami Brown is reportedly seeing reps in the slot in camp, according to The Washington Post. (Source: The Washington Post )

Fantasy Impact: This comes after the third-round rookie spent most of his collegiate career on the outside. Curtis Samuel was placed on the COVID list, so it is yet to be seen if that is the reason why Washington is trying Brown out in the slot role. There is a good chance he is moved all over the field as a rookie. Adam Humphries has also reportedly garnered a connection with Ryan Fitzpatrick in camp and can see action in the slot himself. Brown is a player worth monitoring as training camp progresses into preseason action.

The Washington Football Team has placed WR Curtis Samuel on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. (Source: Tom Pelissero on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Samuel missed the first day of training camp and it’s now been reveled the team has placed him on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. It’s unclear if he tested positive or not, but he’ll miss at least a bit of time while in the health and safety protocols. Adam Humphries and Dyami Brown could see a few extra looks early in camp with Samuel out.

Washington Football team WR Adam Humphries is QB Ryan Fitzpatrick's favorite target so far in training camp, per Rhiannon Walker of The Athletic. (Source: Rhiannon Walker on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: It's surprising to hear Humphries is the favorite target of Fitzpatrick, considering the Washington Football Team has stud WR Terry McClaurin and big free-agent signing WR Curtis Samuel. Humphries struggled to find his footing in Tennessee after a breakout 2018 year in Tampa Bay, where he had 105 targets out of the slot. He can carve out a nice role for himself as a reliable slot receiver and could fill in your flex spot on bye weeks or in the case of injuries.

The Washington Football have signed TE Logan Thomas to a three-year extension on Tuesday. (Source: Mike Garafolo on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Thomas had a career year with Washington in 2020, hauling in 72 catches on 110 targets for 670 yards and six touchdowns across 16 games. He had 19% of the team’s target percentage last season, sixth among all tight ends. The 30-year-old remains in Washington for the next three seasons and expects to play a vital role in the passing game in 2021. Washington did bring in wide receivers Curtis Samuel, Adam Humphries, and third-round pick Dyami Brown in the offseason. Thomas may not see as heavy of a volume of targets as he did in 2020, but with an improved offense and better quarterback play (Ryan Fitzpatrick), the veteran TE should produce for fantasy managers in 2021. Thomas is borderline TE1 and currently 12th among all tight ends in the latest expert consensus draft rankings.

The Washington Football Team have signed DE Jonathan Allen to a four-year, $72 million extension on Monday. The deal includes $30 million guaranteed. (Source: Ari Meirov on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Allen started every game for Washington in 2020, racking up 63 tackles and 2.0 sacks across 16 contests. The 26-year-old played a career-high 77 percent of the defensive snaps last season. He was second on the team in quarterback hits (14) and played a vital role in helping Washington become an elite defense last season. Allen is durable and started 47 of 48 games over the previous three years. His presence only helps Washington’s DST, which is currently fourth among all defenses in the latest expert consensus rankings.

Washington Football Team running back J.D. McKissic has gained weight this offseason. The offensive weapon "was bulking up because he didn’t want to be thought of as only a pass-catching back." (Source: The Athletic)

Fantasy Impact: McKissic has been a valuable receiving option and benefitted tremendously from Alex Smith's checkdown approach last season. Out of all running backs in the NFL, he was arguably the second-best pass-catcher behind Alvin Kamara. In 2020, he logged 85 carries for 365 yards and 80 catches for 589 yards while backing up standout rookie Antonio Gibson. In total, he scored three times. The 27-year-old ranks 50th among running backs in the latest expert consensus draft rankings.

Washington Football Team running back Peyton Barber has lost weight and improved his style of play this offseason. When reporting on the 27-year-old, Rhiannon Walker of The Athletic said that "he has slimmed down, and his cuts were made with the same smoothness as [fellow running back J.D.] McKissic when he was making his way upfield." (Source: The Athletic)

Fantasy Impact: It is interesting to see Barber compared to McKissic considering the latter is a much better pass-catcher. However, as Walker notes, McKissic recently bulked up "because he didn’t want to be thought of as only a pass-catching back." All in all, Barber is putting himself in better shape to become more dynamic and useful in the Washington offense. Currently the team's RB3, it is fair to wonder if Barber is fighting for his job this summer. He ranks 99th among running backs in the latest expert consensus draft rankings. In addition to McKissic and Antonio Gibson, Barber is joined in the backfield by Bryce Love and Jaret Patterson.

Let's not get too carried away with the Ryan Fitzpatrick hype just yet. According to JP Finlay of NBC Sports, fellow quarterback Taylor Heinicke "had himself a damn good minicamp" and has "looked better than Ryan Fitzpatrick" so far. (Source: NBC Sports)

Fantasy Impact: Finlay made it clear that Heinicke was going up against a defense featuring backups and a few starters while Fitzpatrick opposed a group of all starters. The former also impressed during a portion of camp that prohibits the defense from laying a hand on the quarterback, so Heinicke wasn't wearing heavy equipment and didn't have to deal with excessive pressure. Still, this is a storyline worth following. It appears that the position battle remains wide open with less than two months to go until the 2021 NFL season kicks off. In the latest expert consensus draft rankings, Fitzpatrick checks in at No. 18 while Heinicke ranks 43rd.

