Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, October 24th at 1:00 PM ET
Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
Betting Odds: WAS +9.5, 49 total via Oddsshark
Network: FOX
Washington Football Team
Quarterback
Taylor Heinicke (Sit, QB2)
Taylor Heinicke averaged 23.1 fantasy points per game over his first three starts but has struggled lately. Heinicke is only averaging 9.6 fantasy points over the last two weeks. The Packers’ defense has been middling against fantasy quarterbacks this year, but that won’t be enough to put Taylor in the starting conversation. Heinicke still has some QB2 appeal in two-quarterback leagues, but I would avoid him in one-QB formats.
Running Backs
Antonio Gibson (Start, RB2), JD McKissic (Start, RB2), Jaret Patterson (Flex if Gibson inactive)
Fantasy managers need to monitor Antonio Gibson’s injury this week after his leg injury prevented him from practicing on Wednesday. Washington limited Gibson to only ten rushing attempts last week, which makes me concerned for his fantasy production if he is active. Still, with so many teams on BYE this week, we may need to hope for the best. Green Bay’s defense is pretty much middle-of-the-league in fantasy points allowed to running backs, so the match-up should be moderate enough for Antonio to produce RB2 numbers if he’s healthy and ready to go.
If Gibson is inactive, JD McKissic’s value will go through the roof. McKissic already has solid PPR value. He led the team in receptions and had a season-high 10 targets just last week. JD should be capable of an RB2 performance even if Gibson suits up but should have substantial upside if Gibson sits. McKissic could see plenty of targets once again if the Packers take an early lead.
Jaret Patterson should be in the mix if Antonio Gibson is inactive, but I doubt he has much more than Flex value if that’s the case. I believe Patterson will play the “bruiser back” short-yardage role while McKissic handles most of the workload if Gibson doesn’t play.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Terry McLaurin (Start, WR1), Curtis Samuel (Sit), Adam Humphries (Sit), Ricky Seals-Jones (Start, TE1)
Terry McLaurin is dealing with a hamstring injury which could factor into his poor fantasy performances over the last two weeks, but fantasy managers need to keep the faith. McLaurin is still a very talented receiver who commands a massive target share in Washington. “Scary Terry” should be capable of a return to form this week against a Packers secondary that’s pretty banged up (including an injured Jaire Alexander).
Curtis Samuel was out last week with a groin injury, but nobody in the Washington offense truly stepped up in his place. Many thought Adam Humphries would be that guy, but he only had one catch for negative four yards on two targets last week. I don’t trust either of these guys in a starting fantasy lineup yet (even if Samuel is active).
With Logan Thomas on the IR list and Samuel hurt, Ricky Seals-Jones is pretty much the second-best receiving option on this team. He’s averaging 7.5 targets a game over the last two weeks and caught a touchdown last week. The Packers have been middle-of-the-road against fantasy tight ends this year, so Seals-Jones should be capable of a TE1 performance if he maintains his target share.
Green Bay Packers
Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers (Start, QB1)
Outside his Week-1 dud, Aaron Rodgers is averaging 22.4 fantasy points per game. No team is allowing more fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks than Washington. Start AR12 with supreme confidence this week.
Running Backs
Aaron Jones (Start, RB1), AJ Dillon (Sit, Low-end Flex)
It’s been a bit of a mixed bag for Aaron Jones this year, but the talented back has leveraged his pass-catching skills to remain relevant. Fresh off a respectable RB1 performance last week, Jones should be in line for an impressive game against Washington. The Football Team has allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to running backs this year. Fire up Jones with confidence.
Averaging 11.3 carries per game over the last three weeks, AJ Dillon is still involved in the Green Bay offense but he still isn’t a very dependable fantasy asset. His best fantasy performance (17.9 points) was two weeks ago, but it was a bit fluky. Dillon put up that respectable fantasy performance with four catches and one receiving touchdown, but AJ has only averaged 1.2 targets per game outside of Week 5. Long story short, Dillon will only have fringe Flex value as long as Jones stays healthy. I would sit AJ unless the BYE-week woes force you to consider him this week.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Davante Adams (Start, WR1), Randall Cobb (Sit), Allen Lazard (Sit), Robert Tonyan (Sit, TE2)
Washington’s defense has struggled this year, and Davante Adams is still one of the best receivers in the game. Don’t overthink the match-up or Adams’ subpar performance last week. Just make sure Davante is in your starting lineup.
Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard are the next most valuable wide-outs in Green Bay, but neither is consistent enough to trust every week. Lazard could be trending in the right direction. The young receiver saw the most single-game targets and his first touchdown of the year last week. He doesn’t belong in the starting conversation for now, but Lazard could be a good bench stash in deeper leagues.
It seems that Robert Tonyan is too touchdown-dependent to trust in fantasy lineups. The tight end hasn’t shown the same efficiency he had last year. Three or fewer fantasy points in the past four games isn’t going to cut it. You’re going to be praying for a touchdown if you need to start Tonyan.
-Ryan Kruse (@ryanpkruse)