Derrius Guice Injury: Fantasy Impact

Derrius Guice Injury: Fantasy Impact

The NFL preseason continues to throw punches at their franchises, both real and fantasy. After just one week of preseason games, the fantasy world saw injuries to running backs Marlon Mack, Matt Breida and the worst case of all, Derrius Guice. While Mack and Breida are expected to be ready for week 1, Guice didn’t suffer the same fate. The 2nd round rookie running back, who was being drafted in the 3rd round of early fantasy drafts, will miss his entire rookie season due to a torn ACL. The already thin running back position, just lost a player that was being counted on as an RB2. There aren’t many running backs that are projected to “shoulder the load” of their team’s carries, but Guice was one of them. Guice was someone that I personally was targeting in drafts, and have quite a bit of stock in him, in best ball leagues. This right here is just another example of why you shouldn’t be drafting “for real”, this early in the preseason. So for those that still have their fantasy drafts coming up, who should we look at in the Washington backfield, and what options are out there for the Redskins?

Chris Thompson :

One of the biggest misconceptions floating around social media, is that Chris Thompson’s stock will rise, or some cases I’ve seen “skyrocket”. That is not the case. Thompson is very nice player, who has his own role in the Washington offense. He is coming off a terrible injury of his own, and has even acknowledged that he won’t be fully healthy until November. At about 5-8 and under 200 pounds, Thompson doesn’t have the body to handle a full workload anyway. In addition to his current leg injury, he has a long history of injuries dating back to his high school days. Sure, he’ll pick up a few more carries in Guice’s absence, but his fantasy value only gets a slight boost and nothing substantial.

Samaje Perine :

Guilty as charged right here. I bought in to the 2017 hype of Perine just like many of you did. In fact, I was completely pushing people to draft him. Things didn’t work out for him, or any of us that owned him on our fantasy teams, and he’s nothing to get excited about if the Redskins decide to go in that direction. As of now, he is buried on the latest depth chart that came out, and there were even reports that his roster spot was in jeopardy. Do the Redskins decide to give him another shot? Should you be drafting him? I don’t have the answer to the first question, and as far as the second question, right now I would have to say NO. We need to pay attention to who, and how they are using the running backs in the weeks ahead during practices and preseason games.

Robert Kelley :

The reason we were so excited about Perine last season, was because of Robert Kelley. Perine was supposed to supplant Kelley and dominate the workload in 2017, and he did eventually do that. It pains me to say this, but, if I had to pick someone up to replace Guice right now, it would be Kelley over Perine. They are both pretty bad, but at least Kelley has shown the ability to find the end zone.

Kapri Bibbs :

Will Bibbs finally be given the opportunity? This is Washington, and he was currently sharing the #2 RB role on the depth chart with Kelley, so anything is possible. He has shown some burst and playmaking ability in the small sample size we have seen between Denver and Washington, and he isn’t a zero in the passing game either. There are much better running back options in general, but from a Washington Redskins standpoint, he could be the one that emerges from their current group of guys. That says more about what they have, and less about Bibbs himself though. Personally, I’d take Bibs over the aforementioned players as complete “stash and hope” guy.

Looking Outside?

If they chose to grab someone from outside the organization, here are some possible options:

Free Agents:

DeMarco Murray – Currently retired and looking to do some TV work. Could the Redskins convince him to come out and play? Not Likely.

Adrian Peterson – A 33 year-old free agent. I personally don’t think he has anything left, but I selfishly hope they sign him….so everyone can get excited and overdraft him again.

Alfred Morris – 29 years old and had his best seasons as a Redskins player. The fans would love it, but he’s very similar to Perine and Kelley. I wouldn’t rule this out though.

Jamaal Charles He actually wasn’t terrible with Denver last season. Could be a decent option to form an early-down committee with someone already on the roster.

Orleans Darkwa – At just 26 years old, he could be the best free agent option. Skill set is similar to what they have, but he’s better than both Perine and Kelley.

Possible Trade / Cut Candidates:

They probably won’t look into the trade market at this point in time. There will be several players that will be cut/released over the next few weeks as rosters get down to 53. Below is a list of players that could potentially be cut or traded before the start of week 1. As always with the NFL, there will be a surprise player or players that fit into this category.

Mike Gillislee (NE)

Bilal Powell (NYJ)

Thomas Rawls (NYJ)

Alfred Blue (HOU)

DeAndre Washington (OAK)

Charcandrick West (KC)

Ameer Abdullah (DET)

Dwayne Washington (DET)

C.J. Anderson (CAR)

Charles Sims (TB)

Mike Davis (SEA)