Per sources, All-Pro G Brandon Scherff and the Washington Football Team are not expected to reach a long-term deal by Thursday’s deadline. He will most likely play the 2021 season on his second consecutive franchise tag worth about $18M. (Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Scherff was tagged in 2020 as well and will now more than likely play out the 2021 season on the franchise tag as well before becoming a free agent ahead of the 2022 season. Washington enters the 2021 season with one of the best offensive lines in football, anchored by the All-Pro Guard.

Washington Football Team star DE Chase Young suffered a hip injury before the 2020 season. He also dealt with a groin injury in the season’s first month. (Source: Ben and Standig on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Young’s top priority is to enter the 2021 season fully healthy. He finished the 2020 regular season with 44 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles across 15 games. The No. 2 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft is entering this upcoming season 100 percent healthy and will look to build on his rookie campaign. The Washington Football Team’s defense is currently fourth among all DST in the latest expert consensus draft rankings.

Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Washington Football Team has signed TE Ricky Seals-Jones. (Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The details of the contract are still unknown, but Washington has added some more competition to their TE position with the signing of Seals-Jones. It's no guarantee that Seals-Jones makes the final roster for Washington but he does provide some depth at the position behind Logan Thomas. Seal Jones, 26-years old, spent 2020 with the Chiefs and only appeared in two games with no catches. This is a low risk signing for Washington as Seals-Jones is still young and likely came pretty cheap. If Seals-Jones makes the final roster for Washington he would still likely not be on the fantasy radar unless something were to happen to Thomas.

Former Washington Football Team DE Ryan Kerrigan announced on Instagram that he’s signing with the Philadelphia Eagles. (Source: Mike Garafolo on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Kerrigan stays in the NFC East and joins the Eagles after racking up 95.5 sacks in 10 seasons in Washington. This is a very nice veteran pickup for an Eagles team that was lacking depth on the defensive front.

Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Washington has signed safety Bobby McCain to a one-year deal. (Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Before being released by Miami earlier this week, McCain had spent his entire career with the Dolphins since being drafted in 2015. Last season McCain started 15 games and finished with 46 tackles and an interception. The details of the one-year contract are yet to be known, but McCain immediately brings experience to a safety group that is still pretty young other than Landon Collins.

Former Washington Football Team RB Bryce Love went unclaimed on waivers. (Source: Adam Caplan on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Love was released by Washington recently and passed through waivers unclaimed. He has yet to play in an NFL game and spent the last three months of 2020 on injured reserve with a knee issue. The 2019 fourth-round draft pick will look to latch onto another team during the offseason. Love is a dart throw in dynasty-league formats and will most likely be a depth piece if signed by another team in 2021.

Current free-agent and former Washington Football Team TE Thaddeus Moss has reportedly been claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Bengals, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. (Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Moss was waived by Washington recently after spending the majority of his rookie season on Injured Reserve. The Bengals will reunite QB Joe Burrow with his former college tight end in hopes of reigniting the chemistry shared between the two during their championship run at LSU. Moss caught 47 receptions for 570 yards and four touchdowns with Burrow as his quarterback and will be a familiar target in what figures to be an exciting offense, assuming both players remain healthy for the Bengals in 2021.

John Keim of ESPN is reporting that the Washington Football Team is strongly considering drafting a quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft. (Source: John Keim )

Fantasy Impact: Washington signed QB Ryan Fitzpatrick during the offseason, but the team is reportedly looking to draft a quarterback. “They also will strongly consider drafting a quarterback, if one they like is available, ” per Keim. Fitzpatrick is a bridge QB and Washington will look to draft his successor in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Football Team has the 19th pick in the draft and will continue to weigh out his options. Stay tuned.

RB Lamar Miller and the Washington Football Team have reached agreement on a one-year deal. (Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Miller played one game for the Bears during the 2020 season, hauling in two receptions for six yards. He signed with New England last offseason, but was released by the Patriots in September. The veteran RB also spent time with Chicago and Washington last season. Miller is fully recovered from his 2019 knee injury and will look to carve out a backup role behind starting RB Antonio Gibson.

Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Texans have signed LB Kevin Pierre-Louis to a two-year deal worth up to $8M. (Source: Jeremy Fowler on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Pierre-Louis, 29-years old, is coming off the best season of his career in which he played in 13 games for Washington and totaled 56 tackles. The two-year deal will be worth up to $8M for a team in the Texans that have a lot of needs defensively.

DB Ronald Darby and the Broncos have agreed on a three-year, $30 million contract. The deal includes $19.5 million guaranteed. (Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Darby started all 16 games for Washington in 2020, racking up 55 tackles (43 solo), 16 pass defenses and one fumble recovery. Before last year, Darby dealt with multiple injuries and was limited to 28 games over three seasons with the Eagles. Darby is expected to play at outside corner and his presence only improves the Broncos secondary.