Washington Redskins vs. Green Bay Packers
The Washington Redskins performed admirably but ultimately couldn’t overcome a poor offensive line and a great Packers offense. I don’t think anyone is surprised (nor should they be) that the Packers were able to beat the Redskins, but the game was a lot closer than I’m sure many would have expected, and the Redskins showed they definitely have some talent.
Washington Redskins
Quarterback
- Dwayne Haskins: 16/27, 170 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Honestly, Haskins didn’t look all that bad. He made some solid throws, showed good arm strength. Obviously he was far from perfect, but one of the biggest problems was his offensive line. He got sacked four times and was constantly under pressure from the pass rush. He did toss one interception, getting baited throwing into double coverage, but overall Haskins looked pretty decent. He’s not fantasy relevant though.
Running Backs
- Adrian Peterson: 20 carries, 76 yards, 1 TD
- Derrius Guice: 5 carries, 42 yards
- Wendell Smallwood: 2 carries, 4 yards
Derrius Guice might have hurt his knee yet again, potentially spraining his MCL and leaving the game early. I think he’s quite the talented running back, but the guy can’t seem to stay healthy, unfortunately. However, Adrian Peterson was, and man, he still looks good. He looks strong, he was busting through guys, and just ran hard. I know that’s a vague football writer turn, but that’s exactly what it looked like, he was running his heart out and did well with what he had. If Guice is out again (and that looks very possible), Peterson could be in line for a large amount of work next week.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Chris Thompson: 8 targets, 7 catches, 43 yards
- Terry McLaurin: 7 targets, 4 receptions, 57 yards, 1 TD
- Steven Sims Jr.: 7 targets, 4 catches, 40 yards
- Kelvin Harmon: 4 targets, 1 catch, 30 yards
Can we all just take a quick moment to appreciate how good Terry McLaurin is at football?
https://gfycat.com/colorlessaridbutterfly
Chris Thompson ended up getting the majority of the target share in this game, but his inconsistency prevents him from really being a super useful fantasy asset, even in PPR leagues. But it was McLaurin, unsurprisingly, who was the best receiver for the Redskins from a fantasy perspective. Unfortunately the Redskins’ offense is, in general, pretty inconsistent, which makes McLaurin hard to own as anything more than a flex play, but man is he good at catching the football. As for Jeremy Sprinkle, the tight end, there was nothing to be had as he got zero targets, but he wasn’t usable in fantasy anyways.
Green Bay Packers
Quarterback
- Aaron Rodgers: 18/28, 195 yards, 1 TD | 5 carries, 16 yards
Rodgers was really solid, as usual, however he didn’t do a whole lot from a fantasy perspective because this was the Aaron Jones show. Rodgers did was he’s done a lot this season: exactly what the Packers need to win. He managed the game well and made the throws he needed to make. Credit to the Redskins’ pass rush though, as Rodgers was sacked four times. Generally, the Redskins were able to get in on him, not as much as the Packers were getting in on Dwayne Haskins, but still, they looked pretty solid.
Running Backs
- Aaron Jones: 16 carries, 134 yards, 1 TD | 7 targets, 6 catches, 58 yards
- Jamaal Williams: 7 carries, 24 yards
Man oh man is Aaron Jones good. I am so glad he’s being given a lot of work because he is a very good running back. We’ll get to his pass-catching in a second (which was also really good) but he ran hard. The Redskins don’t have the best defense in the world (I know, you’re shocked) and Jones took complete advantage of that, busting through for big yardage, banging up against guys, spinning, and getting loads of yards. I mean, 8.4 yards per carry? That’s fantastic. He also led the team in targets and looked really solid catching the ball, which just added to his value in PPR leagues. Unfortunately he’s been really volatile this year, as he had only scored more than seven fantasy points in three of his past four games entering this one, but when he hits, he really hits.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Davante Adams: 6 targets, 4 catches, 41 yards
- Jimmy Graham: 5 targets, 3 catches, 49 yards
- Allen Lazard: 3 targets, 2 catches, 19 yards
- Robert Tonyan: 1 target, 1 catch, 12 yards, 1 TD
- Geronimo Allison: 1 target, 1 catch, 11 yards
- Marcedes Lewis: 1 target, 1 catch, 5 yards
Rodgers spread the ball around quite a bit, but when it comes to the Packers’ receiving corps, the answer is pretty simple: it’s Davante Adams and that’s about it. Like I said earlier, Aaron Jones led the team in targets because he decided to place the entire team on his back this week, but Adams saw the second-most targets, unsurprisingly. Jimmy Graham continues to be a borderline tight end, but not one I’d like to have as my only tight end outside of deep leagues. Other than those two, there’s nothing else here really. Robert Tonyan snagged a touchdown as his only catch, but that’s more a fluke than anything, nothing you can trust.
-Ben Palmer