What We Saw: Week 6

Washington Redskins vs Miami Dolphins

 

Washington Redskins

 

Quarterback

 

• Case Keenum: 13/25, 166 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT | 4 carries, 10 yards

 

With the new emphasis on the running game, Case Keenum is just a game manager, if he wasn’t already. A matchup against the Dolphins is as good as it gets, and if this is all that he can muster, he is obviously off the fantasy radar in all but the deepest of leagues.

 

Running Backs

 

• Adrian Peterson: 23 carries, 118 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 18 yards
• Chris Thompson: 3 carries, 12 yards | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 8 yards

 

Chris Thompson left the game late with a foot injury, so monitor his status going forward. Wendell Smallwood is the likely next man up but will provide little fantasy usefulness.

Adrian Peterson looked good in this game, breaking tackles and grinding out tough yards. He even chipped in a couple of catches. Just remember, this is the dream matchup for Peterson, so you’re looking at his likely ceiling. Washington figures to be trailing most games, and they had struggled to establish the run in most non-Dolphins games. An offense that can only score 17 points against the Dolphins is likely not one to support a high-end fantasy running back.

 

Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends

 

• Terry McLaurin: 7 targets, 4 receptions, 100 yards, 2 TD
• Paul Richardson Jr.: 4 targets
• Trey Quinn: 4 targets, 2 reception, 8 yards
• Kelvin Harmon: 1 targets, 1 reception, 8 yards
• Jeremy Sprinkle: 3 targets, 2 catches, 24 yards

Nothing to see here outside of the continued dominance of Terry McLaurin. McLaurin continues to look like the real deal, running crisp routes and looking explosive. As there go to touchdown scorer, McLaurin looks locked in as an every-week fantasy starter. While he likely isn’t going to score a touchdown every week for the rest of the season, outside of some small touchdown regression there is no reason to think that this is a fluke. McLaurin is one of the steals of the year in fantasy football.

 

Miami Dolphins

 

Quarterback

 

• Josh Rosen: 15/25, 84 yards, 2 INT, 5 sacks
• Ryan Fitzpatrick: 12/18, 132 yards, 1 TD

 

Bad news for the Dolphins offense as a whole if Josh Rosen struggles in a home game against the burnable Washington secondary. Rosen was pulled for Ryan Fitzpatrick, who rallied the team to a near win after failing on the go-ahead two-point conversion. Rosen was constantly taking sacks and throwing dump-off passes, and it is hard to get excited about any Dolphins option while he is at quarterback. Fitzpatrick at least shows flashes of talent that can help make those around him fantasy relevant. Keep an eye on the news to see who is starting going forward.

 

Running Backs

 

• Kenyan Drake: 10 carries, 40 yards | 9 targets, 6 receptions, 30 Yards
• Mark Walton: 6 carries, 32 yards | 6 targets, 5 receptions, 43 yards
• Kalen Ballage: 3 carries, 7 yards, 1 TD

 

Kenyan Drake is carving out a decent PPR role with all the dump-off passes he is catching, as he turned nine targets into six catches for 30 yards in this one. Still, if this is his fantasy ceiling, then it’s a low one, and you should be looking for more explosive options for your fantasy team. Drake is a solid bye week or injury fill-in, but shouldn’t be trotted out in your starting lineup every week.

Mark Walton surpassed Kalen Ballage on the depth chart and surprisingly chipped in five catches to post a solid PPR day. Much like Drake, however, Walton’s upside is too capped in a bad offense and as part of a committee. He could be worth a bench stash, but this matchup against Washington is about as good as it will get all season. And of course, Ballage vultured the touchdown, because coaches hate fantasy football.

 

Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends

 

• Preston Wiliams: 6 targets, 2 receptions, 31 yards
• Devante Parker:  4 targets, 3 receptions, 28 yards, 1TD
• Albert Wilson: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 15 yards
• Mike Gesicki: 7 targets, 3 receptions, 51 yards
• Allen Hurns: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 16 yards

 

It’s an ugly mess of spread out targets in the Dolphins passing game and against a bad Washington secondary, it’s disappointing to see this as the end result. Many were hoping for a bit of a breakout from Preston Williams, but two catches for 31 yards certainly doesn’t qualify. Albert Wilson returned to soak up 6 targets but was woefully inefficient with his opportunities. Now that the Dolphins have three wide receiver options to spread the work around, it’s hard to see any of these players develop consistent fantasy relevance.

 

-Erik Smith