Category: Latest Washington News

Can you roster QB Dwayne Haskins on your fantasy football team in 2020?

Haskins was not relevant for fantasy football in 2019, but his outlook going forward may cause you to look at picking him up.

There are now less than two weeks until the 2020 NFL season kicks off, so if you have been putting your fantasy football homework off due to the uncertainty brought forth by the coronavirus, it’s time to dust off those rankings.

It might be yet another tough season to find fantasy production from your favorite players in Washington, but there are a few guys who you might consider drafting and plugging into your starting spot. While WR Terry McLaurin is the obvious choice, another player to consider is QB Dwayne Haskins.

You may have just asked yourself, ‘Can I really play Dwayne Haskins as my starting quarterback?’

You’re not alone, and it’s a fair question to ask. After his tumultuous rookie season, expectations are a bit higher for the second-year player, though he isn’t likely to blow the roof off of the stadium just yet. Our friends over at The Huddle have predicted that Haskins will finish the 2020 season with 3,100 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. Here is what they have to say about him:

Haskins started to show signs of life at the end of last season, but it was a lackluster rookie campaign overall. It is encouraging to hear that he has been dedicated this offseason, but he is still no more than a low-end QB2 heading into 2020.

At the moment, Haskins’ average draft position (ADP) is 286th, according to ESPN, meaning he is going undrafted in your typical league. That can be taken both ways, seeing as if you want him on your team, there’s hardly a chance that anyone else will beat you to the punch. However, it also shows how low the collective confidence in him is to perform.

What it all comes down to, obviously, is how comfortable he feels running the offense this year. Near the end of 2019, we saw Haskins go on a stretch of a few games where he started to put some things together and look like a capable passer. Of course, he is also working under yet another new coaching staff and offensive coordinator this season, which can’t help the learning process. So far in training camp, he looks much-improved over the rookie version of himself, but coach Ron Rivera admitted that there is still some growing to do.

It’s unlikely that you’ll start Haskins on your fantasy team early on in the season, but if you are a Washington fan who wishes to take him as a late-round flier and stash him on your bench to see what he does? Nobody can blame you for that.

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NFL to take over investigation into alleged workplace harassment in Washington

Goodell informed Dan Snyder that the NFL would be taking over the investigation into workplace misconduct in Washington.

The NFL is reportedly taking over the investigation into Dan Snyder and the Washington Football Team, according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The investigation is stemming workplace misconduct and harassment that has been thoroughly reported on over the last couple of months. An outside party was originally investigating the situation, but NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell informed Snyder of the change earlier today.

With the recent turmoil going on with Washington, many have wondered if an investigation would lead to team owner Dan Snyder being forced to sell the team, but unless the 31 other owners forced Snyder out, there isn’t much precedence for the NFL to force a sale.

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Roster Moves: Washington cuts WR Darvin Kidsy, signs WR Tony Brown

Washington made a couple of roster moves on Monday, cutting ties with WR Darvin Kidsy and bringing in rookie WR Tony Brown.

The Washington Football Team cut ties with WR Darvin Kidsy on Monday morning, ending his three year stint with the team. In his place, Washington decided to pick up WR Tony Brown, a rookie who went undrafted and was released by the Cleveland Browns earlier this summer.

Brown is a former member of the Colorado Buffs, and he played with Washington QB Steven Montez in college. During his senior year, Brown tied for the team lead with 56 receptions, while recording 707 yards and five touchdowns along the way. He also earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors for his performance in 2019, and at one point came down with this impressive toe-tap touchdown last season.

For Kidsy, it was likely going to be a long-shot for him to make the roster cut in Washington once again this season. In his two years with the team, he’s appeared in only 5 games with a total of one reception for eight yards.

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Will Washington look to claim RB Leonard Fournette after release from Jaguars?

The Jaguars surprisingly released Fournette on Monday, which may lead to Washington’s decision to bring him in for a workout.

It was announced early on Monday morning that the Jacksonville Jaguars had released running back Leonard Fournette, a former first-round pick.

While Fournette had a couple of very solid years in the NFL, he never quite lived up to the massive expectations that surrounded him coming out of LSU, and the Jaguars have now decided to move on from him with one year left on his rookie contract. So should Washington look at claiming him now that he’s available? There are some valid arguments for why they should, but probably more that says they shouldn’t. Let’s break it down.

Ever since Derrius Guice — another former LSU player — was released in Washington, they have been searching for their clear-cut RB1 on offense, and it’s coming down to either Adrian Peterson or Antonio Gibson. We’ve seen in the past that Fournette can be a formidable runner, and he has some prowess catching the ball out of the backfield as well. However, there has to be a reason that he is getting cut in Jacksonville, and his performance in training camp this past year must not have been too stellar if the team feels like they can better rely on Chris Thompson (yes, that Chris Thompson) going forward.

Bringing in Fournette would also complicate things quite a bit in Washington. Throughout training camp, they’ve already done a lot of work to establish an RB hierarchy, and they have two solid options at the position in the rookie and the vet. Peterson is likely to be the RB1 this season while he continues to stave off Father Time, and confidence is high for Gibson, who will likely take the reigns in future years. Washington also has J.D. McKissic, who has performed well in camp, plus Bryce Love and Peyton Barber, who they’re hoping start to break out at some point.

Washington may bring Fournette in for a workout, but it would be a bit surprising to see them do anything more. There may not be a clear-cut RB1 that the rest of the league would want on their roster, but they’ve got a situation that works for them.

