Welcome back for another adventure into the world of fantasy football! I am your humble host Steve Lawson, and I will be your fantasy sherpa to guide you to the summit of championship glory!
Today, we will be taking a trip into the world of Washington Commanders football. Unlike my Brandin Cooks article, this journey is much less treacherous and filled with much more promise!
The cause for optimism? Antonio Gibson.
I have three players I consider to be “my guys,” and Antonio Gibson is one of them. A big-bodied running back with elite speed and shocking quickness, he is primed for another RB1 campaign.
Note: No Punt Intended will air on Wednesday, June 15th, with Special Guest Clinton Holmgren from IDPGuys! We will be covering the Seahawks, Commanders, and Vikings.
Antonio Gibson Fantasy Football
Some may point to Gibson’s early-season struggles last year and question him, but remember, he had a broken leg last season and only missed one game. Naturally, playing through an injury like that will cause a dip in production, if not end a season completely. However, what he did last year was indicative of what he can and will be this year.
For reference, here are Gibson’s last season stats: 258 carries, 1,037 yards, 7 TD, 42 receptions, 294 yards, 3 TD (Per ESPN).
Those are not the stats of a man with a broken leg.
Also, take into account that the Commanders were playing from behind a ton last season. We saw Gibson’s potential unlock once they decided to play defense and run the ball.
Unfortunately, it was apparent all season that Gibson wasn’t 100% healthy, which hurt his numbers. However, with an entire offseason of health, expect Gibson to come into camp and put on a show.
I know that some will worry about the team drafting Brian Robinson Jr. I don’t think it’s as big of a deal as some people like to make it. Robinson couldn’t beat out competition at Alabama until he was a Senior. Even then, he wasn’t exactly dynamic with the ball. Instead, he is more of the wrecking ball type.
I see the addition of Robinson Jr. as a means to spell Gibson when he needs it. Last season there was no one else to carry the ball when Gibson needed a breather, and it forced the Washington Football Team (now Commanders) into obvious passing plays.
At this point, I would not be surprised to see Gibson get all the work he can handle and truly deliver an RB1 season. A stat line of 1200 yards, 12+ TD, and around 50 catches seems within his reach as he will be on the warpath to silence the doubters!
Draft him happily in the 3rd Round of your fantasy draft and laugh all the way to the bank when he delivers the RB1 goods.
A Look Inside the Washington Commanders
Editor’s Note: We asked our writers to focus on one player, but we don’t want to leave you hanging on the rest of the team. While Steve focused on Antonio Gibson in fantasy football, here is a quick look at the rest of the Commanders, prepared by either Josh Hudson or Ryan Weisse
Carson Wentz: For as “bad” as Carson Wentz was in 2021, he still finished as the QB12 overall. His 27 passing touchdowns ranked 10th in the league, and we shouldn’t expect that number to regress much, if at all. Wentz has a legitimate WR1 (Terry McLaurin), a stud RB (Antonio Gibson), and is in an offense that has no issue targeting a TE (Logan Thomas) — something Wentz has done plenty in his career. In Superflex and two-QB leagues, he’s an easy stash. – Josh Hudson
JD McKissic: McKissic is an annual favorite sleeper for fantasy football, but there are concerns for 2022. Last year, in 11 games, he dropped to 53 targets, around five per game. That is a significant step down from 2020, when McKissic saw 110 targets in this offense. As the team gets Gibson more involved in the passing game, McKissic becomes less attractive. Last year, he only hit 10+ fantasy points in four games, and those are not great odds when betting on a fantasy sleeper. -Ryan Weisse
Brian Robinson: Robinson’s draft capital, with Washington taking him in the 3rd Round, makes him an interesting prospect. He was solid at Alabama in 2021, with almost 1600 total yards and 16 TDs. The team sees him as a 1b option to Gibson, and he is likely to cut into the 253 carries that Gibson saw last year. You can pencil him in for about 100 carries but almost no passing work. That makes him a less inspiring fantasy asset. -Ryan Weisse
Terry McLaurin: Is this finally the year McLaurin has quality QB play? Through three seasons in the league, he’s averaged over 1,000 receiving yards a season but hasn’t topped five TDs in the last two years. He’s also never finished a season higher than WR20 in PPR scoring. Wentz helped Michael Pittman Jr. to a WR17 finish in 2021, and McLaurin’s ADP currently has him as WR16. Are we sure that’s not his ceiling? – Josh Hudson
Jahan Dotson: Dotson is the forgotten 1st-Round rookie wide receiver of 2022. If Terry McLaurin goes through with a holdout, Dotson might end up being the cheapest team WR1 in fantasy. Even if McLaurin plays, there should be plenty of targets to go around. Last year, WRs not named McLaurin soaked up almost 175 targets. You can expect better play from Curtis Samuel, but 100+ targets are not out of the question for Dotson. He is a very nice late-round dart throw. -Ryan Weisse
Curtis Samuel: It was a rough first year for Samuel in DC. He couldn’t stay healthy and did almost nothing when he was on the field. Reports are that he looks healthy to start the summer, and his numbers should improve considerably. My word of caution on Samuel. We saw his breakout in 2020 in a very different role in Carolina…after Ron Rivera and Scott Turner left town. Back in his 2019 offense, maybe he isn’t a sleeper. Perhaps he’s just a fantasy WR4. -Ryan Weisse
Logan Thomas: If Thomas is healthy, he is the TE1 in an offense that will funnel looks his way. He will be a streaming candidate weekly because you cannot draft him. Until given a clean bill of health, he is just a waiver add candidate.
We hope you enjoyed our look at Antonio Gibson for fantasy football this season. You can find all of our A Look Inside articles here!
If you’re prepping for your dynasty drafts, you can also find our rookie consensus rankings here if you’re preparing for your dynasty drafts!