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Dwayne Haskins brings energy to practice with TD run, capping off long drive

Haskins was able to piece together an impressive final drive on Sunday, completing 5-of-6 passes and running it in for a touchdown.

With the full-team scrimmage at FedEx field standing as the only thing between Washington and the end of training camp, Sunday’s training camp practice was significant. Many players had their last shot to make an impression on the coaching staff, and their roster spot hangs in the balance.

On a day when many of the young players on the bubble were expected to step up, it was two of Washington’s superstars who made the biggest impressions on the day. We already showed you the monster goal-line stop that rookie Chase Young made against Adrian Peterson, saving a touchdown, and now reports are out that quarterback Dwayne Haskins put on an absolute show at the end of practice.

After taking a sack, Haskins went 5-for-6 and led the team on a touchdown drive that was capped off by him scrambling away from a collapsing pocket and in for the score.

As a Washington fan, that may be one of the better sentences you’ve read during all of training camp. The season is fast approaching, and all accounts are that Haskins is looking to be ready to lead this team into some much needed success.

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Injury update: Jonathan Allen helped to sideline with apparent left leg injury

Jonathan Allen went down with a left leg injury on Sunday, and he sat on the sideline without his helmet for the rest of practice.

A troubling moment in training camp came on Sunday morning, when veteran defensive lineman and team leader Jonathan Allen went down with an apparent injury in practice, leading him to be helped off the field.

Allen, who was holding his left leg while down on the turf, was helped to the sideline, where he sat without his helmet for a while as teammates came and checked on him. Allen remained sitting on a cooler, repeatedly flexing his leg, and not appearing to be in too much pain, but still remaining concerned. The training staff eventually came over and put a brace on his knee, but it appears that his day is done.

We will hear from coaches later to get an update, but it’s unclear how serious the injury is at the moment.

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WATCH: Chase Young stuffs Adrian Peterson at goal line to prevent touchdown

Chase Young provided another highlight play on Sunday by stuffing Adrian Peterson for no gain on the goal line, preventing a touchdown.

All reports were that practice was expected to ramp up the intensity in Washington on Sunday, and so far that seems to be extremely accurate.

With just two practices left before camp ends, many players are working to battle for their final spots either on the starting lineup or the roster in general. However, it was two sure-fire difference-makers who provided one of the bigger highlights of the day, with rookie Chase Young stuffing veteran Adrian Peterson at the goal line to stop a touchdown run.

The speed and power of Young to be able to get from the edge to the middle of the line and stop a player as strong as AP is remarkable. It’s plays like these that get you absolutely ecstatic for the coming season.

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Sunday’s practice in Washington expected to heat up with several roster spots up for grabs

There are only two training camp practices left in Washington, and a number of position battles and roster spots are up for grabs.

With Saturday’s training camp practice now in the books, the Washington Football Team only has two padded practices left before roster cuts are made — one on Sunday and a scrimmage at FedEx Field on Monday.

When talking to the media on Saturday, Rivera got into the cut process a bit, and while he didn’t delve into specific players who have caught his attention — though he said many have — he did talk about Sunday’s practice being of the utmost importance, with a number of jobs on the line, and a number of competitions for starting spots, and roster spots, coming to a boil.

How will the left side of the offensive line shake out? Who will be able to grab the final spot on the WR depth chart? What about the cornerbacks? Will Troy Apke be able to hold onto his spot at the starting FS position? These are all questions that need to be answered, and the team is coming down to decision-making time pretty soon. If practice has been intense this far, the next couple of days are even going to be more so, with a ton of young players looking to take their chance, and a number of veterans hoping to secure their spot on the roster going forward.

Bring on the competition and heat, we can’t wait.

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Alex Smith takes ‘very big step’ with 11v11 snaps in Washington practice

As Smith continues to progress in his recovery from that leg injury, he took a major step on Saturday with 11v11 snaps in the redzone.

Washington’s practice was closed to the media on Saturday due to inclement weather that forced them inside, but reports from the team are that quarterback Alex Smith took a handful of snaps in non-contact 11 vs. 11 red zone drills, which he has yet to do since returning from his leg injury.

Head coach Ron Rivera addressed the media after the practice and noted that this was a major step for Smith, who is progressing quickly on his recovery and will likely be able to take full-contact 11v11 snaps later this week. Once he can do that, the quarterback competition will get very intriguing.

None of this is to say that Smith is a likely candidate to overtake the QB1 spot from Dwayne Haskins, but having him even in the conversation is a major win for both Smith and the team.

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Big sports bettor wagers $55,000 on Chase Young to win Defensive Rookie of the Year

There are high expectations for Chase Young in his rookie season, and one bettor is putting their money where their mouth is with confidence.

With the NFL season just a couple of weeks away, many sports bettors are starting to place their wagers across the country with a number of futures bets in their sights.

One of the bigger bets that was placed recent came from New Jersey, where someone put down a whopping $55,000 on Washington’s Chase Young to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award at +220 odds. If you plug that into a betting calculator, a win on that bet would pay out $176,000 before taxes.

While the dollar amount may be a bit shocking, it’s not a surprise to see the confidence in Young’s ability to have a stellar rookie season start to grow. After a legendary college career, Young has been a stand-out already in practice, and he seems to be transitioning well to the NFL.

We don’t know who this big-bettor is, but I think I can speak for everyone in Washington when I wish them the best of luck in their wagering on this one.

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